Neil Parag Parikh
CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERMr. Neil Parag Parikh has been a part of the capital market for over two decades, with experience across wealth management, research, institutional desk, marketing, operations, broking, key client management to name a few.
He started his career as an intern with JM Morgan Stanley in 2003. He has been a part of Parag
Parikh Financial Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd. since July
2004 in various capacities. At PPFAS Mutual Fund, apart from handling key client relationships, he
is also entrusted with the fulfilment of strategic
responsibilities.
Keeping with his father—late Mr. Parag Parikh's—investment philosophy, he believes in
value-investing and is a strong advocate of applying behavioural
finance fundamentals in investing.
He is an avid reader and a passionate golfer; he also plays several other sports for recreation.
Neil's academic excellence is reflected in his qualification from prestigious universities. He holds
a Masters in Business Administration from
IESE Business School, Spain and a BA in Economics from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Rajeev Thakkar
Chief Investment Officer - Equity and DirectorMr. Rajeev Thakkar possesses more than three decades of experience across fund management, securities broking, merchant banking, investment banking, and corporate finance.
He began his career in 1994 and joined PPFAS Limited (the sponsor of PPFAS AMC) in 2001. In 2003, he was appointed Fund Manager for the Portfolio Management Service titled Cognito,
managing a portfolio of around ₹300 crores. From 2007 to 2012, he served as the Chief Executive Officer of PPFAS Ltd.
He played a pivotal role in the incorporation of PPFAS Asset Management Pvt. Ltd. (Investment Manager to PPFAS Mutual Fund) and, in 2013, was instrumental in launching its flagship equity scheme—the
Parag Parikh Flexi Cap Fund. Today, it stands as one of the largest actively managed mutual fund scheme in India, with assets under management (AUM) exceeding ₹1 lakh crore, and continues to be managed by him.
Currently, he serves as Chief Investment Officer (CIO) – Equity and Director at PPFAS Asset Management Pvt. Ltd., overseeing five of the six schemes introduced under his stewardship since inception.
A firm believer in the principles of value investing, Rajeev draws deep inspiration from the philosophies of Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger.
His academic inclination is reflected in his diverse qualifications. Along with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Bombay, he
is a Chartered Accountant, Cost Accountant, and CFA Charterholder.
Subrata Kumar Mitra
INDEPENDENT DIRECTORMr. Subrata Kumar Mitra is a well known veteran with hands-on experience in a wide range of financial services businesses in India. In his early years Mr. Mitra worked with various reputed organisations such as American Express Bank as Head of Corporate Banking and Investment Banking in India, Standard Chartered Bank- Merchant Banking Division, GIC Mutual Fund- where he brought one of the earliest foreign investors in the industry.
Thereafter, from 1994 to 2007 he served as the Group Director, Financial Services in the Aditya Birla
Group and set up the highly successful financial services business.
He has served on the Board of Directors and Committees of several reputed companies in different
industries as an Independent Director, Advisor. He also acts as an advisor to a large international
bank. He is associated with several international and domestic NGOs, Committees and Chambers in India
and a contributor of articles in various publications. Mr. Mitra has been India Correspondent for Asia
Asset Management, Hong Kong.
Prior to his appointment at PPFAS AMC, Mr. Mitra was also an Independent Director on the board of LIC
AMC, Bharti AXA AMC and L&T Mutual Fund Trustee.
Sonal Dave
INDEPENDENT DIRECTORMs. Sonal Dave is a Chartered Accountant and holds an experience of close to four decades of which 28+ years was with the HSBC Group in India. She began her career with the HSBC Group with their Institutional Equities and Investment Banking arm, HSBC Securities and Capital Markets India Pvt. Ltd. (HSCI) and thereafter transitioned to HSBC Bank, from where she retired in April 2024.
