Leadership

An ex-civil servant, H. M. Singh has held various positions with the Government of India through his career spanning over 35 years. Having retired as Secretary to the Government of India, he currently serves as an advisor for shipping and port companies with Arya Offshore Services Private Ltd. and is also a Maritime Arbitrator.

Singh holds an M.A. in Political Science.

O.V. Bundellu has more than 37 years of experience in Banking, Commercial Banking and Treasury. He retired as a Whole-time Director from IDBI Bank Limited, where he served since 1987. He also served as Director on the Board of IDBI Home Finance Limited, IDBI Gilts Limited and IDBI Fortis Life Insurance Company Limited. He has been a member of the HRD committee of the Indian Bank Association. Bundellu is also a Director on the Board of various other companies.

A Certified Associate in Indian Institute of Banking, he holds a Masters of Science and Masters of Financial Management degree.

With a career spanning over 45 years, Michael Pinto joined the Government of India in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and served till his superannuation in 2003. He held several assignments during this tenure including: CEO - Maharashtra Industrial Development Corp., Vice-Chairman and Managing Director - MSRTC, CMD - Handicrafts and Handlooms Export Corporation of India, Chairman - Central Cottage Industries Corporation, MD - Maharashtra State Finance Corporation, Minister (Economic) - Embassy of India - Paris, Chairman - Maharashtra State Electricity Board, Director General (Shipping) - Govt of India, Chairman - Jawaharlal Nehru Port and Secretary (Shipping ) - Govt. of India. He has also served as Vice Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities in the rank and status of Union Minister of State. He is also a Director on the Board of various other companies.

He holds a Master of Arts degree in Political Science, Master of Arts degree in Sociology and Master of Public Administration from Harvard University.

V.S. Mathur is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Principal Trustee Company. He has served the Revenue Department of the Government of India since 1970 in various capacities. He has held various positions including Undersecretary of CBDT & Ministry of Finance and also as Director and Controller of Aluminium, Ministry of Finance, New Delhi. He has also served as Director General, Systems - Income Tax Dept. and was in charge of the comprehensive nationwide computerization in the Income Tax Department. He is also a Director on the Board of various other companies.

Mathur holds a degree in Master of Arts.

Tess Downey* is currently working with Principal International Asia Ltd as the Regional Counsel for Legal/Company Secretary in the capacity of Legal, Compliance and Company Secretary of the organization. In the past, she has worked as Regional Director at Prudential PLC, the UK in the area of New Market Development, and was also the Vice President at AIG in a Legal and Commercial role.

Downey is a Post Graduate Overseas Lawyer from Law Society of HK, Law Society of England & Whales, Post Graduate Practice Law Course, Law from Singapore Board of Legal Education, and an LLB (Hons), Law from National University of Singapore.

*Associate Director in terms of SEBI Regulations

Mukund M. Chitale is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Principal Asset Management Private Limited (formerly known as Principal Pnb Asset Management Company Private Limited). Chitale is a practicing Chartered Accountant since 1972 and is a partner with Mukund M. Chitale & Co. - Chartered Accountants. He has also served as President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and as a member of The International Auditing Practices Committee of the International Federation of Accountants. Chitale has also served on a number of high profile committees set up by the Reserve Bank of India. He is also a Director on the Board of various other companies.

He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree and is a qualified Chartered Accountant.

Lalit Vij is the Managing Director of Principal Asset Management Private Limited (formerly known as Principal Pnb Asset Management Company Private Limited). He has over 30 years of work experience across multiple disciplines in the financial services industry including stints with American Express and EXL Services - a global leader in Business Process Management and Transformation Services. Vij has been with Principal Financial Group since 2006. Prior to his present role, he was the Managing Director of Principal Global Services Private Limited, where he was responsible for setting up and expanding Global Shared Service operations for Principal Financial Group in India. Vij continues to serve as a Director on the Board of Principal Global Services Private Limited. 

Vij is a B.Com and a Fellow Member of Institute of Chartered Accountant of India.

Rustam Gagrat is a Partner of Gagrats, a leading law firm in Mumbai and of Gagrat & Co., a leading law firm in New Delhi. He has over 30 years' experience as an Advocate and Solicitor. Gagrat is a Director on the Board of other companies. He has been the recipient of several Legal Awards and is ranked and listed in several International Publications. He is an Advocate of the Supreme Court of India, a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England.

He holds a Master of Arts degree from Cambridge University.

Madhukar Kamath has over 28 years of experience in the Industry especially in the field of project approval and implementation, Investment Advisory, dealing with regulatory authorities, preparation of project reports, handling bankers, financing and administration and management activities. He has been handling Foreign Direct Investment projects since last 10 years and has been instrumental in helping many multinationals in implementing projects in India. He has won awards for successful implementation and for excellent performance in Project Management. Presently, Kamath is acting as an advisor to Tessitura Monti India Pvt. Ltd. He is also a Director on the Board of various other companies.

