A bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from VJTI, Mumbai and an MBA from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of management Studies, Mumbai. Also, qualified the Chartered Financial Analysts examination from the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India (ICFAI), Hyderabad.Born and brought up in Mumbai, a Bandra-ite. Happily married with two daughters.How did you land up in this job?
Joined ABSL AMC in October 2005. Currently serving as Chief Investment Officer overseeing more than Rs 3.5 lakh crore of assets under management. I have 30 years of rich experience in fund and investment management. I lead the entire investment team, comprising of fund managers and analysts. Previously worked at CMC Limited, Tata Economic Consultancy Services, Parag Parikh Financial Advisory Services Limited, Motilal Oswal Securities Limited and at Reliance Infocom Limited.
Which funds are you currently managing?
I manage the flagship fund – Aditya Birla Sun Life Frontline Equity Fund since 2005. The scheme has delivered over 19% CAGR since its inception in November 2002. Monthly SIP of Rs 10,000 amounting to Rs 25.8 lakhs would have grown to over Rs 2 crores in 21 years. Lumpsum investment of Rs 1 lakh would have grown to nearly Rs 45 lakhs in 21 years. I also manage Aditya Birla Sun Life Equity Hybrid ’95 Fund and Aditya Birla Sun Life Infrastructure Fund.
What is your investment philosophy and how will you describe your investment strategy?
My investment philosophy can be summed up as buying a) high quality businesses (good free cash flow) growing at a rate higher than the nominal GDP and industry b) run by capable management (right capital allocation) c) generating reasonable return on capital (ROE more than 15%) and d) available at a reasonable price. My style can be summarised as GARP (Growth at a Reasonable Price). I believe India is a growth market and long term wealth creation can be done in growth companies provided you buy them at a right price. I manage portfolios within a strong risk management framework to ensure consistent long term performance. On a competitive basis, the objective is to be in quartile two on near term performance on a consistent basis so that long term performance is automatically in top quartile
What gives you the kick while managing other people’s money?
The real motivation for me is to see the conviction on my stock ideas getting rewarded and generating superior competitive returns for our investors. I feel a great sense of moral responsibility towards our investors who have trusted their hard-earned savings with us for their wealth creation. The market dynamics and the challenges of the unknown makes this job exciting but also a humbling experience as I believe the market is a great leveller.
