The Ambassador of Good Will Award is the highest award presented by Lions International to its members
India CSR News Network
MUMBAI: V.P. Nandakumar, MD & CEO of Manappuram Finance Ltd., and Governor of Lions Clubs International District 318D, was presented with the Lions Ambassador of Good Will Award by Naresh Aggarwal, the international First Vice President of Lions Clubs.
The award was presented at a glittering function held at the Lulu Convention Centre, Thrissur on Sunday, July 24, with nearly 2,000 Lion members in attendance. The Ambassador of Good Will Award is the highest, most prestigious award presented by Lions International to members who have distinguished themselves by particularly noteworthy service. Only a limited number of these awards are annually given worldwide by the International President of Lions Clubs.
As MD & CEO of Manappuram Finance Ltd. and Managing Trustee of the Manappuram Foundation, Shri V.P. Nandakumar has initiated an extensive partnership with Lions Clubs to jointly implement charitable programmes of the Club all over India, including a project to set Children’s corners in 100 public parks across India and a partnership with the Akshaya Patra Foundation to support the extension of the mid-day meal scheme to school children. An advanced palliative care centre is coming up In Thrissur in collaboration with the NGO, Alpha Palliative Care.
Besides the presentation of the award, the function also saw the installation of the District Cabinet of the Lions Club by Naresh Aggarwal who is scheduled to take over as the International President of Lions Clubs International next year.
Lions Clubs established its presence in India in 1956 and today has 2,40,000 members across 6,400 Clubs. Lions volunteers reach out to help anywhere across the country, even in the remotest locations. From providing instant assistance during sudden disasters such as the recent Malin, Pune, landslide, helping over 50,000 people see again or taking over the education of abandoned families, Lions have created a huge impact on Indian society. The Lions Clubs International Foundation has provided US$ 901 million in grants globally of which India is the recipient of US$ 84 million for 1535 projects.
Manappuram Finance Ltd. is one of India’s leading gold loans NBFCs engaged in providing finance against used household gold ornaments. Incorporated in 1992, the company has been promoted by V.P. Nandakumar (current MD & CEO) whose family has been involved in gold loans since 1949. It is headquartered at Valapad in the Thrissur District of Kerala. The company went public in August 1995 and its shares are listed on the stock exchanges of Mumbai, Chennai, and Kochi. As of March 31, 2016, Manappuram Finance Ltd. had 3,293 branches across 24 states and 4 UTs with Assets under management (AUM) of Rs.114.3 billion. The company’s net worth stood at Rs.27.58 billion.