At HSBC Bank India, she held the position of Head of Financial Planning & Analysis and Business
Finance, India where her key responsibilities were financial budgeting and analysing for all
businesses and HSBC entities in India and enabling reviewing and decisioning by HSBC India Executive
Committee on strategic matters.
At HSCI, she initially held the position of Financial Controller/ Chief Operating Officer and later
became the Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer where she was responsible for Finance,
Operations and HR related matters, including analytics for all HSBC India entities including HSBC
Asset Management. She was also the Principal Officer at HSCI.
She is currently an Independent Director on the Board of Fedbank Financial Services Limited and
Director of Anibha Arts Foundation.
V Ramesh
INDEPENDENT DIRECTORAlumni of IIM (Bangalore) and ESADE (Barcelona, Spain), Mr. V. Ramesh has spent over three decades in the Mutual Fund Industry and seven years in Banking. He held the position as MD & CEO for MF Utilities India Pvt. Ltd (MFU). during the period starting from April 2014 to May 2021. He initiated, implemented and led MFU on behalf of the industry.
Prior to joining MF Utilities, he held the position as Deputy CEO for Association of Mutual Funds in
India (AMFI) from October 2010 to March 2014. His responsibility in AMFI was to ensure functioning of
the Mutual Fund Industry with effective relationships with all stakeholders, including SEBI and other
regulators. He was actively involved in Policy making at Mutual Fund Industry Level.
Mr. Ramesh was also a Founder and Director for Ecomove Solutions Pvt. Ltd from January 2009 to
September 2012, an innovative business in the social sector. Prior to that, Mr. Ramesh also held the
position as CEO for Prabhudas Lilladher Financial Services Pvt. Ltd. (NBFC) between January 2008 to
December 2008. In Prabhudas Lilladher Financial Services, he was key managerial personnel and his
major
activities included but not limited to distribution of third party products and lending, particularly
margin funding..
Besides Mutual Funds, he is passionate about acting. He regularly performs in plays.
Vikas Gandhi
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER & WHOLE TIME DIRECTORVikas Gandhi is an accomplished Chartered Accountant with over 23 years of experience in the Banking, Mutual Fund, Insurance, and Financial Services sectors. Served as Head – Finance & Accounts at Mirae Asset Mutual Fund and Group Companies, his key achievements included Mirae Asset group restructuring in India, implementing Ind AS and setting up units in GIFT City and Dubai. He also worked on projects involving setting up of Alternate Investment Funds and launch of various International ETFs and Fund of Funds for Mirae Asset in India.
He specializes in financial planning, budgeting, compliance, and process standardization that drive
organizational growth and shareholder value. Throughout his career, Vikas has led finance functions
for leading institutions like L&T Mutual Fund, Nippon India Mutual Fund (earlier Reliance MF), ICICI
Bank, Trust Investment Advisors and YouFirst Money Express, demonstrating strong leadership in
financial management, regulatory compliance, and strategic decision support .
Apart from the Finance Domain, he has spearheaded projects on Quality Management, Japanese 5S
techniques, Lean Management and various Cost Reduction initiatives. His other achievements include
migration of Accounting Systems to SAP and Oracle.
Vikas became an IIM-C Alumni in January 2025 by successfully completing the Chief Financial Officer
Programme from the Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata.
Raman Jokhakar
INDEPENDENT DIRECTORMr. Raman Jokhakar is a Chartered Accountant in practice with over 27 years of experience as a Partner at B. D. Jokhakar & Co., Chartered Accountants. He qualified as Bachelor of Commerce from University of Mumbai, is now a Fellow member of the ICAI. Raman also has a diploma in Information Systems Audit and a post graduate diploma in Global Strategic Management.
Over the years in the audit field Raman has handled diverse clientele including international and
local businesses across a number of industries such as Auto Ancillary, Financial Services, Chemicals,
Pharmaceuticals, Advertising, Logistics, Entertainment, Technology, Banking, Media, Retail, Real
Estate, General Insurance, including a Global Fortune 500 company.