He holds a B. Com and is a member of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and Institute of Company Secretary of India (ICSI).

Pedro Borda is the President of Southeast Asia & India of Principal International (South Asia) Sdn Bhd (“PISA”). Based in Malaysia, he is responsible for Principal International operations in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and India. 

Representing the Principal Financial Group, he is a member of the board in Principal International (Asia) Limited, Principal International (South Asia) Sdn Bhd, Principal International, LLC, Principal International Holding Company, LLC, Principal Asset Management Private Limited, Principal Retirement Advisors Pvt. Ltd., Principal Consulting (India) Pvt. Ltd. and Principal Financial Group (Mauritius) Ltd.  He is also a Director of CIMB-Principal Asset Management Berhad since 20 June 2013.

Prior joining PISA, he was Chief Executive Officer, ASEAN Region of CIMB-Principal Asset Management Berhad.  In addition, he was the Country Head – Mexico from 2004 to February 2013 and was also a member of the Board of Directors of Principal Financial Group, Chile; Managing Director, Principal Pension Business in Mexico from 1999-2004 and Managing Director, Principal Pension Business in Argentina 1996-1998.

He holds a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration (Agriculture) and a Master Degree in Finance, both from Universidad Argentina de la Empresa (U.A.D.E), Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Kim Thean Soo is the Chief Operating Officer, Principal International (South Asia) Sdn Bhd. In his current role, he is responsible for working with the President – Regional Head, South East Asia and India in the areas of finance, business strategy (including digital business) and management of the regional entities (ASEAN and India).

Soo serves on the boards of Principal Pnb Asset Management Company Pvt Ltd as alternate director and is a Fellow Member of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants (ACCA) since 1993.

Lalit Vij is the Managing Director of Principal Asset Management Private Limited. Ltd (formerly known as Principal Pnb Asset Management Company Private Limited). He has over 30 years of work experience across multiple disciplines in the financial services industry including stints with American Express and EXL Services - a global leader in Business Process Management and Transformation Services. Vij has been with Principal Financial Group since 2006. Prior to his present role, he was the Managing Director of Principal Global Services Private Limited, where he was responsible for setting up and expanding Global Shared Service operations for Principal Financial Group in India. Vij continues to serve as a Director on the Board of Principal Global Services Private Limited. 

Vij is a B.Com and a Fellow Member of Institute of Chartered Accountant of India.

In his 29-years of work experience in Investment Management, Rajat Jain has been associated with Principal Mutual Fund for 16 years. In his present role, Jain monitors the investments of Principal Mutual Fund and leads the overall portfolio strategy. Before this, he was the Chief Investment Officer at SBI Mutual Fund.

Jain has a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from NIT, Allahabad and a PGDM from IIM Lucknow.

Hariharan Iyer has over 21 years of experience. His areas of expertise comprise network management, customer services and process management in mutual fund and transfer agency. In the past, he was associated with Deutsche Investor Services Private Limited, Birla Sun Life Asset Management Co. Limited, ING Investment Management Co. (I) Private Limited. and HDFC Asset Management Company Limited.

Iyer holds a Masters in Marketing Management and is an Associate of the Insurance Institute of India.

Richa Parasrampuria is the Head of Compliance and comes with over 11 years of experience in Asset Management Compliance. Prior to this, she has worked with JPMorgan Asset Management India Private Limited., Reliance Capital Asset Management Limited and Standard Chartered Asset Management Co. Private Limited.

Parasrampuria, a graduate in Commerce, is a qualified Company Secretary. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in law.  

P.V.K Mohan has spent over 25 years in equity research and fund management. Previously, he has been associated with ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund, DSP BlackRock Mutual Fund and IL&FS Mutual Fund.

P.V.K Mohan is a B.Tech and holds a PGDM.

Bekxy Kuriakose has over 18 years of experience in dealing, research and fund management. Having primarily managed Fixed Income funds, she has worked as Asst. Vice President with L&T Mutual Fund, as Fund Manager with Reliance Life Insurance and SBI Mutual Fund. 

Kuriakose holds a graduate degree in Economics (Hons) and a PGDM from IIM Bangalore.

Gaurav Goyal has over 17 years of experience in financial services - Sales & Distribution. His responsibilities include leading institutional, retail sales and business development initiatives for organizations. Earlier, he was with ICICI Prudential Asset Management as Vice President, and Head – IFA Channel & Investor Education. He has also worked with HDFC Bank, Citi Financial, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance and IDBI Capital. In his previous roles, he was involved in launching and setting up multiple locations, new product launches and multiple distribution channels.

