Jio Financial Services appoints Venkata Narasimham Peri as its group chief operating officer

Jio Financial Services (JFS) has appointed Venkata Narasimham Peri as its group chief operating officer (COO), as the fintech arm of the Reliance group steps up its push across financial services and AI-led capabilities.

The company’s board approved the appointment on December 17, with Peri set to assume the role from December 22. The position will form part of the company’s senior management personnel.

Peri has been associated with JFS since October 2024 as a senior executive advisor, working closely with the chief executive officer, chief technology officer and analytics leadership to help lay the groundwork for the company’s AI and analytics strategy. His elevation formalises a role that had remained vacant since mid-2024.

He brings more than 25 years of experience spanning finance, technology and advisory roles. A London School of Economics alumnus, Peri has previously worked with firms such as IBM, Deloitte and PwC, and has advised boards and senior executives on finance, risk, technology and analytics, largely within the global banking and insurance sectors.

The company said he has also launched multiple CFO and CRO advisory service offerings and worked closely with CEOs, CFOs and CROs worldwide on technology, analytics and finance-led transformation programmes.

Before joining JFS, Peri founded and led US-based healthtech company CognitiveCare for six years. He has also served as chief AI officer at L V Prasad Eye Institute since last year. His academic and governance experience includes pro-bono teaching stints at institutions such as the Indian School of Business and UCLA, along with board-level engagements in India. He holds a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and an MCA from NIT Rourkela.

The group COO role was earlier held by Charanjit Singh Attra, former chief financial officer of State Bank of India. Attra exited the position in July 2024 to become managing director and CEO of JFS’s leasing subsidiary, Jio Leasing Services, before leaving that role by November to join EY as a partner. Since then, JFS’s senior leadership has been led by managing director and CEO Hitesh Sethia and CFO Abhishek Pathak.

For the September quarter, Jio Financial Services reported a net profit of Rs 695 crore, up 1% year-on-year. Operating revenue rose 42% to Rs 981.4 crore, with interest income accounting for the bulk of the topline.