His post qualification experience apart from external and internal audit includes corporate law,
taxation, personal finance, and business consultancy.
He has served as President, Bombay Chartered Accountants Society (BCAS), Editor of the BCA Journal for
five years and as a Technical Reviewer,
Institute of Chartered Accountants of India to review Annual Reports of listed companies. He serves as
Joint Hon. Treasurer, Forum of Free Enterprise,
as a Trustee of A.D. Shroff Memorial Trust and as a Jt. Secretary of the All India Bank Depositors'
Association.
Raman authored "Make it in India – Handbook on Starting and Doing Business in India" (published by
LexisNexis, 2017), "Ease of Doing KYC: A Study" (2024),
"Audit Checklist for Companies" (5 Editions) amongst others.
He is an avid reader, regular writer and music buff.
He is there on the Board of various companies.
Aalok Mehta
HEAD - INVESTOR RELATIONS & DIRECT CHANNELHe heads the Investor Relations unit. He and his team's responsibilities include advising clients, solving their queries and redressing their grievances. He played a similar role at PPFAS Limited, wherein he leveraged seven years of experience to add value to clients.
Over the years, he has worked in wealth management and investor relations in organisations such as
DSP Merrill Lynch (now DSP Blackrock), IL&FS Mutual Fund, Excel Funds (in Canada) and Emkay Global.
He holds a M.Com degree and an M.B.A from York University, Canada.
Aarti Marianus
BUSINESS HEAD - SOUTHMs. Aarti Marianus joined us in October 2024 in Bengaluru to Head South (Distribution Sales). She is a senior finance professional with extensive experience in the Banking and Financial Services industry, with a deep specialization in mutual funds.
Having served as the Senior Vice President & Regional Head of Sales (South) at Union Asset Management Company Private Ltd. from August 2010 to September 2024, Aarti successfully led a diverse team of 34 individuals across 17 cities in South India, managing Sales targets, Budgets, Institutional Clients, MFDs and RIAs .
She held the position of Regional Head of Sales for Tamil Nadu and Kerala at Mirae Asset Global
Investments India Private Limited from November 2007 to August 2010.
From June 2006 to November 2007, she was associated with Reliance Asset Management Company Private
Limited, and she began her professional journey as an Institutional Advisor for Mutual Funds at Mata
Securities Private Limited between April 2003 and December 2005 focusing on the Institutional
Business in Chennai.
Being NISM VA , NISM XXI A(PMS), NISM XIX B (Cat III AIF) Certified, she possesses close to two
decades of leadership experience in strategy, consulting, and large-scale team management. She also
is an Associate Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation. Aarti is a Commerce
graduate from Stella Maris College, Chennai (2001), and a Post Graduate in International Business
Management (Specialising in International Finance) from FORE School of Management, New Delhi .
Akshay Upadhyay
CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICERMr. Akshay Upadhyay is a highly accomplished IT leader with over 18+ years of experience, consistently aligning technology with business objectives to drive growth, security, and efficiency.
His expertise spans diverse IT domains, including application management (encompassing the handling, remapping, and integration of various business applications), digital transformation, cybersecurity, cloud computing, and enterprise architecture. He has a proven track record of leading and delivering complex IT projects across various industries, including his roles as CTO at SBICAP Trustee and National Project Head with Mahindra Finance, along with various other leading roles in past companies.
His key focus areas include driving digital transformation, strengthening cybersecurity posture, optimizing IT costs, building high-performing teams, and ensuring regulatory compliance management. He has a strong ability to optimize application portfolios and streamline business processes. In recognition of his achievements, he was awarded the Digital Transformation Leader Award (CTO) by Governance Now in October 2023.
Jignesh Desai
HEAD - OPERATIONS (RTA) & PRINCIPAL OFFICERHe has more than two decades of experience in the financial market.
He is responsible for the Operational activities related to RTA and has ensured smooth functioning of the PMLA and risk management activities.
