Leadership

S. Sriniwasan (Srini) heads Kotak Alternate Asset Managers Limited (“KAAML”). He is also a part of the Group Management Council that drives Kotak Mahindra Group’s growth charter.

Srini has played a crucial role in setting up and building the different asset classes in KAAML including Real Estate, Infrastructure, Special Situations & Credit, Private Equity and Investment Advisory. Overall, KAAML has raised / advised ~USD 9.3 billion in funds across these asset classes. As one of the earliest fund managers to raise and invest capital in India, Srini has introduced significant financing, financial structuring and negotiating skills in the alternate assets industry. Srini joined the Kotak Mahindra Group in 1993.

Prior to KAAML, he was a part of Kotak’s investment banking joint venture with Goldman Sachs from inception in 1995, and was co-head of Kotak Investment Banking until 2005. At Kotak Investment Banking, Srini advised leading domestic and international companies on capital raising, M&A and strategic divestitures.

Srini is a member of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) subcommittee on Capital Markets. He is also a Board member of Asia Pacific Real Estate Association Limited (APREA) & Co-Chairman of the India Chapter. He is also a member of the Governing Council of Global Real Estate Institute (GRI) – India Chapter. He was a Member of the Executive Committee at the Indian Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (IVCA) and is a Member of the Private Credit Council at Emerging Markets Private Equity Association (“EMPEA”).

Srini holds a Bachelor's degree in Commerce from Delhi University and an MBA from the Institute of Management Technology (IMT), Ghaziabad.

Mr. Srini Sriniwasan Managing Director

Lakshmi Iyer is the CEO - Investments & Strategy at Kotak Alternate Asset Managers Limited (KAAML). She has been with the Kotak Group for over 22 years.

As part of KAAML, she is responsible for overseeing wealth advisory, strategy and product solutions spanning across fixed income, equities, real estate and alternates for Institutional and NHI clients.

In KMAMC, she was CIO Fixed Income & Head – Products. In this role she was responsible for credit research, deal execution, managing fund performance across all debt funds and assisting sales in client interaction. In addition to that, she has been a portfolio specialist, and managed product related initiatives such as product pricing and coordination with the funds management and sales team in that role.

Prior to joining Kotak, Ms. Iyer worked with Credence Analytics Pvt Ltd, as a research analyst where she was tracking corporate bond markets in India and generating research reports. She was also instrumental in conceiving various financial software tools in collaboration with software and technical teams.

Ms. Iyer holds an MBA degree in finance from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies.

She has been recognised as one of the Top 25 most influential women in asset management in Asia by Asian Investor.

She loves exploring new places for travelling, is a big food lover, and is an ardent movie buff.

Lakshmi Iyer Whole-time Director & CEO – Investment & Strategy

Rajeev Saptarshi joined Kotak Alternate Asset Managers Limited as the Chief Operating Officer in November 2013. He is a whole-time Director on the Board of Kotak Alternate Asset Managers Limited. He is responsible for the Finance, Compliance, Operations and Investor Relations functions of the entire alternate assets practice of the Kotak Mahindra Group.

Rajeev brings with him a wealth of experience in dealing with the regulatory authorities and is well versed with fund structuring and compliance matters. Rajeev has been with the Kotak Mahindra Group for over 30 years during which he has held several senior management roles across different businesses. In his earlier roles, Rajeev was the Chief Operating Officer of the Institutional Equities business at Kotak Securities Limited, where he led Technology initiatives and also headed the Operations and Finance functions. He was also the Chief Financial Officer of Kotak Mahindra Capital Company, the Investment Banking arm of the group where he managed finance and operations.

Rajeev is a Chartered Accountant and a Company Secretary.

Rajeev Saptarshi Whole-time Director & Chief Operating Officer

Mr. Jitendra Gohil has joined Kotak Alternate Asset Managers in August 2023 as the Chief Investment Strategist.

