Building a High-Performance Cultureat CKredence Wealth

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

CKredence Wealth, formerly known as Chirag Investments, is a SEBI-registered wealth management firm with roots going back to 1987. Led by Managing Director Mr. Chirag Shah, the company offers a comprehensive suite of financial services including equity, mutual funds, Portfolio Management Services (PMS), insurance, bonds, fixed deposits, and currency solutions. With offices in Surat, Mumbai, and Vadodara, and a client base of over 10,000 across India, CKredence manages upwards of Rs. 700 crore in assets under management.

As the company’s team grew to 14-plus employees across locations, its leadership identified the need to build a strong organisational culture with structured performance systems to match the firm’s client-facing excellence. After evaluating multiple agencies, they engaged Dr. Meenu Rathore, whose approach to people and performance management resonated with the leadership’s vision. The engagement resulted in the deployment of a 3D Appraisal and Performance Management System, the introduction of monthly employee engagement activities, and has been renewed for a second year.

INDUSTRY Wealth Management & Financial Services

LOCATION Surat, Mumbai & Vadodara

ENGAGEMENT TYPE HR & Organisational Consulting

ENGAGEMENT YEAR Ongoing (Renewed)

THE CHALLENGE

Having served clients for over three and a half decades, CKredence Wealth had built a strong reputation in the investment advisory space. However, as the team grew and operations expanded across three cities, the leadership recognised that internal people management needed to be as robust as the client service the firm was known for.

The key challenges that prompted the engagement were:

• No structured performance management framework: As the team expanded, the absence of a formal system to evaluate and develop employees consistently became a significant gap.
• Lack of a formal organisational culture: The company needed to define and institutionalise a culture that fostered ownership, accountability, and engagement among its growing team.
• Limited employee engagement activities: There was no structured programme to build bonding, motivation, and team spirit within the organisation on a regular basis.
• Absence of a clear evaluation and feedback mechanism: Employees lacked a standardised process through which their performance could be assessed, and through which management could identify development needs.

Having assessed multiple agencies, the leadership met Dr. Meenu Rathore and felt confident that she was the right partner to take this transformation forward.

THE APPROACH

Dr. Meenu Rathore and her team undertook a structured engagement designed to address both the performance management and cultural dimensions of the organisation. The engagement was built around two core pillars:

1.  3D Appraisal and Performance Management System (3D-APMS)

The 3D-APMS was designed to create a structured and transparent evaluation framework within CKredence Wealth. The system was built to foster genuine bonding between employees and management, moving appraisals from a top-down exercise to a collaborative dialogue. Under the system, every employee undergoes a formal monthly evaluation, enabling the leadership to track individual performance trends, identify development needs, and make informed decisions about career growth and recognition. The framework also provides employees with a clear understanding of what performance expectations exist and how their future trajectory within the organisation is shaped.

2.  Monthly Employee Engagement Activities

A dedicated monthly employee engagement programme was introduced, with a variety of activities conducted at month-end. These activities were designed to build team cohesion, boost morale, and create an environment where employees felt valued beyond their functional roles. The programme has become a consistent feature of the organisational calendar and is noted by the leadership as one of the most enjoyable and impactful aspects of the engagement.

RESULTS AND IMPACT

3D-APMS SystemImplemented

Monthly Employee Engagement Activities

1-Year EngagementRenewed

The engagement has delivered meaningful and lasting improvements across CKredence Wealth’s internal operations:

• Performance Visibility: Management now has a consistent monthly view of every employee’s performance, enabling proactive decisions on development, recognition, and role clarity.
• Employee-Management Bonding: The 3D-APMS system has strengthened the relationship between employees and management, making performance conversations more transparent and constructive.
• Structured Culture: A well-defined organisational culture has begun to take root, with employees understanding expectations and having clarity on their growth within the firm.
• Employee Engagement: Monthly engagement activities have introduced a new dimension of team bonding and workplace enjoyment that did not previously exist within the organisation.
• Engagement Renewed: Two months prior to the testimonial, CKredence Wealth formalised a one-year renewal of the engagement, reflecting the leadership’s satisfaction and confidence in the continued value being delivered.