Nippon India AIF

Mr. Ashish Jalan is the Co-Fund Manager for Private Credit at Nippon India Alternative Investments, overseeing transaction evaluation, deal structuring, investment strategies, fundraising, and portfolio management. He has nearly 15 years of comprehensive experience in domestic credit markets across asset management, banking, and credit rating agencies. He spent close to nine years in the Fixed Income Investment team at Nippon India Mutual Fund before moving to the AIF practice. Prior to NAM India he worked at DBS Bank, ICRA Ltd., and Global Analytics. He is a Chartered Accountant and holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Management (Finance) from SPJIMR Mumbai. He is an alumnus of St. Xavier's College, Kolkata.

Mr. Rahul Apte is the Co-Fund Manager for Private Credit at Nippon India Alternative Investments. He has over 16 years of extensive experience in wholesale debt businesses covering the full deal lifecycle — deal sourcing, client development, credit assessment, monitoring, and managing exits. He was one of the founding members of the Project & Structured Finance Business at Aditya Birla Finance, where he helped scale AUM to over $2 billion and also led the NBFC's expansion into the Emerging Clients segment as Business Head. He holds a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Madras and an MBA in Finance and Marketing from ISB Hyderabad.

Mr. Sachin Bid is the Fund Manager for Venture Capital at Nippon India Alternative Investments, overseeing fundraising, investment strategies, and portfolio management for India-centric early-stage technology ventures. He serves on the advisory boards (LPAC) of several venture funds. Prior to joining Nippon India, he co-founded, developed, and successfully scaled a pioneering cruise-focused travel startup, MyDreamHoliday, which was later acquired by a prominent market leader. Before that, he was an investor at Ncubate Capital (family office), where he incubated and fostered consumer companies from inception. He also contributed to investments in early growth-stage manufacturing and engineering companies at Nine Rivers Capital. He is a CAIA member, holds a CFA from ICFAI, and an MBA in Finance from IBS Mumbai.

Ankit Agarwal is a Fund Manager for Venture Capital at Nippon India Alternative Investments, overseeing fundraising, investment strategies, and portfolio management for India-centric early-stage technology ventures. He has over 17 years of experience spanning venture capital, private equity, exotic derivatives trading, chip design, and as a founder. He spent 12+ combined years at ICICI Venture, PineBridge Investments Asia Fund, and Enam Family Office, handling Investment Sourcing, Deal Evaluation, Diligence & Structuring, Portfolio Monitoring, M&A, Exits, and Fundraising, and served as the funds' nominee on portfolio company boards. In 2020 he founded an edtech company that raised $2.5 million from Matrix Partners and angel investors, scaled to $1M+ ARR and 100+ employees, and was sold via an IP sale in 2022 to one of India's largest edtech companies. He holds a B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from IIT Delhi (2005) and an MBA from IIM Bangalore (2010).

Mr. Ashish Chhugani is the Head of Alternative Investments at Nippon India AIF. He holds an MBA from Duke University, USA, and an M.Com from the University of Mumbai. With over three decades of experience in alternative investments — including private equity, venture capital, real estate, bank turnarounds, and portfolio management — he has also successfully managed numerous international funds for over eight years across different organisations. Throughout his career he has held leadership positions at Centrum Alternatives, Tata Capital, and Cambridge Place Investment Management, consistently spearheading multi-strategy alternative asset management businesses.

Mr. Aashwin Dugal is a seasoned finance and sales professional with over two decades of extensive experience in banking and asset management. He spent approximately 16 years at Nippon Life India Asset Management Limited (formerly Reliance Nippon Life Asset Management), in roles including Zonal Head for West and North India, and culminating in Co-Chief Business Officer, where he oversaw institutional and wealth/private banking businesses. Prior to NAM India he held roles at TATA AMC (Regional Vice President – North Zone), Kotak Mahindra Bank, and ING Investment Management.

Mr. Sundeep Sikka is the Executive Director and CEO of Nippon Life India Asset Management Limited (NAM India), the parent company, and serves on the board of Nippon Life India AIF Management Limited. He has over 28 years of experience in financial services with core expertise in asset management. He joined NAM India in 2003 and was elevated to CEO in 2009, becoming one of the youngest CEOs in the Indian asset management industry. He led NAM India's IPO in 2017 (first listed AMC in India) and the entry of Nippon Life Insurance Japan as primary shareholder in 2019. He has served as both Vice-Chairman and Chairman of AMFI, and has held positions at RBI, CII, NSDL, and FICCI. He holds a Commerce degree, an MBA with majors in Finance from Pune University, and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Mr. Shin Matsui is the Chief Planning and Business Excellence Officer at Nippon Life India Asset Management Limited and serves on the board of Nippon Life India AIF Management Limited. He joined Nippon Life Insurance Company in 1994 and has performed various roles including investing in hedge funds, private equity funds, European equities, and global equities. In his immediately previous role as Senior Executive Vice President at Nippon Life Asia Pacific (Regional HQ) Limited, he held directorships in life insurance and asset management affiliates across Asia, was responsible for corporate planning, and oversaw the asset management business in the region. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Waseda University, Japan.

Mr. Manu Chadha is a practicing Chartered Accountant and Senior Partner at M/s T R Chadha & Co. (Chartered Accountants) for more than 43 years, with extensive knowledge of Corporate and Fiscal Laws, the Companies Act, SEBI matters, Income Tax, and FEMA. He has served as Vice Chairman of the Northern India Regional Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. He has served on the Boards of Punjab National Bank, National Insurance Co. Ltd., Dena Bank, SBI Mutual Fund, Reliance Mutual Fund, Canfin Homes Ltd., PNB Housing Finance Ltd., GIC Housing Finance Ltd., and others. He was previously on the Censor Board (Mumbai, Information & Broadcasting Ministry) and the Direct Tax Advisory Committee (Ministry of Finance). He was nominated by the Government of India Ministry of Corporate Affairs to the Investor Education and Protection Fund (2001–2005, reappointed 2009–2011).

Mr. Sunil Srivastav is a career banker who retired as Deputy Managing Director of the Corporate Accounts Group at the State Bank of India after 38 years of service (joined 1980). His responsibilities at SBI included heading the corporate banking vertical for large corporate customers and spearheading the resolution and recovery process pre- and post-NCLT. He also served as Dy. MD for Corporate Strategy and Digital Businesses at SBI, initiating the bank's digital delivery of financial products and setting up sophisticated e-branches. He spent five years at SBI's New York office and had a stint at SBI Capital Markets (investment banking). Post-retirement he was engaged by the World Bank as a Senior Advisor for their Energy and Extractives program in India. He currently serves as an Independent Director on SIS Ltd, CSB Bank, Summit Digitel, and KLJ Plasticizers Ltd. He holds a BA from Delhi University and an MBA from FMS, BHU.