Is it easy for you all to manage your funds, and all the queries related to it? It is not a simple task to carry out. Here is when the role of fund managers come into play.
Well, to know, “Who are the best fund managers in India currently”, let’s begin with the discussion!
(A) Who are fund managers?
Fund managers are said to be the financial experts who have the responsibility of managing the mutual funds, other funds as well and manages the trading portfolio activities on the behalf of investors. A fund manager’s basic job role is to make strategic investment decisions and achieve the fund’s investment objectives.
They also are responsible for optimizing the risks and reward and look for every possibility in the fund as per the fund’s rules.
Fund managers receive compensation as their fee, typically a percentage of the average assets under management (AUM) in the fund they oversee.
(B) Best Fund Managers In India
| Sr.No. | Fund Manager Name | Fund They Manage | Asset Under Management (AUM) |
| 1. | Sankaran Naren | ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund | Rs.1,23,053 crores |
| 2. | R.Srinivasan | SBI Mutual Fund | Rs,1,43,343 crores |
| 3. | Shreyash Devalkar | Axis Mutual Fund | 58,601 crores |
| 4. | Harsha Upadhyaya | Kotak Mahindra Mutual Fund | Rs.50,059 crores |
| 5. | Sohini Andani | SBI Mutual Fund | Rs.36,724 crores |
| 6. | Aniruddha Naha | PGIM India Mutual Fund | Rs,12,503 crores |
| 7. | Ankit Agarwal | UTI Mutual Fund | Rs.8,167 crores |
Note: In the above table fund managers are listed on the basis of their AUMs, that may change over time.
Let’s discuss them one by one!
1. Sankaran Naren
S.Naren is the executive director and chief investment officer at ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund. He looks after and managed both the international advisory business and mutual funds.
As an investor he has experience of around 34 years, which started off from 1989. Out of all these years of experience, he has spent 19 years as an investor and manager in mutual funds.
In 2011, he became the firm’s chief investment officer. Not only this, in 2016, he added one more designation to his name. He became the executive director of the firm and ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund became one of the largest asset management companies. S.Naren focuses more on deep value stocks rather than running behind chasing high stocks.
2. R.Srinivasan
Rama Iyer Srinivasan, i.e. R.Srinivasan, is famously known as the powerforce behind the high riding SBI small cap mutual fund. He is the CIO of Equity at SBI Mutual Fund and the designer and architect of SBI’s Small Cap Fund. He manages SBI’s equity funds.
He joined SBI as the senior fund manager in May 2009. He holds a postgraduate degree in Commerce and also an MFM (Master in Fashion Management) from the university of Mumbai.
He has more than 20+ years of experience in the equities sector and has previously worked with organizations like Principal PNB, Oppenheimer & Co (later changed to Blackstone), Future Capital Holding, Motilal Oswal, and also with Indosuez WI Carr.
3. Shreyash Devalkar
Shreyash Devalkar, has been associated with Axis Bank as the Senior Fund Manager since 2016.
After joining the AMC in 2016, he took up the responsibility of managing important mutual funds like Midcap Fund, BlueChip Fund, which is followed by managing multicap funds in 2017.
Well, before joining Axis Bank as the senior manager of managing mutual funds, he worked with BNP Paribas AMC as the fund manager for over 5 years.
Not only that he also worked as research analyst from September 2005 to July 2008 at IDFC Securities and with that also worked at IDFC Asset Management Company from July 2008 to January 2011.
4. Harsha Upadhyaya
Another name in the best fund manager in India in the equity research and fund management field in the AMCs. He joined Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Company as the Equity Chief Investment Officer.
He has around 23+ years of experience in the equity research and fund management sector.
Talking about his past work, he has been associated with companies like SG Asia Securities, Reliance Group, DSP BlackRock Investment Managers, Prabhudas Lilladher Pvt. Ltd. and at UTI Asset Management Co. He currently manage over seven schemes within their assets.
5. Sohini Andani
Next in the list of best fund managers in India is Sohini Adnani who joined SBI mutual fund in 2007 as the head of research. Later on in 2010, she was promoted as a portfolio manager at SBI Mutual Fund.
Not only that, she also has 11 years of experience in the research on the selling side of funds. Before joining SBI mutual funds, she worked with organizations like ING Investment Management where she worked as a senior research analyst.
Apart from that, she was associated with firms like LKP Shares and Securities, Advani Share Brokers, ASK Raymond James, and KR Choksey Shares and Securities.
6. Aniruddha Naha
Aniruddha Naha has around 18+ years of experience in the field of equity and debt market. He is serving as the fund manager at PGIM India AMCs. Not only this he also handles the responsibility of looking after PGIM India Midcap Opportunities Funds and PGIM India Diversified Equity Fund.
Before joining PGIM India mutual fund, he served as the portfolio manager at Avendus Wealth Management Pvt. Ltd. where he was their Head of PMS, Equity and also managed 2 mandates.
Apart from the above, he served as the Fund Manager at IDFC Asset Management Company Ltd. and at DSP BlackRock Investment Managers Pvt. Ltd. He was also a portfolio manager at Mirae Asset Global Investments (Hong Kong) Ltd.
7. Ankit Agarwal
Ankit Agarwal, joined UTI mutual fund in 2019 and has been serving his responsibilities as the fund manager for the AMC. With that he is responsible for managing UTI Mid Cap Fund.
Talking about the experience he has in this field, he has about 12 years of experience in this sector. He has certain degrees to his name like degrees in economics management, computer science and engineering, and finance (PGDM).
Before joining UTI mutual fund as the fund manager, he has worked with big organizations like Barclays Wealth as the Assistant Vice President, Lehman Brothers, London as the Senior analyst, BNP Paribas, D.E. Shaw and Co. and was also associated with firms like Centrum Broking Ltd.
Till now, we have seen some of the best fund managers in India, let’s now see some of the factors one may consider before choosing a fund manager!
(C) How to choose a fund manager?
Below are some factors that one might look at before choosing a fund manager.
| Factors | Reason |
| Examine the past performance | Examining the past performance does not provide the guarantee of future results but provides an insight into how the manager approaches the funds. |
| Investment goals | Before investing and choosing a fund manager, do ensure that the manager’s strategy and style align with your financial goals, preference and portfolio diversification. |
| Expenses | Make a layout of all the expenses and fees of mutual funds as well as of the fund managers. Look at the amount of percentage fund managers charge. |
| Transparency | Transparency and communication are among the most important things to look at before choosing a fund manager. Do look at the manager’s communication style and transparency. Ensure that you’re getting the regular reporting and clear disclosure of the fund’s holdings and strategy as these are important for having an informed investing. |
| Stability | Assess the manager’s ability and experience, especially in the asset classes and fund management, or sectors you want to invest in. Consider the stability of the manager or the team and their commitment to the fund. |
(D) Summing Up: Fund Managers In India
As we sum up this discussion of best fund managers in India, it is pretty clear that fund managers play a crucial role in the mutual fund space. They are like guiding lights, which guide us through the complex stages of investment in funds and markets.
Fund managers provide us all the relief from tension of how investing is being done, what strategies to be followed, how to invest, whether to choose a particular fund or not, and from other investment queries too.
Fund managers hold the power as well as the crucial responsibility of handling funds of many people and invest their amount in the right funds according to their financial budget and preference!
Right, these factors are important while choosing a fund manager!