With over 20 years of experience in equity research, thematic investment, and fund management, Jitendra brings a deep understanding of the evolving macroeconomic environment and stock selection. Prior to joining Kotak, he served as Head of Research and Fund Manager at Credit Suisse Wealth Management. His expertise in both global geopolitics and thematic investments makes him highly sought after by investors. Jitendra has a proven track record of identifying emerging investment themes in India, such as the chemical industry, PSUs, defence, low beta investments and urbanization trends. Leveraging his expertise and Kotak Institutional Research's position as a leading research house in India, Jitendra works closely with our ultra-high-net-worth clients who have very large direct equity portfolios with Kotak Wealth. He tailors personalized equity investment advice to their specific risk appetite and return expectations.

Jitendra Gohil Chief Investment Strategist

Eshwar joined the Kotak Mahindra Group in 2000 and brings with him over two decades of financial services experience. He is part of the core leadership team at Kotak Alternate Asset Managers Ltd.

Eshwar is the CEO of Kotak Special Situations Fund where he oversees investments across all special situations, credit and stressed assets opportunities. The fund strategy is to invest in opportunities across all asset classes with a flexible approach to investing and structuring.

Prior to Kotak Special Situations Fund, Eshwar was the CEO of Phoenix Asset Reconstruction Company (a Kotak sponsored ARC) which had an AUM of USD 1 billion. During his 5 year tenure at Phoenix, he made investments across all major sectors and successfully resolved investments.

Eshwar was the founding member of the distressed assets business at Kotak and has helped the group in successfully investing over INR 2,500 crores (USD 417 million) of its proprietary capital in distressed assets. He has built time tested expertise in identifying distressed opportunities, structuring and executing complex financial transactions as well as securing profitable exits.

Prior to Kotak, Eshwar has worked at Ceat Financial Services (RPG Group) and Sundaram Finance Ltd.

Eshwar holds a Bachelor's degree in Commerce from the University of Pune and is a Management graduate from the Institute of Management Development and Research, Pune.

Eshwar Karra CEO - Kotak Special Situations Fund

Vikas Chimakurthy joined the Kotak Investment Bank in 1999 and has over 21 years of work experience in the financial services industry.

Vikas moved to Kotak Realty Fund in 2007. He is a Chief Executive Officer at Kotak Realty Fund where he oversees fund raising and investments and divestments.

Prior to Kotak Realty Fund, Vikas was in the M&A team of Kotak Investment Banking. His last role in the investment bank was as the head of the real estate and energy sector verticals. He had set up the coverage of the realty sector for Kotak Investment Banking. He has led several M&A transactions across sectors such as energy, telecom, technology, media and chemicals. He was also appointed as part time advisor to the Board of IL&FS after Government of India took control to resolve the issues.

Vikas holds a Bachelor's degree in Technology from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, and an MBA from Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), Delhi University.

Vikas Chimakurthy CEO – Realty Funds

With over 20 years of experience spanning both the buy-side and sell-side, Niraj Karia is a seasoned financial leader with deep expertise in private credit and investment banking. Throughout his career, he has cultivated strong strategic relationships with diversified business houses, driving value creation for organizations and investors alike. Niraj has been an active investor in startup and growth-stage businesses, leveraging his robust personal brand and market insights. Prior to his current role, he was with KKR India, where he led transactions across structured credit and equity investments.

Earlier, during his 15-year tenure at Kotak Investment Bank, he advised domestic and international corporations on strategic initiatives and capital raising, playing a pivotal role in building enduring relationships with large business houses.

Niraj Karia CEO-Private Credit Fund, Private Credit Fund

Rahul has been with Kotak Special Situation Fund since inception and plays a pivotal role across all the facets of its operations, including Fund Raise, Investor Interaction, Deal Origination, Investment, and Asset Management. As a representative of Kotak Special Situation Fund on the board of several Investee companies, he makes significant contribution in the strategic decision making, especially where the Fund has taken a controlling stake. Rahul has more than 16 years of diverse experience across Alternate Asset Investments, Investment Banking, Credit Rating and Management Consulting.

Rahul has been a part of the Kotak group for the past decade and prior to that he worked with CRISIL and A.F.Ferguson Consulting. He has hands-on experience of originating, structuring, and investing in transactions across sectors, situations, and capital stack.

Rahul is a Chartered Accountant and has a Master’s in Business Administration.

