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Ambit appoints Skanda Jayaraman as co-head of investment banking business
Leadership rejig sharpens ECM focus and expands sector-led advisory push
MUMBAI: Ambit Private Limited has strengthened its investment banking leadership with the appointment of Skanda Jayaraman as co-head of the division, signalling a sharper push into sector-led advisory and capital markets.
Jayaraman will share leadership responsibilities with Rahul Mody, as the firm looks to scale its advisory franchise and deepen client engagement across industries. The move is part of a broader leadership rejig aimed at expanding Ambit’s reach and execution capabilities in a competitive dealmaking environment.
With more than two decades of experience across fintech, investment banking and credit risk, Jayaraman brings a varied background to the role. He most recently founded Altflow Advisors, where he built a data-driven platform for the BFSI sector and advised mid-market clients on capital raising. Earlier, he served as CEO of Qapita Marketplace in Singapore and held a senior role at Spark Capital Advisors.
Alongside this appointment, Ambit has also realigned internal roles. Vikas Khattar will now focus exclusively on scaling the firm’s equity capital markets business while continuing to deepen its financial sponsors group coverage. The firm sees ECM as a key growth engine, driven by strong scalability and increasing capital market activity.
Commenting on the leadership changes, Ambit Private Limited group CEO Ashok Wadhwa said, “Skanda’s appointment marks an important step in driving the next phase of Ambit’s growth journey. His entrepreneurial mindset and strong execution track record will be instrumental as we partner with emerging and established leaders.”
The new structure is expected to enable more focused, sector-driven engagement, supported by dedicated leadership across key verticals. For Ambit, it is a case of tightening the top deck to play a bigger hand in India’s evolving M&A and capital markets landscape.
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HSBC names Gautam Anand to head global India private banking unit
The bank taps a 25-year veteran to run its franchise as the war for wealthy NRI clients heats up
MUMBAI: HSBC has handed Gautam Anand the keys to its global India private banking business, betting that a seasoned operator can squeeze more out of one of the world’s most lucrative pools of offshore wealth.
Anand, who joined HSBC Private Bank in December 2023 as global co-ordinator for Global India, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe, steps up to lead the franchise outright. He will run the operation across India and its key international outposts in Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and the United Kingdom, putting him squarely in the middle of the corridors through which Indian money flows abroad.
The appointment is a signal of intent. HSBC only launched its global private banking business in India in 2023, pitching hard at high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients as part of a broader assault on Asian wealth management. The bank now wants Anand to turn that beachhead into a fortress.
He comes well-armed. Before HSBC, Anand clocked time at UBS, Credit Suisse, ANZ and ABN Amro, a CV that reads like a roll-call of the banks that have long competed to manage the fortunes of India’s affluent diaspora.
With Indian wealth exploding at home and spreading fast across global financial centres, the race to capture it is only getting fiercer. HSBC is backing Anand to make sure it does not finish second.
