2019 Speakers

Sajjid Z. Chinoy

Dr. Sajjid Z. Chinoy is J.P. Morgan’s Chief India Economist and also serves on the Advisory Council to the 15th Finance Commission set up by the Government of India. He has previously worked at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and McKinsey & Company. He has also previously served as a member of the RBI’s “Expert Committee to Revise and Strengthen the Monetary Policy Framework” that proposed inflation targeting in India, was a consultant to the FRBM Review Committee set up by the government to proposed a new fiscal anchor, and a member of the Indian Banks Association (IBA) Monetary Policy Group. Since 2014, he has been ranked as one of the “Best Individuals in Research in India” by Asset Magazine. He has authored several publications on the Indian economy including co-editing a book on Indian economic reform: “Reforming India’s External, Fiscal and Financial Policies” with Dr. Anne O. Krueger. He received his Ph.D. in economics at Stanford University in 2001.

Nikunj Dalmia

Nikunj Dalmia is the face of ET NOW’s markets coverage and is India’s most seasoned business news anchor, who has seen the evolution of Indian financial markets for the last two decades. At ET NOW, he anchors prime time market programming and quizzes India’s best fund managers on their strategies and top corporate honchos on their business plans. Periodically, he also brings the biggest and best of global investing legends like Howard Marks and Ray Dalio on his shows for the Indian audience. Mr. Dalmia leads all the editorial decisions for the channel, heads news programming, and conceptualises content for ET NOW. He has championed the investor education cause through landmark campaigns like Jan Nivesh, Sahi SIP, etc. and has won the trust of the entire Indian investing fraternity. As witness to several key events which have impacted Indian financial markets, Mr. Dalmia has helped retail investors navigate them with patience, built a strong reputation, and has won the trust and loyalty of his viewers.

Ridham Desai

Ridham Desai is a Managing Director of Morgan Stanley with 20 years at the firm. He heads Morgan Stanley’s Indian Equity Research team which is the top ranked team in the country. He is the country’s top ranked equity market strategists and has been consistently ranked among the best analysts in the country over his career spanning over 26 years. He has represented Morgan Stanley in several public debates on the equity market and the economy and is also a regular media contributor. He has led debates on the Indian economy since the beginning of the 90s penning several path breaking reports on the country. The latest such report is India’s Digital Leap: The Multi Trillion Dollar Opportunity which discusses how the digitization of the country over the past three years is taking the country into a new growth orbit and how India could be best investment destination in the world in the coming years.

Mihir A. Desai

Mihir A. Desai is the Mizuho Financial Group Professor of Finance at Harvard Business School and professor of law at Harvard Law School. He has taught public economics and entrepreneurship to undergraduates, finance and international finance to MBA students and executives, and tax law and policy to law students. Professor Desai’s work has emphasized the appropriate design of tax policy in a globalized setting, the links between corporate governance and taxation, and the internal capital markets of multinational firms. He is a research associate in the National Bureau of Economic Research’s Public Economics and Corporate Finance Programs and served as the co-director of NBER’s India Program. Professor Desai has worked at CS First Boston and McKinsey & Co. and advised a number of firms and governmental organizations. His most recent book is The Wisdom of Finance: Discovering Humanity in the World of Risk and Return. Professor Desai was a Fulbright Scholar to India, and he received a bachelor’s degree in history and economics from Brown University, an MBA as a Baker Scholar from Harvard Business School, and a PhD in political economy from Harvard University.

Matt Gertken

Matt Gertken is Vice President of Geopolitical Strategy at BCA Research, where he covers a range of issues in developed and emerging markets, including China, Japan, and English-speaking countries. Before joining BCA, he worked as a senior analyst at Strategic Forecasting, Inc., where he provided geopolitical analysis and political risk consulting. He frequently appears in international news media, including CBC, CNBC Asia, Bloomberg TV, and Fox Business News. Matt has a background in academics and publishing and holds advanced degrees from the University of Cambridge and the University of Texas at Austin.

Gerd Gigerenzer

Gerd Gigerenzer is director of the Harding Center for Risk Literacy at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and a partner at Simply Rational—The Institute for Decisions. Previously, he served as director of the Center for Adaptive Behavior and Cognition at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and at the Max Planck Institute for Psychological Research, professor of psychology at the University of Chicago, and the John M. Olin Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Virginia School of Law. Professor Gigerenzer was awarded honorary doctorates from the University of Basel and the Open University of the Netherlands and is a Batten Fellow of the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. An award-winning author, he has trained US federal judges, German physicians, and top managers in decision making and understanding risks and uncertainties. The Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute honored Professor Gigerenzer as one of the top-100 Global Thought Leaders.

