Investing Beyond Borders: The Case for Global Exposure | Chennai

Pravin is a seasoned investment professional with approximately 20 years of global investment banking experience spanning investment advisory, investment management, investment research, business development and general management. He has invested in or advised on transactions totaling around USD 1.5 billion.
Pravin currently serves as Director at RBSA Advisors, a leading global investment bank. He holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore. He also earned a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science Engineering from the College of Engineering Guindy, Anna University.

Vijayanand Venkataraman, CFA, has more than 20 years of experience investing in global markets and is the co-founder of Wealth Yantra Technologies Private Limited, an SEBI-Registered Investment Adviser. Until 2012, he was based out of Hong Kong SAR, managing a multiasset portfolio for global investment firms (hedge funds). His expertise spans asset classes that include equities, convertible bonds, and high-yield credit. In addition to managing his portfolio, he also assisted the chief investment officer in hedging the global macro and tail risks of the fund investments using derivative structures. In the early part of his professional career, he was part of the teams that advised the government of India on various policy implementation matters in energy, mining, and financial services. Venkataraman is a board member of CFA Society India. He is also a member of the Alumni Schools Committee (Undergraduate Admissions) at the University of Chicago. A mechanical engineer by training, he holds masters of business administration from BIM, Trichy and a MS in Financial Mathematics from University of Chicago, IL, USA.

Mihir Shirgaonkar, CFA, is a seasoned investment professional with over a decade of experience in the asset management industry. He presently heads the Alternative Investments division at Phillip Ventures IFSC Pvt. Ltd., a part of the Singapore-headquartered PhillipCapital Group. He manages the investment strategies for the Global Portfolio Management Services (PMS) and the India-focused Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) strategies based out of GIFT City.

Mihir manages the Phillip International Pioneer Portfolio which is the first Global PMS to be set up in Gift City. Mihir manages this strategy with a focus on identifying investment ideas across global regions, sectors, businesses, and investment themes. He is known for a distinctive approach that integrates fundamental research with data-driven insights. He has led the development of in-house market intelligence tools that process large datasets to identify macro, sectoral, and thematic trends across geographies, sectors, and businesses. His investment philosophy emphasizes constructing forward-looking portfolios anchored in robust fundamentals. His understanding of global markets informs his strategic allocation decisions across asset classes. Before his current role, Mihir was part of the ETFs and Passive Investments division at DSP Investment Managers (formerly DSP BlackRock) and has also worked with HDFC Asset Management Company.

Mihir has done his MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and is a Chartered Accountant by qualification. He is also a CFA® charterholder. He actively contributes to the investment community as a member of the Public Awareness Committee at CFA Society India, including writing for its quarterly newsletter

Sandeep Kumar is a Chartered Accountant and CFA Charterholder with six years of experience across venture investing, valuations, equity research, and lending. He currently serves as Strategy and Investment Analyst at Dvara Holdings, where he works with founders, investors, and senior leadership teams on investment evaluation, portfolio management, fundraising, and strategic initiatives across fintech and financial inclusion businesses.

Prior to Dvara, Sandeep was part of the Valuations and Deals practice at PwC, where he worked on valuation engagements and transaction advisory assignments. He has also worked in equity research, managing a proprietary investment portfolio and developing investment views through fundamental research, as well as in financial planning and analysis at Vivriti Capital, focusing on lending businesses and portfolio analytics.

Pramod is one of the founders of Marcellus. In the final two years of his 8-year stint in Ambit Capital, Pramod was Managing Director & Head of Institutional Equities (from 2016 to 2018). Prior to that Pramod, served as the head of Ambit’s Singapore office from 2013-2016. Before joining Ambit, Pramod worked across sales and research functions at Clear Capital, a British equity research firm. Pramod is Head of Sales in Marcellus and manages the sales & marketing efforts of the firm. He also sits on Investment Committee that discusses and approves investment strategies of the firm.

Besides being a technology analyst, Pramod has served in technology firms such as HCL Technologies and Philips Semiconductors’ Indian arm in Business Development and Engineering respectively.

Qualifications : Pramod is CFA charter holder with a B.Tech from Regional Engineering College, Surathkal and a Post-graduate Diploma in Management from the Indian Institute of Management – Ahmedabad.

Vaikam brings over a decade of experience covering the Indian equity market for institutional investors and advising family offices and corporates in the Middle East. After completing his master’s from the Indian Institute of Management (Bangalore), he started his career as a buy-side equity analyst at Nippon Life India Asset Management in 2015 and has since worked for some of the leading financial companies including JM Financial and NBK capital (Kuwait).

His experience spans investment research and portfolio management for mutual funds, family offices, and portfolio management services. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from College of Engineering, Guindy and is passionate about the use of tech in finance.

Viram Shah is the Founder and CEO of Vested Finance, a global investing platform helping Indian investors access international markets. Vested enables cross-border investing across global equities and other international investment products, with a focus on simplifying access, compliance, custody, and investor experience for Indian residents and Global Indians. With $1B+ in assets under administration and $6B+ in trading volume processed, Vested is a leading platform in the global investing space in India.
Viram works at the intersection of fintech, capital markets, payments and cross-border regulation. His current focus is on expanding global investing access for Indians through regulated infrastructure across the US, GIFT City, and other international markets. He is also actively involved in building products across global equities, fixed income, private markets, and multi-currency investment solutions.

Himanshu Dugar is the Founder of Stylus Holdings, a premier boutique equity research advisory based in Chennai, India. A SEBI-registered Research Analyst, Himanshu has over a decade of expertise in global equity research, spanning institutional research and sophisticated private wealth management.

Prior to founding Stylus Holdings, he sharpened his analytical frameworks at CRISIL and Miras Investments, a prominent Middle Eastern family office. Recognized for his deep-dive fundamental insights, Himanshu is a regular contributor to leading global equity research aggregators, including Smartkarma. He is deeply committed to advancing professional excellence in the investment community, actively volunteering with the CFA Society India.