Goyal is a B.Sc and a Master in Management Studies.

Ragesh Renganathan is currently managing Fund accounting, Commission and MIS functions. He has an overall experience of over 18 years, of which he has spent around 10 years in the asset management industry. In the past, he was associated with Franklin Templeton MF, managing the Fund Administration and NAV functions. 

Ragesh is a Commerce Graduate and a qualified Chartered Accountant. He is also accredited with CISA.

Prashant Jain has 11 years of experience in digital strategy implementation, business development and marketing in next-generation finance and media houses. Currently, he is in charge of designing and implementing proprietary digital platforms and setting up the digital business channel. In his earlier stints, he was associated with Tickled Media, Moneycontrol.com, Arthayantra, Big CBS Networks and Star India. 

Jain holds an MBA from ISB, Hyderabad.

Siddharth Singh heads Products and Bank Alliances. With over 17 years of experience in financial services, he is currently responsible for product development, management and distribution alliances with banks. Prior to Principal Mutual Fund, he has worked with DHFL Pramerica Asset Managers, Deutsche Asset Management and ICICI Prudential Asset Management.

Singh is a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) and holds a PGDM from the Indian Institute of Management, Indore.

In his 29-years of work experience in Investment Management, Rajat Jain has been associated with Principal Mutual Fund for 16 years now. At present, he monitors the investments of Principal Mutual Fund and leads the overall portfolio strategy. Before this, he was the Chief Investment Officer at SBI Mutual Fund. 

Rajat holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from NIT, Allahabad and a PGDM from IIM, Lucknow.

P.V.K Mohan has spent over 25 years in equity research and fund management. Previously, he was associated with ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund, DSP BlackRock Mutual Fund and IL&FS Mutual Fund.

Mohan is a B.Tech and holds a PGDM.

Bekxy Kuriakose has over 18 years of experience in dealing, research and fund management. Having primarily managed Fixed Income funds, she has worked as Asst. Vice President with L&T Mutual Fund, as Fund Manager with Reliance Life Insurance and SBI Mutual Fund. 

Kuriakose holds a graduate degree in Economics (Hons) and a PGDM from IIM Bangalore.

Dhimant Shah has more than 20 years of experience in stock market. Prior to joining Principal Mutual Fund, Shah was working as a Fund Manager in HSBC Asset Management (India) Private Ltd. He has also worked with Reliance Capital Asset Management Ltd. (PMS), ASK Raymond James Securities Pvt. Limited & IL&FS Asset Management Co. Pvt. Ltd (now known as UTI Asset Management Company Ltd)

Shah is a B.Com and holds an ACA. 

Pankaj Jain is a Senior Fund Manager – Fixed Income with over 14 years of experience in Indian Markets. In his previous assignments he has worked as Fund Manager with Taurus Mutual Fund and Edelweiss Mutual Fund managing debt schemes including Liquid, Short-term, Dynamic and other schemes. He has also worked with Edelweiss Capital handling their Forex and debt portfolios while being associated with State Bank of India (Treasury) and Thermax Ltd as well.

Jain is a graduate in Mechanical Engineering and holds a PGDM from IIM Bangalore.

Gurvinder Singh Wasan is a Fund Manager at Principal Mutual Fund. He has over 14 years of work experience in Fixed Income markets, credit analysis and structured finance. Before joining Principal Mutual Fund, he worked with CRISIL Limited and ICICI Bank Limited. 

Wasan holds a post-graduate degree in Commerce (Masters in Commerce). He is a Chartered Accountant (CA) and a CFA (from CFA institute USA) as well.

Rupali Pandit is Dealer – Equity. She has over 19 years of experience in equity dealing and liaisoning with brokers. Prior to this, she has worked with ABN AMRO Asset Management (India) Limited, IL&FS Asset Management Company Limited and GIC Mutual Fund as an Equity Dealer. 

Pandit is a B.Com and Chartered Accountant (Intermediate).

Aashish Khubchandani is a Dealer – Fixed Income with work experience of 3 years. He has worked with Crest Finserv Limited (formerly Tullett Prebon India Limited) in a similar capacity before joining Principal Mutual Fund.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Management Studies and has cleared all three levels of the Chartered Financial Analyst’s (CFA) Program in 2015. On completion of the required work experience, he may be awarded the CFA charter.

Siddarth has been a part of Principal Mutual Fund since 2009. He has over 14 years of experience in Finance and Stock Markets. Prior to joining Principal, he worked as an Analyst in Adventity Global Services, ICRA Management Consulting Services, and Polaris Software Ltd.

Mohta is a B.Com and a Post Graduate Diploma in Management in Finance and Certified Financial Risk Management.