Ajit is the founder of Quantum Advisors Pvt Ltd, an India-focused investment advisory firm that manages money for FIIs and for domestic investors through its 100% subsidiary Quantum Asset Management Company Private Limited and the Quantum Mutual Funds (www.QuantumAMC.com). Ajit is also the co-founder of an independent equity research company www.equitymaster.com and www.personalfn.com

One of India's best known investment advisors, Ajit set the stage for the entry of FIIs in India and founded India's first equity research company in 1990 (this company has evolved from that pedigree). You can get in touch with Ajit Dayal at ajit@equitymaster.com

Ajit's resume as written by Ajit himself is provided below:

• BA (Economics) from Bombay University, 1981
  Took courses in macro-economics, micro-economics, econometrics, book-keeping and accounting.
  
  
• MBA from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1983
  Took courses in finance, marketing, and international business.

First job out of MBA School, 1983-1984

• Worked with U.S. Overseas, a trading company in New York exporting commodities to South America and the Caribbean. Responsible for arranging trade finance, shipping routes and quotes, and giving quotations to customers. Small firm, 5 people outfit; annual trading sales of around US$ 15 million. (July, 1983 – May, 1984, based in New York)

India and Asia-Pacific Experience: 1984 - 1996

• Director, Birla Warburg, a joint venture between the Ashok Birla group and S G Warburg set up to launch an India fund for non resident Indian and international institutional investors. (Sep, 1984 - June, 1988)
  
  

• CEO of Unit Trust of India Advisory Services Limited, a quasi-government entity that is the fund manager of the NYSE-listed India Growth Fund. (July, 1988 – Dec, 1988)
  
  

• Began publishing the annual Stock Market Yearbook in my individual capacity, a guide to the Top 100 listed companies in an easy-to-read one-page format (1988). This book is in its 13th year of publication and is now published by a company that I founded, Quantum Information Private Services Limited
  
  

• Traded on the floor of the Bombay Stock Exchange as a sub-broker for 10 months (1989).
  
  

• In 1990 set up Quantum Financial Services Private Limited, India’s first equity research company. Completed research assignment for Barings (now ING Barings), Kleinwort/Asian Capital Partners (now Dresdner Kleinwort Wassertein), and Jardine Fleming from1990 through 1992.
  
  

• Director on all Jardine Fleming companies in India and co-founder of their India operations. Mandate from Jardine Fleming to build operations in India with focus on identifying key Indian personnel for broking and investment banking, and setting up the research (April 1992 - February 1994) and fund management (March 1994 - August 1995) operations. Assisted in management of offshore funds (US$ 500 million) and made presentations to potential investors in Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Middle East, UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, and USA. (April, 1992 to August, 1995, based in India and Hong Kong)
  
  

• Voted best analyst for India by AsiaMoney in 1993 and 1994.
  
  

• Voted best analyst for India by Institutional Investor and nominated to All-Star Asian Team, 1994.

Global Experience: 1996 - 2004

• Country Head - India (based in Bombay) for Walden International Investment Group, a US$ 1.5 billion Venture Capital group headquartered in San Francisco, California. My work responsibilities included meeting potential investors in Singapore, HK, Taiwan, Japan, UK, and USA to raise the US$ 25 million India-specific VC fund and then to identify the companies in which to invest the money raised. Also part of a team that looked at cross-border investment opportunities in Asia-Pacific and Silicon Valley. Additional responsibilities included helping Walden build a team of professionals to help manage the transition of Walden from a 2-person decision process to a broader, structured investment process. (Jan, 1996 to July, 1997)
  
  

• began as Managing Director - India for Hansberger Global Investors, Inc. (HGI) then a US$ 650 million asset manager, now with US$ 5 billion in assets under management globally. Initially responsible for building and training a team of investment professionals in India to help manage the India exposure of the group. In June, 2000 I was promoted to the position of Deputy Chief Investment Officer and now led the core team in HGI to help build the global investment business of the company. Tom Hansberger is the Chief Investment Officer. For HGI, I was the lead manager on The Vanguard International Value Fund, a US$ 2 billion fund that accounted for about 40% of all assets under management at HGI. The HGI investment and research process is team-driven with a lot of inputs from colleagues but, at the end of the day, I was accountable for the process and the success or failure of the process. In addition to managing money and managing the process, I covered the following industries from a research perspective: Global Consumer Staples, Global Insurance, and Global Asset Managers, Global Cement and Building Materials, USA power (recommended NOT to buy Enron in Jan, 2000), Asian power, and LatAm power companies. On a geographical basis, my research responsibilities included coverage of the USA economy (49% of global market cap), Swiss economy (5% of global market cap) and India (1% of global market cap). (March, 1998 to April 2004)
  
  

• Have visited many factories and managements of companies all over the world. Although not an engineer, enjoy seeing production processes and making plant visits.

Entrpreneurial

• Founded India’s first finance portals on the internet (www.equitymaster.com and www.personalfn.com) with the original site being launched in April, 1996, before it was fashionable to put up internet sites. This company (Quantum Information Services Private Limited) now has over 100 employees and was ranked by Forbes magazine as one of the Top 150 finance web sites in the world in March, 2000. My official designation is Co-founder and Chairman (1996 to present) but I am NOT involved in the operational running of the company.
  
  

• Date of birth May 24, 1960; married; 2 children, enjoy reading, writing, squash, swimming.

Significant Events:

• Have analysed Indian equities since 1984 - probably India’s first equity analyst
  
  

• Published the first Stock Market Yearbook - a collection of data on 100 listed Indian companies - in 1988
  
  

• Founded India’s first equity research house in 1990 - Quantum Financial Services. This evolved into www.equitymaster.com and www.personalfn.com, India-specific e-broking and financial planning sites.
  
  

• Was co-founder of Jardine Fleming India and Director, Research of Jardine Fleming’s India operations and voted Best Analyst by AsiaMoney and Institutional Investor. Have written and edited research reports on most of the large Indian companies; also written reports on the economy, sectors, and thematic pieces.
  
  

• Have written articles for international and Indian magazines and newspapers: The Asian Wall Street Journal, Far Eastern Review, Business India, Economic Times, and Financial Express.
  
  

• Hosted a 3-minute slot on Business Plus - a monthly TV magazine - with coverage of investments and interviews with corporate executives and fund managers in 1990 and 1991.
  
  

• Been interviewed on: Adam Smith Show (USA, PBS), BBC (radio), Star TV, Australian TV, Doordarshan TV (India), CNBC India (TV), INCABLE (TV).
  
  

• Have spoken at seminars in India, UK, Europe, Middle East and USA.
  
  

• Have successfully made the transition from being an India-specific money manager till 1995 to being a regional money manager and, since 1997, to being a global money manager. My interaction with global investment houses like S. G. Warburg since 1984 gave me an exposure to global investing at an early stage of my career but my recent experience - with Walden's venture capital funds and Hansberger Global Investors' value-style of investing - demonstrates my ability to help build, manage, and run a global equity team. However I am back in India to build an India-focused asset management business.