Rahul Chhaparwal Partner

Vithal Suryavanshi joined Kotak Alternate Asset Managers Ltd in 2023 and has over 30 years of work experience in the financial services industry.

Vithal will be a senior member of the Commercial Real Estate Vertical. Prior to joining Kotak, he has worked as Senior Vice President at K.Raheja Corp. where he was heading commercial leasing vertical across Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad and Bangalore. He has also worked as Senior Vice President and Regional Head for Western India at Brookfield Properties. In his previous role at Brookfield, Vithal built a strong commercial leasing portfolio where he was responsible for Leasing, Design, Development and Operations of assets in the western region.

Vithal holds Bachelor's degree from Commercial University and an Executive MBA from NMIMS and currently perusing an Accelerated Development Program Chicago Booth.

Vithal Suryavanshi Executive Director

Rahul Shah has joined Kotak Alternate Asset Managers in 2012 and brings with him more than 2 decades of experience across private equity, investment banking and treasury, of which the last 16 years were in Alternate Assets.

Rahul is a Partner at Kotak Strategic Situations Fund (KSSF) and is part of the core leadership for this strategy since inception and is involved in strategy, fund raise, investments and asset management. Rahul has been instrumental in incubating the Kotak Data Center Fund, been a key member in Kotak Private Equity and also led the early stage life sciences investments strategy at Kotak Alternate Asset Managers.

Prior to joining Kotak, Rahul worked with Multiples Alternate Asset Management and Fidelity Growth Partners India where he was involved in several growth private equity transactions across IT, telecom, banking, services and infrastructure.

Before moving to private equity, Rahul worked in the Treasury and Investment Banking Group of ICICI Bank for 4 years where he led the TMT initiative for the Investment Banking group of the Bank.

Rahul is a CA, CS, CFA, FRM and MBA from INSEAD.

Rahul Shah Partner

Sonu Jalan joined the Kotak Group in 2006 and has over 20 years of professional experience.

Prior to that, he was a Vice President at Kotak Investment Banking, covering the Financial Sponsors Group and the Alternate Energy practice. At Kotak Investment Banking, Mr. Jalan has worked on a wide range of sectors including, among others, renewable energy, healthcare, financial services, and industrials and was involved in marquee transactions such as the USD 104 million growth equity raise by Apollo Hospitals from Apax Partners, USD 175 million equity raise by Mahindra & Mahindra from Goldman Sachs PIA, USD 175 million buyout of Sigma Electric by Goldman Sachs PIA and USD 50 million growth equity investment in Magma Fincorp by KKR.

Sonu Jalan is a Chartered Accountant and has cleared all three levels of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA Institute, USA) program.

Sonu Jalan Managing Partner, Real Estate

Rahul joined Kotak in Sep 2015, He is Partner – Asset Management. He is responsible for end-to-end asset management of all real estate investments across all funds.

Rahul brings with him rich experience in handling diverse functions of asset management. He is performing a pivotal role in providing comprehensive assessment of ongoing portfolio investments to the investment team as well as management. He also overseas compliance investor communication and reporting for ongoing funds.

Apart from active asset management, Rahul is also responsible for pre investment technical and statutory assessment, which is a crucial for overall investment evaluation, providing team valuable inputs on project costs, approvals and timelines.

Rahul has over 24 plus years of experience.

Rahul Deshpande Co-Head, Asset Management

Ankit Deora joined Kotak in July 2021. He is a seasoned credit professional with 15+ years of diverse experience in the areas of risk assessment across large corporates, structured finance and distressed asset credit. At Kotak, he manages manages the KAAML portfolio, which is diversified across sectors and strategies (including buyout deals, listed equity and debt instruments) each of which require unique and nuances approach.

Prior to joining Kotak, Ankit spent 4+ years at Edelweiss wherein he was responsible for managing the credit risk for AUM of ~USD 1.5 billion for Edelweiss Distressed Asset Business. Prior to that, he was working with ICRA for 8 years executing credit rating assignments of listed/unlisted corporate entities encompassing diverse sectors. Ankit holds a Bachelor of Management Studies (BMS) degree from NM College (Mumbai University) and an M.B.A. from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS), Mumbai. He has also completed CFA from CFA institute, USA.

