Avendus Equity Opportunities Fund

Nilesh leads the credit solutions business at Avendus Finance and is based in Mumbai. He has over 16 years of experience in financial services, banking and advisory and joined Avendus in 2009. He initially headed the Structured Credit and Real Estate vertical within Investment Banking, then set up the NBFC business in 2016 and played a key role in launching the group's first credit fund. Prior to Avendus, he was at Corporate & Investment Banking at ICICI Bank, London. He holds an MBA from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies and is a CFA charterholder.

Pankaj co-heads the Digital, Technology & Consumer vertical for Avendus's investment banking business and is based in Mumbai. A seasoned investment banker with over 24 years of experience in M&A advisory, private placements, leveraged finance and capital markets, he has a deep understanding of the technology, consumer internet and media sectors. Prior to Avendus, he worked with JP Morgan's investment banking team for over 11 years and DSP Merrill Lynch for 4 years. He holds an MBA from IIM Calcutta and a Bachelor of Engineering from Government College of Engineering, Pune.

Srivathsan spearheads the Avendus Spark Institutional Equities business. With over 18 years of experience in Indian capital markets, he has progressed through roles spanning Analyst, Head of Research and Equity Sales before taking leadership of the entire equities franchise. He holds a master's in financial management and is a CFA charterholder.

Anirban heads human resources at Avendus Group, responsible for people strategy, talent management and learning & development across all businesses. He joined from IIFL Wealth and Asset Management where he was a founding team member and Head HR. Prior to that he worked at ITC Limited. He holds a postgraduate diploma from XLRI Jamshedpur and was recognised as Most Influential HR Leader in India by the World HRD Congress in 2017.

Ritesh Chandra heads the Private Equity Strategies business at Avendus, a practice he set up more than seven years ago and continues to lead. Prior to that, he helmed the consumer and financial services investment banking practice at Avendus for 10 years. With over 29 years of deal making experience, he has worked with companies like Credit Suisse, Ernst & Young and Andersen in the past.

Chirag Shah brings 24 years of expertise in equity research, focusing on identifying and backing high-quality late-stage private companies with strong growth potential. Based in Mumbai, he has previously led India Consumer Research at CLSA and held senior roles at Barclays and IDFC Securities.

Shomil Pant is a seasoned investment professional with over 25 years of experience across healthcare, financial services, and corporate affairs. In his current role, he is part of the team investing in market-leading, late-stage companies in India. Prior to this, he served as Director in Avendus' Healthcare Investment Banking team, where he led several marquee transactions across pharmaceuticals, healthcare services, and life sciences. He has also led corporate affairs at Wockhardt Ltd.

Anshul Jain is building Avendus Finance into one of the leading providers of structured debt capital in the market. With 17 years in financial services, he brings deep expertise across the full deal life cycle, spanning origination, structuring, underwriting, execution, and portfolio management. He has played a pivotal role in delivering innovative financing solutions across sponsor financing, acquisitions, special situations, mezzanine, bridge, and growth capital. Before joining Avendus, he worked at Nomura, as well as Lehman Brothers.

Gaurav co-founded Avendus in 1999 when he was just 25, driven by a bold vision to tap into India's dynamic growth landscape with trust, care, and proven expertise. Over the last 25+ years, he has helped shape Avendus into one of India's largest entrepreneur focused institutional financial services firms. He has been pivotal in unifying the firm under the 'One Avendus' philosophy, transforming it to serve the diverse and evolving needs of its clients. An alumnus of IIT Kanpur and IIM Calcutta, Gaurav combines strategic discipline with entrepreneurial drive.

Ranu Vohra co-founded Avendus in 1999 with a deep conviction in the potential of India as a nation, its entrepreneurs and capital markets. Over the past two decades, he has been instrumental in steering the firm's strategic direction, growing it into a leading financial services institution across investment banking, asset management, wealth management, credit solutions, and institutional equities. A strong advocate of disciplined growth and performance-led culture, Ranu blends sharp analytical thinking with passion for building enduring, integrity and trust based partnerships. An alumnus of IIT Delhi and FMS Delhi, he brings global experience from his early career in international investment banking.

Kaushal co-founded Avendus in 1999, driven by a conviction to build enduring businesses from first principles. Over the past two and a half decades, he has been instrumental in shaping Avendus' entrepreneurial culture and in building its investment banking, wealth and credit businesses from the ground up, scaling them into trusted franchises. An alumnus of IIT Delhi and IIM Bangalore, Kaushal combines rigorous analytical thinking with a founder's instinct for long-term value creation. He is a co-founder of Ashoka University and Plaksha University, and of The/Nudge Foundation.