Prior to joining PPFAS MF, he was associated with Parag Parikh Financial Advisory Services Ltd
(Sponsor company of PPFAS Mutual Fund) as Principal Officer. During his tenure with PPFAS Group, his
role involved handling risk, compliance and operational activities of Broking, and PMS.
He is a commerce graduate and is qualified as a Master of Business Administration in Finance.
Jitendra Chawla
BUSINESS HEAD - NORTHHe is an accomplished investment professional with 25 years of experience in investment analysis, strategy, asset allocation, portfolio structuring and relationship management.
Prior to joining PPFAS, he worked as Director - Investment Solutions at Deutsche Bank’s private wealth division in India.
Prior to that, he held key positions as investment advisor at Citi Wealth Advisors, Kotak Private
Wealth, ABN AMRO Bank, and Standard Chartered Bank,
executing successful investment strategies for UHNIs, institutions and family offices.
Additionally, in a voluntary capacity, he also served as Director on the board of CFA Society India
from 2017 to 2023.
Jitendra is a CFA Charterholder. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Commerce from Delhi University and
a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management.
Jitendra Motwani
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICERJitendra is a qualified Chartered Accountant and holds a Bachelor's degree in Commerce from Mumbai University
He brings with him a rich experience of over 18 years in Capital Markets having spent significant time in leadership roles in Asset & Wealth Management Operations, Investor Relations, Risk Management, Audit Function, Process engineering, Automation and Governance across Mutual Funds, Portfolio Management Services, Offshore Funds, Alternative Investment Funds & Structured Solutions.
In his previous role with Nuvama Asset Management as
Head of Operations & Investor Services, he was instrumental
in setting up & streamlining business-wide systems &
processes for new age Investment Management Business of
group.
In the past, he has also worked with organisations like
Edelweiss, Deutsche Bank, Kotak Wealth, Invesco Asset
Management India & Nippon Life India Asset Management.
At Industry level, Jitendra has served as founding member of
APMI (Association of Portfolio Managers of India) Operations
& Compliance Committee (2023-25) and was recognised for
his significant contributions to OPCO committee.
Mahesh Sarode
BUSINESS HEAD - EAST & WESTCurrently, he spearheads Distribution Channel and responsible for achieving the overall business objectives through multiple distribution channels & partnerships across India. He is associated with PPFAS Asset Management Co. Ltd. since 2015.
He has an extensive experience over 22 years with significant achievements in retail & institutional
sales, distribution, product & business development. Previously, he worked with organizations like
Peerless Asset Management Co. Ltd. & UTI Asset Management Co. Ltd.
Mahesh started his career with UTI Asset Management Co. Ltd. where he spent 10 years in various
roles across product development, retail sales, Institutional sales. Been founder member of
Institutional sales team, he was instrumental in developing institutional business & successfully
handled product development & its launch, business strategy & led various pilot projects in Mumbai &
Kolkata under project Shikhar. He served as Regional Head – Institutional sales & National
Distributors.
His last assignment was with Peerless Asset management co. Pvt. Ltd. where he was responsible for
product development, devising strategies for debt & equity schemes. He steered business for retail &
institutional sales as Vice President & Head – Sales for West zone.
Mahesh holds a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of Pune and MBA in
Marketing from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM), Pune.
Known for being a collaborative leader with proven track record of business development and building
high performing team.
Priya Hariani
CHIEF COMPLIANCE OFFICER AND COMPANY SECRETARYShe heads the Compliance, Legal and Secretarial functions of the Organisation. She has collectively more than 8 years of experience in this field. Prior to this, she was associated with the Sponsor company (PPFAS Ltd.) where she was responsible for the Compliance and Secretarial functions of the Portfolio Management Services.
Prior to joining PPFAS group, she was associated with Larsen & Toubro Limited as Management Trainee,
where she handled secretarial functions for the subsidiary companies of L&T. She has also handled
Non-Convertible Debentures (NCD's) Issue while doing a specialized training from L&T Financial
Services.
