About yourself / What is your background?
I am a true mumbaikar at heart. I grew up in the financial capital of india, Mumbai. something I really admire about Mumbai is the diversity this city has to offer. I come from a community where families largely ran businesses crafting Jewellery and dealing in precious gems. Although I was born and spent a large part of my life in Mumbai, my native is Surat, an important province of Gujarat, which had always been a major business hub for textiles and jewellery.
How did you wind up working for an investment bank/Research/Broking etc?
As a child, I was exposed to the world of investments because of my extended family. To this day, I vividly remember the memory of my grandfather charting charts manually on a large piece of graph paper, updating daily prices from bhavcopy. Truth be told, the turning point for me was post college after completing my masters, when I interned with the then new age investment bank. It was fascinating for me to see the complexity and professionalism in the investment world.
What do you most enjoy about your job?
Infectious energy of the dealing room. Having the ability to interpret data points and spotting monry making opportunities. Building relationships with investment managers across the globe and representing the business at the highest level. Travelling across countries and experiencing their cultures at the same time learning global best practices. And lastly, I enjoy evolving and growing alongside the emerging trading technology.
How would you describe the culture at Axis Capital?
Axis Capital is a growing firm full of driven and diverse team members. People around seek to perform better build on success, and they are quite ambitious when it comes to accomplishing projects and tasks efficiently. The team culture is made up of unique voices, styles of thinking, opinions, visions, and aspirations that come together and contribute towards building entrepreneurial culture
If you think back over your time at Axis Capital, is there something you accomplished that you’re particularly proud of?
Successfully reoriented derivative product offerings and build best in class business practices… desk to reckon with on street today.
Any interests you’d care to highlight outside of work?
I quite enjoy travelling and exploring varied culture & cuisines. Playing virtual games and competing with my daughter.
How have you grown since you joined the firm?
As a senior member it has been phenomenal journey and unreal learning curve… discretion to built business with inspiring support from management has not only helped shaping my leadership skills but also helped me evolve as an individual. Looking at details and making every resource count.
How did your mentors help you develop your methods of research and analysis?
Senior leaders have been my source of energy and inspiration. Specific to my mentor he has been a guiding principle helping me to course through challenging opportunities and driving critical decisions. His mentoring has helped me learn the ability to analyze data keeping my biases out and connect dots leading to larger investment themes.
What advice would you give to students/interns interested in a research/IB/Broking?
There is no specific formula to successful investing. Certain hygiene factors and discipline to methodology is important. Your success truly depends on your unique style, which can be mix of various influences you carry throughout your journey. Have faith in your abilities and always keep yourself hungry to learn and adapt. Success is best when its shared as a team.