Morgan Housel

Morgan Housel is a partner at the Collaborative Fund. Previously, he has served as a columnist at the Motley Fool and the Wall Street Journal. Mr. Housel is a two-time winner of the Best in Business award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, is a two-time finalist for the Gerald Loeb Award for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism, and was a finalist for the Scripps Howard Award. His article “Greenspan, Rubin, and a Roomful of Hypocrites” was selected by the Columbia Journalism Review to appear in the Best Business Writing 2012 anthology.

Abhishek Loonker, CFA

Abhishek Loonker currently works as Director – Investments at Ascent Capital, one of the leading private equity firm in the country with an AUM of USD 800 mn. He has over 15 years of professional experience spanning private equity, corporate strategy and Treasury. Previously, Abhishek worked as Project Manager with Jain Group.

Abhishek is a CFA charter holder, a gold medalist MBA from MATS School of Business and has also completed executive education program in Corporate restructuring and M&A from Harvard Business School. He is also awarded ’40 Under 40’ in Alternative Investment industry by AIWMI & IAAIF in January 2018.

As part of volunteering, he serves as Director on the board of CFA Society India. He is also a board observer at BigBasket.com and Laqshya Media.

Navneet Munot, CFA

Navneet Munot, CFA, is chief investment officer at SBI Funds Management Private Limited and director of SBI Funds (International) Private Limited. Previously, he served as executive director and head of the multi-strategies fund boutique at Morgan Stanley Investment Management. Mr. Munot also worked as chief investment officer (fixed-income and hybrid funds) at Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company Ltd. Mr Munot serves as the Board on the board of CFA Society India.
Mr. Munot is a post-graduate in accountancy and business statistics and is a chartered accountant, and is a charterholder of CFA institute and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Institute. He is also a Financial Risk Manager (FRM).

Ananth Narayan

Ananth Narayan is an associate professor of finance at the S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai and is a member of the Mutual Fund Advisory Committee of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). He has over 24 years of experience in banking and financial markets and has worked with Standard Chartered Bank, Deutsche Bank, and Citibank. Mr. Narayan was vice chairman on the board of Fixed Income Money Market and Dealers Association (FIMMDA) and Foreign Exchange Dealers Association of India (FEDAI) and served on the boards of Central Depository Services Ltd. (CDSL), Standard Chartered Securities India Ltd. (SCSI), and Standard Chartered Nepal Ltd. He has been a part of several working groups and committees of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Mr. Nararyan has a B. Tech (electrical) from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and a postgraduate diploma in business management from the Indian Institute of Management Lucknow.

Kalpen Parekh

Kalpen Parekh is the president of DSP Investment Managers Pvt. Ltd. He has over two decades of experience in finance and asset management. Prior to joining DSP, Mr. Parekh was responsible for growing businesses at IDFC Mutual Fund, Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company Ltd., and ICICI Prudential Asset Management Company Ltd. He is passionate about behavioural finance and believes that investor behaviour is one of the most crucial aspects to a good investment experience. Mr. Parkeh has undertaken various initiatives in the organisations that he has worked with to highlight the importance and learnings of behavioural finance across the value chain. A prolific Twitter user, he uses the medium to post messages on behavioural finance and interact with the community on the subject. Mr. Parekh holds a master’s degree in management studies in finance from the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Bharati Vidyapeeth, Pune.

Nick Pollard

Nick Pollard joined CFA Institute in 2016 as managing director for Asia Pacific. Based in the Hong Kong office, he also oversees operations in Beijing, China and Mumbai, India. Mr. Pollard is responsible for working with all CFA Institute stakeholders, increasing the number of candidates entering and moving through the organisation’s credentialing programs, and working with institutional partners (employers) throughout the region. Prior to joining CFA Institute Mr. Pollard was chief executive officer of The Royal Bank of Scotland’s Coutts Asia division and, most recently he was the head of international Learning and Professional Development for Coutts International. Mr. Pollard earned his BA from University College, London and is a member of the Private Wealth Management Association.

Ajit Ranade

Ajit Ranade is group executive president and chief economist at Aditya Birla Group, whose businesses include metals, mining, chemicals, textiles, and cement, as well as telecom, retail, insurance, and asset management. Previously, Dr. Ranade was at ABN Amro Bank. He has served on many committees and councils, including the Capital Convertibility Committee and the FEMA Review Committee of the Reserve Bank of India; the Governing Council of the Banking Codes and Supervisory Board of India; and the board of governors of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, among others. A frequent contributor to the business press on economic, social, and political topics, Dr. Ranade is the recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award from IIT Bombay in 2009, the Scholar of the Year Award from Wadia Trust in 2010, and the Ramchandra Parnerkar Economics Award in 2012. He is a cofounder and trustee of the Association for Democratic Reforms, an NGO working in the areas of electoral and political reforms. Dr. Ranade holds a PhD in economics from Brown University.