Ankit Deora Co-Head, Asset Management

Mukund Raichur heads the Investment Advisory practice at Kotak Alternate Asset Managers Limited. Mukund has been with the Kotak group since 1999.

Prior to this, Mukund was the Executive Director in the wealth management team at Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited where he along with his team managed some of the key client relationships in West. Before moving to Mumbai Mukund was part of the Delhi team of Kotak Wealth Management, where he handled a team of accomplished private bankers. During his stint in Delhi, he set up the wealth management business for Kotak in Kanpur.

Mukund started his journey at Kotak in the Private Client Group of Kotak Securities in June 1999. After setting up the private client business in Baroda, he moved to Ahmedabad where he grew the private client business significantly making Kotak Securities the market leader in Gujarat. In 2003 when Kotak Mahindra Finance Limited got the banking licence, the private client division of Kotak Securities moved to Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited as the Wealth Management division.

Mukund is a Chemical Engineer from Faculty of Technology and Engineering, M.S. University, Baroda and an MBA from Faculty of Management Studies, M.S. University, Baroda. He has a total of 25 years of experience in areas like investment Advisory, securities broking, private banking and manufacturing.

Mukund Raichur Head – Investment Advisory
Kotak Alternate Asset Managers Limited

Mr. Nishant Kumar has been associated with Kotak Group since October 2019. Prior to joining Kotak Discretionary Solutions team, he was heading the investment advisory division at Kotak Alternate Asset Managers Limited overseeing investment assets of over 500+ UHNI families. He has over 19 years of experience in the wealth management industry across Investment Advisory, Product Management, Investment Products Distribution and Investment Strategy.

Prior to joining Kotak, he has worked with IIFL, Citibank N.A. and ICICI Bank in various roles.

Nishant Kumar Head – Discretionary Solutions

Terence Lucien leads the Selekt Investment Advisory proposition for Kotak Alternate Asset Management Ltd. He is responsible for building and growing our investment advisory business by leveraging technology and our investment management expertise to help our customers grow their wealth.

Terence has over 25 years of experience with key expertise in launching and scaling digital-led businesses in large scale organisations as well as fast paced startups across Wealth Management, Asset Management, Broking, Banking and Financial Distribution.

He has an in-depth understanding of how to guide investors in managing their Personal Finances and Growing Wealth through digital platforms and how to leverage technology to deliver superior customer experience through innovative digital products and services.

Terence has a Chartered Accountant degree from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. Prior to joining Kotak, he was working with PhonePe as Head, Mutual Funds. Before PhonePe, Terence worked with organisations like Angel Broking, L&T Asset Management, Fidelity Asset Management, Barclays Bank and ICICI Bank.

Terence Lucien Head - Digital Solutions- Investment Advisory, Advisory

An INSEAD Singapore alumni with more than two decades of experience in distribution of investment products ranging from mutual funds, insurance, ETFs, Discretionary PMS, AIFs & InvITs. Having worked with ICICI Bank, Fidelity Funds Management, SBI Funds Management & Edelweiss Alternatives in various capacities – Sandeep has been instrumental in setting up institutional ETF business & scaling up institutional PMS advisory at SBI Mutual Fund.

Sandeep Kalsi Head – Business Development

Rahul joined Kotak Alternate Asset Managers Limited (KAAML) in August 2022 and has over 17 years of experience in Technology and Operations and solution design for the business. At KAAML, Rahul is responsible for the technology and digital transformation initiatives as KAAML anchor the new business journeys at KAAML.

Prior to joining KAAML, he has worked with Motilal Oswal Institution business, IIFL Wealth and AMC , Sanctum Wealth and Royal Bank of Scotland. At IIFL Wealth he was Involved in formulation of the IT strategy and responsible for the implementation of the Digital front end for Wealth and AMC business , Implementation of new change management technology of RPA , AI , Core business application for AMC and advisory business , Launch of new APP and Web of IIFL Wealth.

Rahul is a Chartered Accountant.

Rahul Jain Chief Technology Officer