Movers & Shakers : Nilesh Shah CIO, Prudential ICICI Asset Management

Nilesh Shah CIO, Prudential ICICI Asset Management

Nilesh Shah, who took over as chief investment officer of Prudential ICICI Asset Management a couple of months ago, is known for his razor-sharp analytical mind and a perfect understanding of markets. A chartered accountancy course topper and a cost accountant to boot, Shah does not like to tom-tom his academic achievements. tarting his career at the merchant banking division of ICICI in 1992, Shah, 35, moved to JP Morgan’s forex department in Singapore. But he was back with the ICICI group after a brief stint there, this time with I-Sec. In 1997, he moved into fund management by joining Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund. But all that goes around, comes around. So Shah is back with Prudential ICICI. “It’s like coming back home,” he observes.With predecessor Dileep Madgavkar moving on to a bigger job in Singapore, Shah currently spends a lot of time motivating his new team to perform better. “My main objective is to get all our funds to rank in the top quartiles of their categories,” he says. Pru-ICICI investors should be happy if he delivers on that promise.