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Dr. Shilpak Ambule
High Commissioner of India to Singapore at High Commission of India, SingaporeDr. Shilpak Ambule grew up in Pune and did his schooling, junior college and graduation from Abhinava Vidyalaya, Fergusson College and BJ Medical College respectively. He has completed the Master’s degree program in Translation and Interpretation (T&I) in Chinese-English from MIIS, Monterey, California.
He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 2002 and after learning Chinese language, spent 8 years in Beijing in the Indian Embassy working as Third Secretary, Second Secretary and First Secretary in the Political Wing and as Chief of Staff to Ambassador. He then served in Headquarters as the Deputy Head of the East Asia Division and as the Chief of Staff of the Indian Foreign Secretary from January 2015 to August 2018. After a brief stint as Deputy High Commissioner of India in Colombo from August 2018 – July 2019, he returned to Delhi and served as Joint Secretary in the External Affairs Minister’s office till 24th June, 2022. He took over as Joint Secretary (East Asia) in June 2022 and continued to hold dual charge till 22 July 2023. He is currently serving as High Commissioner to Singapore since 23 July 2023.
He is married to Mayuri and they have two daughters.
Kenneth Cheong
Partner at EQT Private CapitalKenneth Cheong is a Partner in the EQT Private Capital Asia team. Kenneth worked for BPEA from 1998 until 2022, when the company joined forces with EQT.
Prior to joining BPEA, Kenneth worked as a manager at BZW Asia for three years, where he was involved in corporate finance and M&A in Southeast Asia. Prior to that, Kenneth spent three years at DBS Bank, where he was involved in credit, marketing and loan syndications.
Kenneth holds a Bachelor of Science in Econometrics and Mathematical Economics from the London School of Economics, where he graduated with First Class Honors.
Kabir Narang
Founding General Partner at B Capital Group Singapore Pte. Ltd.Kabir Narang is Founding General Partner at B Capital Group. He is based in Singapore, co-leads B Capital in Asia and cross border investments at the firm. Kabir has nearly two decades of investing experience across enterprise software and fintech.
Prior to B Capital, he held leadership and investing roles at Eight Roads, Fidelity’s private investment arm, and Warburg Pincus. Kabir was Managing Director at Eight Roads leading investments in technology. He was also a core member of the Regional Investment Committee, which evaluated investment opportunities across Asia, including India, SE Asia, China and Japan. At Warburg Pincus, one of the earliest private equity funds to invest in Asia, his work focused on tech and financial services investments.
Kabir is a mathematician by training and has a bachelor’s degree in the subject from St. Stephen’s College, India. He holds an MBA from Oxford University. Outside of work, he is passionate about photography and reading.
Amit Manocha
Group CFO and MD, Private Equity at Everstone Capital Asia Pte. Ltd.Mr Amit Manocha is Group CFO and MD, Private Equity at the Everstone Group, a premier India and Southeast Asia focused alternate asset manager with assets under management of ~US$8.0 billion. Amit is responsible for leading the firm’s overall financial strategy and execution. Amit has executed several transactions in various businesses including consumer, healthcare and other sectors across India, Southeast Asia and US.
Prior to Everstone, Amit has worked with Coca-Cola, GE Capital and HCL Technologies in the corporate finance, business analysis and financial management groups in India and US. Amit is an alumnus of Harvard Business School and a top ranked Chartered Accountant from India with over 25 years of experience in private equity and corporate finance.
David Low
Partner at Albourne Partners (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.David Low is a Partner at Albourne and the Head of Private Markets in Asia. Based in Singapore, he leads Albourne’s Investment Due Diligence coverage of private equity, venture capital, private credit, real estate and real asset funds in the region and also supports clients on the management of their Private Markets portfolio.
Before joining Albourne in 2014, David spent five years managing the direct investment portfolio for an Asian family office. Prior to that, David was an entrepreneur for several years and co-founded multiple companies in the consumer services and FMCG space. David began his career at Arthur Andersen Business Consulting before joining General Electric in a variety of finance roles.
David holds an MBA from the Melbourne Business School, a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Finance), from Monash University in Melbourne and the CPA Australia designation. He is also a Board member of the Singapore Venture and Private Capital Association.
Vivek Soni
Partner & National Leader - Private Equity Services at EY IndiaVivek leads the Private Equity Services Practice for EY in India. He leads a cross-functional team tasked with covering EY India’s Private Equity (PE) and Venture Capital (VC) fund clients and their portfolio companies. Vivek is also engaged in various M&A deals and plays an important role in building and maintaining relationships with large PE and VC funds.
With over twenty-eight years of consulting and deal advisory experience across diverse sectors and market segments in Indian and international markets, his expertise spans business restructuring, business development, new product development, management and leadership, debt financing, equity raising, private equity investing and structured finance. Vivek belongs to a select group of professionals who bring a depth of experience across sell-side advisory, buy-side PE investing, and on-ground operational experience of leading and scaling up a PE-backed services business in India. In his role as PE leader, Vivek frequently advises large LP’s and GP’s on their India strategy and pre and post deal matters, engages with regulators and policy makers and is one of the most well covered analysts writing and commenting on the Indian PE / VC market vide the regular monthly and annual reports authored by him on the Indian PE/VC sector.
Vivek holds an MBA from London Business School and is a Chartered Accountant.
