Board of Directors

Mr. AN BUNHAK, the current Chairman at MAXIMA, is a founder member at MAXIMA. He was appointed as Chairman of the Board of MAXIMA at the end of 2011. Prior to working at MAXIMA, Dr. Bunhak served as Chief of Finance at Pacific Commercial Bank (1995-2000). Dr. Bunhak earned his Doctoral Degree of Business Administration (DBA) in Management from Preston University, USA in 2009. He obtained a Master of Banking and Finance at Norton University, Cambodia and Ateneo De Zambuaga University, the Philippines in 2003. In 1995, Dr. Bunhak graduated from the Faculty of Business, Cambodia and obtained Bachelor of Business Administration.

Mr. CHET CHAN PRASOEU joined the Board of MAXIMA in December 2000. Mr. Prasoeur is currently serving as a member of Risk Committee of the Board of MAXIMA . Mr. Prasoeur completed Master’s degree in Law at Build Bright University in 2010. He graduated from the Faculty of Business, Cambodia and obtained a Bachelor’s of Business Administration in 1995.

Mr. Pa Ponnak Rithy is the Board of Director and Chief Executive Officer at MAXIMA. He joined MAXIMA in December 2000. Prior to this, he was an Accounting and Administration Assistant in LWS (1998-2000), a Chief of Accounting at Pacific Commercial Bank (1995-1998), a Deputy Chief of Credit Office of the National Bank of Cambodia in Kampot province (1980-1995). Mr. Rithy completed his degree in Accounting/Finance and Banking in Cambodia and received Bachelor of Business Administration in 1986. Mr. Rithy is well versed in English and Khmer. Mr. Rithy is a man of heart, leading his teams with affection, transparency and some sternness whenever needed.

Mr. TAEJUN SHIN is the founder and CEO of Gojo & Company, Inc., the majority shareholder of MAXIMA . After graduating from Korea University and Waseda Graduate School of Finance, Taejun started his career at Morgan Stanley and then worked for Unison Capital. While working in the finance industry, Taejun founded Living in Peace, an NGO, in 2007, and created the first microfinance investment fund in Japan’s investment history in 2009. Taejun cofounded Gojo in 2014 and has led the company’s growth until today as the CEO. He was the Global Shapers of the World Economic Forum and is the youngest founding member of Endeavor Japan. The Harvard Business Review Japan Edition selected him as the 20 best CEOs under age 40. He is the author of 9 books, a finisher of the 1648 km ultra-marathon, and a Karate black-belt holder. Taejun is fluent in Japanese, Korean and English.

Mr. SANJAY GANDHI is a CPA from India. He started his career in 1991 with AF Ferguson, one of the oldest Audit firms in India (a partner of Deloitte India). Then he headed the corporate banking team of one of the largest finance companies in India for 8 years. From 2003 onwards, he has worked exclusively in the field of Microfinance, gaining expertise in all aspects of microfinance operations. He has conducted close to 150 MFI ratings in 25 countries in Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe, most of them for Planet Ratings and M-CRIL. At M-CRIL, he led the ratings team as Director (Ratings). He has trained and mentored a large number of credit and rating analysts in various parts of the world. He has also held training workshops on Risk Management for many Cambodian MFI staff. In 2013, Mr. Gandhi was the CEO of a Cambodian MFI. The combined experience of 24years, in auditing, corporate banking and working with MFIs has helped Mr.Gandhi carve a niche in the field. Mr.Gandhi is co-founder of Gojo & Company Inc. and leads deal sourcing, due diligence and operational improvement initiatives for partner MFIs.

Dr. YEAN RITHY, an Independent Board member, joined the Board of MAXIMA in April 2012 and is currently serving as Chairman of Risk Committee of MAXIMA. Dr. Rithy served as a senior accountant at Shell Company of Cambodia from 1993-2002. He has been serving as Country Finance Manager of Dufry Cambodia Ltd. (2002-present). He is a CMA and Fellow Member of Institute of Public Accountants, Australia. He is also an Affiliate Member of KICPAA. From 2003 until present he has been a part-time lecturer at Build Bright University and Western University. Dr. Rithy earned his PhD. in Marketing from Preston University, USA in 2007 and his DBA from European University, Switzerland in 2013. In 2005, he obtained Master of Business Administration in Finance and Accounts from Preston University, USA. In 1998, he graduated from the Irish University in Ireland and obtained Bachelor of Business Administration Finance and Banking.

Dr. AO VENG, an Independent Board Member, joined the Board of Maxima in September 2013 and is currently serving as Chairman of Audit Committee of Maxima. Dr. Veng served as a Vice Rector at Western University, Cambodia, from 2006-2012. He has been serving as a Professor at Royal University of Law and Economics, Financial Institute of Cambodia, Western University since 2010. Dr.Veng earned his Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration (DBA) from Western University, Cambodia in 2010. In 2002, he obtained Master of Business Administration in Finance from Norton University and Ateneo de Zamboangan University. In 1999, he graduated with Associate Degree in Banking from Institute for Banking Studies of National Bank of Cambodia. In 1996, he successfully completed his Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Mathematics from Royal University of Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Ms.PRAACHI GANDHI is a Sociologist, Ex-Lecturer and Soft-Skills Trainer from the Delhi School of Economics, Delhi University, India. She is also a ‘CERISE Certified SPI4 External Auditor’ working in the field of Social Performance Management (SPM) and Client Protection Principles (CPP) in Microfinance Institutions (MFI) around the world. As a Sociologist and a Woman who has worked at grass root level for several years, Praachi understands well the needs of microfinance clients, especially women, to maintain the respect, dignity and privacy of clients through transparent, trustful and responsible relationships. Praachi has been a research specialist with several NGOs and has worked on various international projects some being with; John’s Hopkins University, USA, the MacArthur Foundation and others. She has published work from these projects. Praachi is a people’s person and has the unique ability to connect seamlessly with people from all walks of life and all age-groups. At Gojo, Praachi heads social performance management using her field experience to make sure that the partner MFIs of Gojo fulfil their social responsibility. It was with her guidance and unwavering support that MAXIMA received their Smart Campaign Client Protection Certificate in 2019. MAXIMA is proud to have her on the Board as the ‘SPM Chairwoman’. According to Praachi love and respect for fellow human beings and the planet, laughter and music, has the power to make the world a better place.