Board of Directors of PPFAS Trustee Company Private Limited

He is a Commerce Graduate and Fellow of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India. He has held the position of a Company Secretary and Head Compliance in ACC Limited for the period December 2009 to March 2017. Prior to joining ACC Limited, he was associated with The Bombay Dyeing & Mfg. Co. Ltd in Mumbai from December 2005 to December 2009, where he held the position of Senior Vice President - Corporate Group in the Corporate Advisory & Legal Services functions.

Currently, he runs his own Practising Company Secretaries Firm 'Nariman and Associates' and is a Certified Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) professional.

A chartered accountant by training, Suneel started his career at a multinational bank. His heart, however, lay elsewhere. In 1985, he co-founded CLEA Advertising & Marketing which went on to become India’s seventh largest advertising firm by the mid-1990s with more than 400 staff across 20 locations. Clea was also the largest and most reputed financial communication and IPO specialist firm in India. In 1995, Clea PR was set up which then quickly grew into the No 1 PR firm by 1998.

In his mid-40s, Suneel’s entrepreneurial bug bit him again and he founded Hanmer & Partners, a full-service integrated communications firm in 1999. From a handful of people and an office of 250 square feet, it became India’s largest and most reputed PR firm. When Hanmer & Partners joined Publicis Groupe in autumn 2007, the firm already had 350+ staff across 8 locations. The firm later got rebranded to Hanmer MSL and then MSLGROUP. Suneel moved into an emeritus role at the start of 2011 after seeing the firm through the integration with Publicis Groupe.

In 2008, Suneel set up India's first art fair, called India Art Summit.

In January 2015, in true spirit of being a serial entrepreneur, Suneel co-founded India's first Strategic Consultancy with a focus on communication called Pitchfork Partners Strategic Communications LLP.

With 35 years of experience and now in his early 60s, Suneel refuses to rest on his laurels.

Mr. Bhagirat Merchant post completion of his CA Final joined India’s First Private Sector Merchant Banking Company viz., H.L. Financial Consultants & Management Services Pvt. Ltd. (FICOM) as Manager (Operations) from the year 1971 till the year 1983. He was in charge of Loan Syndication, Public Issues & Fixed Deposit Depts., first to mobilise NRI investments in Jan. 1974 and toured various countries. He specialised in NRI investment & taxation.

From 1983 till 1985, Mr. Merchant was a professional service provider and engaged to promote merchant banking, portfolio management and equity research.

From 1985 till 1999, Mr. Merchant became a member of the Stock Exchange, Mumbai as one of the First professionals to be admitted as a member of a recognized stock exchange in India. He was mainly engaged in institutional business, investment broking and portfolio management. He was further elected as “President” of The Stock Exchange, Mumbai w.e.f. April 1, 1994 for the financial year 1994 - 95. The Bombay Stock Exchange, Mumbai (BSE) promoted a company viz. Central Depository Services (India) Ltd. Mr. Merchant was named as the initial Promoter and Director of this company for the first three years.

From the year 1999 till April 2022, Mr. Merchant was actively pursuing ‘Teaching is Reaching’ concept through a series of lectures on “Indian Scriptures and Management Principles, “Ethics and Business” and has written articles on these two subjects. He further has been regularly invited by various Management and Research Institutes to give lectures on such subjects. Mr. Merchant was associated with various institutes and was invited as visiting/guest faculty.

Mr. Merchant received “Samajshri” award in the year 1995 from Indian Council of Management Executives for meritorious services rendered towards Investors Protection during 1994-95.

Mrs. Sandhya Sharma earned an MBA degree from NMIMS after graduating from Sydenham College, Mumbai and pursued a 38-year long career in the larger area of finance. First 22 years at the ICICI Ltd. & ICICI Bank saw her shoulder a diverse range of responsibilities in lease finance, projects appraisal and term lending.

Thereafter, during a 16-year stint with Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. upto retirement, she executed on various roles in the Finance function initially in the M&A cell and then with Corporate Finance.

Subsequently, at Corporate Finance, she set up the rigour of appraisal & evaluation of internal projects, raised financing vide ECBs, listed unsecured Debentures, FCDs, term loans, etc. The cell also monitored the projects and returns thereof. In addition, she headed Investor Relations infusing new life into it by engaging vigorously with Indian and International Institutional investors, through one-on-one dialogues and investor meets, which induced marquee new investors to take substantial stakes in the company. She earned recognition in leading international surveys conducted by Thomson Reuters and the Institutional Investor.

In the last 7 years, she headed the newly incepted Corporate Governance Cell and spearheaded a vital journey which began with overhauling and elucidating the existing Code of Conduct with simple language, FAQs and illustrative examples. A programme to propagate the Corporate Governance structure amongst the Group companies, many of which are listed entities, was rolled out.

Outside of work, Sandhya is fond of reading, travelling, and watching good cinema.

She is there on the Board of various companies.