Profile
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Simi Sethu,
Kripa Financial Solutions
Poonam Kumar built iXCEL Financial Solutions on a deliberate decision to leave corporate banking and create an advisory firm designed to change how clients experience finance.
Kumar, named an Elite Woman 2026 by NZ Adviser, calls her career an “intentional evolution”. From early on, she was drawn to finance because she understood its power.
In her view, finance unlocks freedom, security and generational opportunity. Roles in commercial and business banking gave her a strong technical grounding in lending. Her defining move came when she chose growth over comfort and stepped away from corporate security to build her own practice.
“Starting iXCEL Financial Solutions was a bold decision,” she says.
She launched the firm to reshape the advisory experience. Kumar structures finance with future flexibility, risk management and sustainability in mind. Her clients build trajectories that support long-term wealth and business expansion rather than short-term fixes.
Her strongest professional quality is a relentless focus on solutions. Tight servicing, policy restrictions and complex structures are challenges she approaches with strategy. She explores alternative lenders, restructures frameworks and re-sequences plans until the structure aligns with a client’s broader vision. She does not stop at the first “no”. There is almost always a pathway forward.
Leading iXCEL demands emotional leadership as much as technical expertise. Clients are often making life-changing decisions under pressure. Kumar recognises that behind every loan sits a family, a dream or a business vision.
She balances rapid growth with deeply personalised service by staying proactive. She invests in ongoing learning, market analysis and lender relationships so she can anticipate change. Inside the business, she reinforces systems and processes to protect service quality as the firm expands.
Her approach remains relationship-led. She begins with a client’s aspirations before structuring any solution, aligning finance with personal and commercial goals. She measures success through outcomes and through the assurance clients gain while decisions are being made.
Throughout her career, Kumar has judged achievement by impact. For her, results matter, but so does the sense of direction clients gain alongside the financial outcome.
Being recognised as an Elite Woman carries responsibility. Kumar is candid about structural barriers she has observed. Visibility can limit impact when capable women hesitate to self-advocate in competitive environments. Early in her career, she chose to step forward by speaking on panels, accepting leadership roles and building brand presence.
“Women should not just occupy seats; they should hold decision-making power in credit committees, executive boards and strategic planning,” she says.
Kumar believes representation must translate into influence. She adds, “We don’t have to fit into the industry; we can influence it.”
That mindset defines her leadership. She wants other women entering commercial and business lending to see a pathway that feels visible and attainable. If her success broadens that pathway, she considers it meaningful progress.
Kumar wants her legacy defined by stronger financial futures for clients, wider pathways for women in commercial finance, and deeper impact within the communities she serves.
Building the firm from vision to reality remains her proudest achievement. It required courage and conviction. Today, iXCEL represents families securing homes, businesses expanding and clients building wealth through advice grounded in trust and long-term positioning.
3 Gurtin Road, Flat Bush, Auckland 2019
021 712 678
poonam@ixcel.co.nz
linkedin.com/in/poonam-kumar-82b0052b
ixcel.co.nz
Poonam Kumar
Director and Financial Adviser
iXCEL Financial Solutions
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Simi Sethu,
Kripa Financial Solutions
2002–2007
2007–2010
2013–2015
2016–2025
Present
2002–2004: Junior Accountant at Rob Baker & Associates Chartered Accountants, Sydney, Australia
2005–2007: Accounting Officer at Spotless Services, NZ
2002–2007
2007–2009: Management Accountant at Northern Hospitality, NZ
2010: Business Analyst at Westpac
2007–2010
2013: Business Manager at Westpac
2015: Legends Awards – Best Banker at Westpac
2013–2015
2016: Commercial Manager at Westpac
2018: Legends Awards – Best Banker at Westpac 2019 – 2025:Treasurer Rotary Club of Botany Downs
2024: President Elect Rotary Club of Botany Downs (2024)
NZA Elite Women 2024
NZA Elite Women 2025
2025: NZMA Excellence Awardee – Commercial Mortgage Advisor
Auckland Indian Diaspora Business – Winner Excellence in Mortgage Advisory
2016–2025
Director and Financial Adviser at iXCEL Financial Solutions since 2021
President at the Rotary Club of Botany Downs
Present
Milestones
Milestones
ELITE WOMEN 2024 JUDGE
Before founding Kripa, Sethu held key sales roles with global travel leaders Emirates and Travelport, where she sharpened her client relationship, communication and strategic sales skills. These experiences gave her a deep appreciation for diverse client needs and the importance of tailored, human-centred solutions.
Sethu is also a sought-after speaker on topics such as homeownership pathways, business funding, financial literacy and smart borrowing in evolving markets. Her engaging, down-to-earth style makes financial education accessible and actionable.
Driven by a genuine passion for community empowerment and financial wellbeing, Sethu is dedicated to helping people take control of their financial futures with clarity, confidence and long-term vision.