Saramma Mathew

Director , Maharashtra

Mumbai, India

A law and commerce graduate having strong work ethics with 30+ years of experience who has played a pivotal role in organization building & team leadership. Core expertise lies in the area of Compliance (Statutory & Donor), Administration & Finance Mangement. I am a Certified PoSH Trainer and I have been an External IC member, Presiding officer of IC and conducted awareness sessions for employees.

Contact Saramma Mathew
Area of Expertise:
  • Administration, HR, Management, Accounting/Finance
Professional Experience:

Anusandhan Trust: Chief Finance & Administrative Officer: July 1994 to September 2024
Statutory compliance:
Ensured compliance and mitigated the complexities of the statute and the periodic amendments of (a) Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010.; (b) The Maharashtra Public Trust Act, 1950; (c) Income Tax Act, 1961; (d) Labour laws like Maternity Benefit Act, Social Security Statutes, PoSH Act, etc.; (e) Independently handled statutory audit for 25+ year.

Ensured timely filing of (a) Foreign contribution returns, changes, etc.; (b) Annual returns, Change reports and estimated budgets with the Office of Charity Commissioner; (c) TDS returns, PF payments and returns, PT payments and returns, ESIC payments and returns, etc.

Donor Compliance: (a) Over 3 decades, handled about 120 crore turnover with almost equal amount of foreign and local funding spread over more than 250 projects. (b) Dealt with over 90+ donor agencies which included government funding, United Nations funding, Corporate Social Responsibility funds, foreign university funding and funds received from both Indian and foreign private foundations. (c) Vetting of donor and regranting agreements (20 partners) and carefully perusing the compliances required for each agreement; (d) Handled donor audits successfully.

Successfully handled FCRA renewals, periodic visits from MHA representatives, Income Tax scrutiny / appeals and Charity Commissioner assessments.

Effectively and efficiently managed teams of administration, human resource management, finance and accounts under one umbrella located at more than 4 locations with a total of over 13 members. Provided team leadership through periodic training, orientation to latest amendments and changes implemented for smooth functioning.

Negotiated property redevelopment deal for the organization: (a) Centrally involved in decision making, negotiation and execution of redevelopment of the office premises in Mumbai from appointment of Project Management Consultants, developing strategies with lawyers, negotiating with builder and obtaining a profitable deal for the organization; (b) Obtained substantial increase in area and negotiated commercial premises status leading to increased returns; (c) Obtained substantial amount of Corpus for the organization through 50% reduction in purchase of extra space vis – a – vis agreed price, negotiating extra car parking spaces and providing amenities like air conditioning free of cost.

Mission for Vision, Tulsi Trust, Tulsi Eye Hospital: Director – Compliance & Support Services: April 2026 to September 2026

Provided oversight and support on legal, regulatory, compliance and support-services matter across the organization, working closely with senior management and external advisors.

Prepared and reviewed regulatory impact notes, compliance roadmaps, action plans and management updates relating to legislative and regulatory changes.

Supported development and review of policies, employee handbook provisions, SOPs and internal compliance documentation.

Ensured POSH compliance, including policy documentation, Internal Committee processes, awareness initiatives, training and statutory disclosures.
Supported initial DPDP compliance work, including review of data-related processes and consent documentation.

Worked with HR, Finance, Operations and other functional teams to facilitate implementation of compliance requirements and address identified issues.

Extensive study on applicability of Shops & Establishment in 13 States, leave provisions and classification of employees as workers and managerial staff.

Provided inputs and oversight to HR on implementation of the Labour Codes.

Education:

Completed gradution in Commerce from University of Mumbai.
Completed LLB from University of Mumbai

Affiliations and Achievements:

October 2024 to March 2026:
- Practiced as a Criminal Lawyer under a Senior Advocate from June 2025.
- Registration and de-registering of Trust / Society as a Freelancer
- Reviewing of compliances of Anusandhan Trust for the financial year 2024 – 2025.
- Developed POSH policy for Mann – Centre for Individuals with Special Needs.
- Developed Maternity Benefit Policy and provided framework for Human Resource Policy for Indian Society for Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Mumbai Chapter (ISHRAE)
- Served as External Member on the PoSH IC committee for two companies for a short period and conducted IC meeting for them.

Volunteering Experience
- Worked on voluntary basis for a short period with a group of lawyers at SHANTIGHAR, my work being to help the lawyers to draft plaints, petitions, written statements, etc.
- Played a very important role in computerizing accounts and trained village workers to use MS – EXCEL for maintenance of accounts for an organisation MASUM that runs a rural bank.
- Developed basic financial and administrative management manual for Forum for Medical Ethics Society, an organization having its main activity as publishing Newsletter on a quarterly basis.

Available for:

  • Job opportunities

Years of Experience:

More than 20 years

Highest Qualification:

Bachelors

Languages:

English, Marathi, Hindi, Malayalam

Nationality:

Indian

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