She is an Associate member of The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) and holds an LLB
degree from Mumbai University.
Ranbir Nayal
CHIEF INFORMATION SECURITY OFFICERMr. Ranbir Nayal is designated as CISO.
He is responsible for managing the security posture of the company, implementation of Cyber Security and Cyber Resilience Framework and other circulars as specified by SEBI from time to time. He has been in the industry for 32+ years. He is having a certification in Microsoft VBA.
Sanjay Shroff
HEAD - ADMINISTRATIONMr. Shroff has been associated with PPFAS Group for more than 15 years and was serving as the Head - Administration under the Parag Parikh Financial Advisory Services Limited (Sponsor Company). He will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the Administration of the organization.
Sanjana Jadhav
HEAD - HUMAN RESOURCESMs. Sanjana Jadhav has 11 years of experience. She is based at Mumbai and will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the Human Resources for the organization.
In the past she was working for Human Resources Team and took care of HR Operations, Recruitment specifically for Investment Banking/Equities/Wealth Management/Animal Nutrition Department, Employee Life Cycle Payroll Management, Training etc.
For Equirus Capital Private Limited (Since January 2020 to December 2021) and Evialis India Pvt. Ltd
(Since January 2018 to January 2020)
During her tenure starting from April 2008 to April 2015 she was handling the Talent Acquisition &
Onboarding Formalities and Administration for Various Organizations.
Shailendra Pandey
CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER AND HEAD - CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONSA professional who wears many hats, Shailendra Pandey has been an integral part of PPFAS Mutual Fund since 2016.
Since March 2016, he has been leading Corporate Communications function, playing a pivotal role in building strong goodwill and a distinctive brand identity for the Fund. His initiatives during this period helped establish PPFAS as a trusted and relatable name among investors and partners alike.
From 2020 to 2025, along with the Corporate Communications function, Shailendra expanded his
responsibilities to head the Distribution Channels for North and South India. Under his leadership,
these regions saw significant growth in AUM, partner engagement, and distribution strength, taking
both reach and relationships to the next level.
In 2024, he transitioned to a more focused marketing leadership role as Chief Marketing Officer,
while continuing to head Corporate Communications. In this capacity, he spearheads the Fund’s
strategic marketing initiatives, driving integrated campaigns, brand storytelling, and digital
engagement to further enhance the Fund’s visibility and investor connection.
Before joining PPFAS, Shailendra’s career spanned across journalism, sales (with Sharekhan), and
public relations in financial services with MSL Groupe and Adfactors PR — giving him a well-rounded
understanding of communication, markets, and people.
A NISM-certified professional, Shailendra holds a Diploma in Journalism, Advertising and Public
Relations from KC College of Management Studies and has completed a Digital Marketing program from
DMTI Softpro.
Shubham Gupta
CHIEF RISK OFFICERShubham Gupta He heads the Risk Management Department and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the risk management framework including Investment risk and Enterprise risk.
He has more than 9 years of experience in the Financial Market. Prior to PPFAS Asset Management Pvt.
Ltd. Mr. Gupta has worked with L&T Investment Management Limited and Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC
Limited.
He holds a PGDM degree in Financial Market and completed CFA Level 2 (USA).
Rajeev Thakkar
Chief Investment Officer - Equity and DirectorMr. Rajeev Thakkar possesses more than three decades of experience across fund management, securities broking, merchant banking, investment banking, and corporate finance.
He began his career in 1994 and joined PPFAS Limited (the sponsor of PPFAS AMC) in 2001. In 2003, he was appointed Fund Manager for the Portfolio Management Service titled Cognito,
managing a portfolio of around ₹300 crores. From 2007 to 2012, he served as the Chief Executive Officer of PPFAS Ltd.
