Bajaj Finserv appoints Kotak Mahindra veteran Lakshmi Iyer as Group President, Investments

Lakshmi Iyer, a veteran fund manager at Kotak Mahindra Group, has been appointed as the Group President, Investments of Bajaj Finserv , the company said late on Tuesday in a regulatory filing. Iyer’s appointment is effective 1st August.

Her appointment comes after reports claiming that Iyer had stepped down from her position as the chief executive officer of investments and strategy at Kotak Alternative Assets Managers, ending a stint with Kotak Mahindra that lasted more than two decades. Iyer had told Bloomberg in April in an interview that Kotak Alternative manages about $20 billion, with over $6 billion spread across 14 private credit funds. The bulk of Kotak Alternative assets consists of overseas investors, including family offices and high-net-worth individuals (HNIs).

The exchange filing also said that Iyer brings 27 years of expertise in financial services across wealth advisory, strategy, and product solutions spanning fixed income, real estate, and alternatives. “With strong capabilities in deal execution and fund management, Lakshmi has led high-performance teams in the investment space,” read the filing.

Her appointment comes at a time when the Sanjiv Bajaj-led company is trying to strengthen its investment business. One of the biggest names in the retail lending space, Bajaj Finserv, launched Bajaj Finserv Asset Management, its asset management arm.

Before taking on the role of CEO of investments and strategy at Kotak Alternative, Iyer was the president and chief investment officer of debt and head, products. During her stint, Iyer was actively involved in road shows, both onshore and offshore, meeting with key institutional clients and advisors. Iyer has also done several road shows across Asia, including Japan, Europe, the Middle East and the U.S. 

She also spearheaded the exchange-traded fund (ETF) strategies for the firm and has won global accolades from Asia Asset Management and ETFI Asia for her ETF strategies. Iyer was also a member of the AMFI valuation committee, which advises and opines on valuation-related matters.

Iyer holds an MBA degree in finance from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies and has been recognised by the Asian Investor publication as one of Asia’s 25 most influential women in asset management.