Radhika Agarwal
Partner; Private Equity, Merger & Acquisition, Corporate and Commerical, Mumbai at Khaitan & Co LLPRadhika is a Partner in the Private Equity and M&A Practice Group, and routinely advises leading financial sponsors including sovereign wealth funds in their Indian investments. Being in practice for over a decade, Radhika has been advising on complex acquisitions, strategic alliances, and private equity investments. Radhika also routinely advises regulatory approvals, entry strategies and all other key aspect of Indian corporate and foreign investments laws.
Her key clients includes Bain Capital, JP Morgan, Maj Invest, Mubadala Group, Panasonic Corporation, S&B Holdings, TA Associates, Tesla, TPG NewQuest, TR Capital, Temasek.
Nachiket Deo
Partner and National Leader- Private Equity Tax Services at EY IndiaNachiket is a Partner and National Leader - Private Equity Tax with EY India’s Transaction Tax Practice and has been associated with EY since 2004, bringing nearly two decades of dedicated service to the firm. Throughout his tenure, he has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to excellence in the field of transaction tax. During his tenure from 2012 to 2014, Nachiket led EY’s India Tax Desk in London, playing a pivotal role in enhancing cross-border tax expertise between India and Europe. This experience enriched his proficiency in international tax practices, enhancing his capability to manage complex transactions seamlessly.
Nachiket is recognized for his adept handling of intricate tax and regulatory issues, offering strategic counsel that supports clients in achieving their business objectives. His deep familiarity with both Indian and international tax landscapes enables him to provide unique insights into the challenges and opportunities encountered by private equity firms and start-ups.
Nachiket holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree and is a Chartered Accountant.
Prashanth Prakash
Partner at Accel, IndiaPrashanth Prakash joined Accel in 2008.
Prashanth began investing in Indian technology start-ups in 2004, well before they acquired global attention. He started his investing career as a co-founder of Erasmic, one of India’s first early-stage funds. Prior to that, he founded two enterprises in the Internet and multimedia publishing domains.
As a key member of Accel’s India team, Prashanth focuses on consumer Internet services, online marketplaces, and SaaS. He has led investments in Agrostar, BlueStone, BookMyShow, Clevertap, FabHotels, Glowroad, HolidayMe, HomeLane, InfraMarket, PropTiger, QwikCilver (acquired by Pine Labs), Rentomojo, TeaBox, and other early-stage companies.
Prashanth is from Bangalore and holds a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Delaware and an undergraduate degree in computer science.
Nishant Sharma
Founder & Managing Partner of Kedaara CapitalNishant is the Founder and Managing Partner of Kedaara Capital, an India focused buyout and growth equity firm, founded in 2011. Nishant has over 18 years of experience encompassing the full lifecycle of private equity in India across a variety of industries and across private and public markets.
Before founding Kedaara, Nishant was a senior member of the India leadership team of General Atlantic (GA), a leading growth-oriented global private equity firm. Prior to GA, Nishant worked at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and as a management consultant at McKinsey.
Nishant chairs Kedaara’s People Committee and is a member of the Management Committee, Investment Committee, Portfolio Committee and LP Committee. Nishant has led and advised Kedaara’s investments in Au Small Finance Bank, Aavas Financiers, Vijaya Diagnostics, Vishal Mega Mart, Ami Lifesciences, Veritas Finance, ASG Eye Hospitals, Oasis Fertility, Oliva Skin and Perfios, driving value creation in each situation to strengthen their position as lasting market leading businesses. He has also focused on generating consistent liquidity for Kedaara, driving exits across Au Small Finance Bank, Aavas Financiers, Vijaya Diagnostics and Ami Lifesciences.
Nishant is a member of the Mumbai chapter of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO). Nishant has been profiled as one of India’s prominent business leaders by Economic Times under the 40 under forty awards. Nishant received an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a Dual Degree (B.Tech & M.Tech) in Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
Kunal Shroff
Managing Partner at ChryscapitalMr. Kunal Shroff is the Managing Partner at ChrysCapital and has been with the firm since 1999. He manages the organization and plays a critical role across various functions including investments, portfolio management and client relations.
Kunal was previously at Chilton Investment Company where he covered technology stocks, and at Goldman Sachs in their principal investment area in New York where he focused on private equity and mezzanine investments.
Kunal sits on the Board of EdelGive Foundation and is also a Founder of Ashoka University. He received a BS in computer science with magna cum laude honours from Cornell University.
Sonal Varma
Chief Economist, India and Asia ex-Japan at NomuraSonal Varma is Nomura’s Chief Economist, India and Asia ex-Japan, based in Singapore. Her responsibilities include analyzing key economic trends in the region and publishing in-depth reports on the economy as part of Nomura’s Asia ex-Japan Global Markets Research team. She also manages a team of regional economists. She joined Nomura in October 2008 from Lehman Brothers, where she served as India Economist.
Sonal was rated #1 in India research from 2012 to 2019 by The Asset, and #1 for pan-Asia research in 2022-2023. She was also consistently ranked among the Top 2 economists in India by Institutional Investor every year from 2013 to 2018.
Sonal previously worked as an Economist at ICICI Bank and rating agency CRISIL. She was a member of the Indian government’s working group to construct the index of industrial production and her views are frequently sought by the media and think tanks.
Sonal holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Delhi University, and a Master’s in Economics from the Delhi School of Economics, both in India.