S Naganath has left DSP BlackRock Mutual Fund to pursue other opportunities. Kalpen Parekh who was the Joint President of the company has been appointed as the new President of DSP BlackRock MF.
Anup Maheshwari, Head – Equities, takes over as Chief Investment Officer – Equities and Pankaj Sharma, Head – Fixed Income, takes over as Chief Investment Officer – Fixed Income.
Meanwhile, Ramamoorthy Rajagopal, Chief Administrative Officer has taken over as Chief Operating Officer. Aditi Kothari Desai continues to head Sales, Marketing and e-Business.
S Naganath told Cafemutual that he would pursue his entrepreneur dream in the asset management industry. “I would not join any fund house and I want to do something on my own. But, I would remain in the asset management industry,” he said.
In a press release, S Naganath, said, “I have been privileged to lead a talented and experienced team of professionals at DSP BlackRock and am immensely proud of what we have achieved together. DSP BlackRock has a strong brand profile in the industry and the team has contributed enormously to building a solid foundation for the firm. I would like to wish the team all the very best for the future.”
Hemendra Kothari, Chairman, DSP BlackRock Investment Managers said “I have known and worked closely with Naganath over the past two decades and will miss his inimitable humble and understated style. As head of DSP BlackRock, he helped build a unifying culture that set the foundations of our success today. Looking ahead, I am confident that Kalpen, Anup, Pankaj, Aditi and Ram will continue to add impetus to the pace of growth enjoyed by our business and assets.”
Naganath worked with DSP BlackRock MF (previously called DSP Merrill Lynch Fund Managers) from its inception (1996) to October 1999 as Chief Investment Officer. He then worked for Credit Suisse Asset Management, New York as a portfolio manager for international equities before re-joining DSP BlackRock Investment Managers in 2002 as Joint President and Chief Investment Officer. Prior to this, he had worked in Hong Kong as a portfolio manager with Merrill Lynch Asset Management and GT Management, Hong Kong. Naganath holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Madras University and a PGDM from IIM, Ahmedabad.