Srividhya Rajesh, Fund Manager-Equity, Sundaram MF believes that luck can help fund managers temporarily but nothing can substitute conviction. Though her interest in stocks began while playing a mock investing game in college, her funds are generating real returns for investors today
What is the most exciting thing about your job?
Every day is a new learning experience. Market is very dynamic and keeps springing surprises.
Tell us what it feels to be responsible for managing other people’s money.
There is both a feeling of trepidation and sense of responsibility in managing others money. We have to be more cautious than in managing our own money.
Did you always want to manage money? If not a fund manager, you would have been…
Not until I was in college. I wanted to become an engineer.
Tell us about your first investment.
I don’t remember the first investment. The initial investments did not yield much in money terms but taught me two valuable lessons - the value of compounding and virtue of patience. My interest in stocks began in third year of college when we played a mock game of investing.
What role does luck play in investing?
Luck can help you temporarily but nothing can substitute conviction.
What are the qualities that you feel a good Fund Manager should have?
Keeping the faith, patience, courage to be different and reading between lines.
Share with us the best advice you have ever received.
There are actually two pieces of advice that I cherish. One - profits are like thieves; they will run away if you don’t lock them in. Two - don’t catch a falling knife.
If you were allowed to spend a day with someone from the world of investments of your choice who would give you wisdom and perspective, who would it be?
It would be Peter Lynch because his investment philosophy is very down to earth and easy to follow.
Your favorite book
Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas.
How do you unwind?
Travelling, reading books and watching movies.
Over the next 10 years, the most exciting country to invest in would be
Brazil
Advice for budding fund managers
Get the fundamentals right, everything else comes later. Don’t take early mistakes to heart - you get wiser by the day.
