Rajeev Thakkar
Chief Investment Officer - Equity and Director
Mr. 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 Head
Mr. 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.
Rukun Tarachandani
Executive Vice President & Fund Manager - Equity
Mr. 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.
Raj Mehta
Executive Vice President & Fund Manager - Equity
Beginning 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.
Tejas Soman
Chief Investment Officer - Debt
Mr. 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).
Aishwarya Dhar
Senior Manager & Fund Manager - Debt
Ms. 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.