Ratna Sahay

Ratna Sahay is Deputy Director of the Monetary and Capital Markets Department (MCM) at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). She leads key policy papers and projects in the areas of monetary policy, exchange rate policy, capital account, financial development, financial inclusion, and gender and finance. She is also responsible for bilateral surveillance support to area departments. Her recent projects include analytical work on unconventional monetary policy and global spillovers, capital flows, financial deepening, financial inclusion, and gender and finance. She has served as Advisor to Stanley Fischer (First Deputy Managing Director) and Advisor to Michael Mussa and Kenneth Rogoff (both Economic Counselors of the IMF). She has published widely in leading journals on monetary policy and financial sector, including financial market spillovers and financial crises, inflation, economic growth, fiscal policy and debt sustainability, and transition economies. She has taught at Delhi University, Columbia University, and New York University and holds a Ph.D. in Economics from New York University, New York.

Milind Sarwate

Milind Sarwate is the founder and CEO of Increate Value Advisors LLP. His mission is to facilitate organisations and individuals create business and social value. He is a director in companies such as Glenmark, Mindtree, Metropolis Healthcare, Matrimony.com, and House of Anita Dongre and is chairman of the Audit Committee in some of these. Mr. Sarwate set up Increate in 2015, after 32 years in finance, human resources, strategy and corporate communications in groups such as Marico and Godrej. He received the ICAI CFO award – FMCG in 2011 and the CNBC TV-18 CFO award – FMCG & Retail in 2012. In 2013, CFO India included him in its Hall of Fame. Mr. Sarwate has a bachelor’s degree in commerce, is a chartered accountant, cost accountant, company secretary, and CII-Fulbright Fellow from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA.

Vidhu Shekhar, CFA

Vidhu Shekhar, CFA, is the country head of CFA Institute in India. He is responsible for advancing the mission of CFA Institute and supporting CFA charterholders in India. Mr. Shekhar is a seasoned financial and investment professional with over 30 years of industry experience in India and abroad. Previously, he was vice president, New Products and Business Excellence, National Stock Exchange (NSE) of India, overseeing new product initiatives in debt and equity markets for NSE. He also contributed to the development of Indian financial markets through his participation in the work of various committees, including the Dr. Patil Committee on Corporate Bonds and Securitisation, and the Raghuram Rajan Committee on Financial Sector Reforms. Prior to that, Mr. Shekhar served as senior vice president at IDBI Capital Markets and managing director at E*Trade Systems India Limited. Mr. Shekhar completed his postgraduate diploma in management from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad in 1987 and holds a bachelor’s degree in physics (Honours) from the University of Delhi.

Sunil Singhania, CFA

Sunil Singhania, CFA, is the founder of Abakkus Asset Management, LLP, an India-focused asset management company he established in 2018. Previously, he led Reliance Nippon Life Asset Management Ltd.’s international efforts and was instrumental in launching India funds in Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. Mr. Singhania also served as global head of equities and chief investment officer of equities at Reliance Capital Ltd., where he led the Reliance Mutual Fund’s equity schemes. He is the first person from India to be elected director of the Board of Governors of CFA Institute. Mr. Singhania is the chairman of the Investment Committee of CFA Institute and was on its Standards of Practice Council. He founded CFA Society India (formerly Indian Association of Investment Professionals) and served as its president for eight years. Mr. Singhania graduated in commerce from the University of Mumbai and completed his Chartered Accountancy from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, with an all-India rank.

Paul Smith, CFA

Paul Smith, CFA, leads CFA Institute, a global association of investment professionals that sets the standard for professional excellence and credentials. He has more than 30 years of leadership experience in the asset management industry, including over 18 years in Asia. Prior to joining CFA Institute, he was chairman and CEO of Asia Alternative Asset Partners. Before that, he was Asia head of securities services at Bank of Bermuda and after the bank’s acquisition by HSBC, served as global head of securities services and global head of alternative funds administration in New York. He joined CFA Institute in 2012 as managing director for Asia Pacific and was appointed president and CEO in 2015. Mr. Smith holds a Master’s degree in History from Oxford University.

Madhu Veeraraghavan

Professor Madhu Veeraraghavan is the director and T.A. Pai Chair Professor of Finance at TAPMI, Manipal. Previously, he was a professor of finance (with tenure) and head of the finance department at Monash University, Melbourne. He has also held teaching and research position at the University of Auckland Business School, Auckland. Prof. Veeraraghavan has published over 50 papers in international journals including the Accounting ReviewContemporary Accounting ResearchJournal of Financial and Quantitative AnalysisJournal of Corporate FinanceJournal of Empirical FinanceJournal of Banking and FinanceAuditing: A Journal of Practice and TheoryJournal of Management, etc. He has won numerous awards including the MIT Sloan Best Paper Award at the Asia Conference in Accounting. He is a recipient of the Vice-Chancellors Gold Medal for Teaching Excellence at Monash University.