He played a pivotal role in the incorporation of PPFAS Asset Management Pvt. Ltd. (Investment Manager to PPFAS Mutual Fund) and, in 2013, was instrumental in launching its flagship equity scheme—the
Parag Parikh Flexi Cap Fund. Today, it stands as one of the largest actively managed mutual fund scheme in India, with assets under management (AUM) exceeding ₹1 lakh crore, and continues to be managed by him.
Currently, he serves as Chief Investment Officer (CIO) – Equity and Director at PPFAS Asset Management Pvt. Ltd., overseeing five of the six schemes introduced under his stewardship since inception.
A firm believer in the principles of value investing, Rajeev draws deep inspiration from the philosophies of Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger.
His academic inclination is reflected in his diverse qualifications. Along with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Bombay, he
is a Chartered Accountant, Cost Accountant, and CFA Charterholder.
Raunak Onkar
Fund Manager & Research HeadMr. Raunak Onkar started his career with PPFAS in 2008 as an intern in the Research Team before moving up the ranks to now being a Fund Manager & the Head of Research at PPFAS Mutual Fund.
He graduated from the University of Mumbai with a BSc in IT & MMS (Masters in Management Studies) in Finance.
Raj Mehta
Executive Vice President & Fund Manager - EquityBeginning his career as an intern with PPFAS Mutual Fund in 2012, Mr. Raj Mehta swiftly moved up the ranks, and is currently part of the Fund Management team.
Apart from being a Commerce graduate from the University of Mumbai (N.M. College), he is also a Fellow Member of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and a CFA Charter Holder.
Rukun Tarachandani
Executive Vice President & Fund Manager - EquityMr. Rukun Tarachandani is a Fund Manager at PPFAS Mutual Fund with more than a decade of experience in Equity Markets.
He started his career in 2013 as an Equity Research analyst with Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research. Prior to joining PPFAS, he worked with Kotak Mahindra Asset Management as an Equity Research analyst focussing on small and midcap stocks and special situations.
He is an avid reader of books on Behavioral Finance, Value Investing and Quantitative Investing. He holds an MBA in Finance from MDI Gurgaon, an M.S. in Data Science from Northwestern University, and a B.Tech in Information Technology from Nirma University.
He is also a CFA Charterholder and a CQF (Certificate in Quantitative Finance) certificate holder.
Tejas Soman
Chief Investment Officer - DebtMr. Tejas Soman has spent over a decade in the fixed income markets. Prior to PPFAS, He worked with SBI Funds Management Limited as a Fund Manager, where he managed a range of fixed income portfolios.
He has also worked with Yes Bank in its primary dealership unit, STCI Primary Dealership, and PricewaterhouseCoopers in tax and regulatory advisory. He holds his post-graduation in securities markets from National Institute of Securities Markets (NISM).
Mansi Kariya
Associate Vice President & Fund Manager- DebtMs. Mansi Kariya joined PPFAS Mutual Fund in 2018 as a Debt Dealer. Gradually, she assumed the role of Credit Research Analyst within the Fixed Income Team and then eventually became a Fund Manager - Debt.
. In her previous roles, Mansi has worked as a research associate and senior executive - debt products for 3.5 years. She has a B.Com Hons from Calcutta University, MS Finance from ICFAI University, and is also a CFA Charterholder.
Aishwarya Dhar
Senior Manager & Fund Manager - DebtMs. Aishwarya Dhar joined PPFAS Mutual Fund as a Debt Dealer in March 2021 before moving up the ranks to become Fund Manager - Debt. She possesses more than 8 years of experience in the financial services industry.
Starting her career as Executive Finance, she joined Tata AIA Life Insurance Co. Ltd in September 2012 where she handled Accounts Payable & Procurement. In June 2015, she transitioned to ManipalCigna Health Insurance Co. Ltd., joining the debt dealing team as Deputy Manager – Dealer Portfolio. She has an MBA in Finance from ICFA University.