ABOUT US

Overview

Quest is a growing boutique investment bank providing complete array of services to small and mid-market companies. We offer independent advice and customized solutions on private equity fund raising, M&A and loan syndication. With a dedicated and experienced team, Quest brings together a rich experience in handling a variety of transactions.

Leadership Team

Dhiren Kothary

Founder & CEO

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Keval Gandhi

Vice President

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Kalpana Sah

Advisory (Pharma and Healthcare Desk)

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Key Team Members

Manik Chadha

Senior Associate

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Raghav Agarwal

Senior Associate

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Anshu Lunia

Associate

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Richa Phirke

Associate

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Contact Us

Quest Profin Advisor Private Limited 83, Mittal Court, A – Wing, 8th Floor, Nariman Point, Mumbai – 400 021

022 68651101

info@questprofin.co.in

Quest Profin Advisor Private Limited

Want to join us?

We’re always on the lookout for talented and passionate people to join our growing team.

For career related queries, send your details to info@questprofin.co.in

RICHA PHIRKE

Associate

Experience-

– A year of experience in Financial Services Industry
– Valuation of various portfolio companies of Private Equity/Venture Capital Funds
– Preparation of Financial Models and Reports for public and private companies for fund raising, internal assessment and regulatory purposes.
– Understanding of valuation models including Option Pricing Model and Price Purchase Allocation for various transactions.

Education-

– BSc. Finance from NMIMS

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ANSHU LUNIA

Associate

Experience-

– More than a year of experience in Investment banking and Corporate finance.
– Preparation of deal collaterals like Information Memorandum, Valuation reports and Models.
– Interned at an Investment Banking firm based out of New York, a Consultancy firm in Mumbai and Summer projects for 2 months each involving Start-up Profiling and Assessment of Investment proposals, milestones and Performance Benchmarks.

Education-

– B.Sc. Finance from NMIMS
– Cleared CS1 from Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFOA)

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RAGHAV AGARWAL

Senior Associate

Experience-

– More than 3 years of experience in the Financial Services industry, working with various organizations like D.E. Shaw, Motilal Oswal and Kotak Mahindra.
– Associated with one of the leading hedge funds in the world in an equity research role, looking after a portfolio of €1bn in the European markets.
– Strong understanding of company financials and industry trends.
– Have worked with multiple companies operating in the ESG domain in an advisory role.

Education-

– CFA L2 cleared with 90+ percentile
– B.Sc. Finance from NMIMS (Gold medalist)

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MANIK CHADHA

Senior Associate

Experience-

– 4+ years of experience in Investment banking and Project Finance.
– Comprehensive experience in buy and sell side advisory.
– Equity Capital Markets, Private Equity, Venture Capital and Valuations.
– Preparation of complex financial models and formulating strategies for business development of clients.

Education-

– CFA- all levels
– Bachelor of Engineering- Pune University

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KEVAL GANDHI

Vice President

Experience

– 15+ years of experience in Corporate Advisory and Corporate Finance.
– Associated with one of the leading investment banking firm for more than 6 years primarily engaged in the execution of merchant banking transactions like Initial Public Offers (IPO) of debt and equity, Rights issues, Buy Backs, Listings and De-listings along with Expertise in advising listed and unlisted companies on corporate structures.

Previous Roles

– Worked with Vivro Financial Services Private Limited Merchant Banking Division

Education

– Chartered Accountant and a Fellow Member of the ICAI Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
– Bachelor of Commerce from Mumbai University

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DHIREN KOTHARY

Founder & CEO

Experience

– 25+ years experience in Financial Advisory Services
– Having been keenly involved in the Investment Banking industry since the 1990’s, he has the knack of successfully executing mid-market equity, debt and M&A transactions.
– He has been a trusted advisor to many entrepreneurs over the last several years, providing them sound financial solutions

Previous Roles

– Founder and Senior Partner of D. Kothary and Company, an 18-year-old auditing firm of practicing Chartered Accountants based out of Mumbai

Education

– Chartered Accountant and a Fellow Member of the ICAI Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
– Bachelor of Commerce from Mumbai University

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KASHINATH PALEKAR

Head, Debt Advisory

Mr. Palekar has put in more than 39 years of successful service in State Bank of India and retired as Top Executive Grade Scale VI(TEGSVI). During his career as a banker, he held positions as Branch Managers/ AGMs of large branches, Regional Manager of a Region (Controller) and the Dy. General Manager of a Module (Controller). He has rich experience in banking as well as non-banking verticals. He facilitates Debt Syndication in Quest.
He has also served as a Consultant in Nucleus Software Exports Ltd.
He is a Commerce Graduate of University of Mumbai and a Certified Associate of Indian Institute of Banking & Finance (CAIIB).
He is also the holder of Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Advising.

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VILAS DARJI

Senior Vice President, Debt Advisory

Vilas has been associated with Quest for more than a decade. Over this period, he has worked on various assignments including IPO advisory, Private Equity, Corporate Restructuring and Debt Syndication etc. He has been integrally involved in IPO of Nitin Fire and subsequent advisory for divestment of subsidiary; Private Equity Syndication for GSP Crop Science and Acquisition finance for Kellton Tech Solutions including few other Structured Finance transactions. His experience throughout the lifecycle of transactions and relationships helps us attain quicker turnaround. Prior to Quest, Vilas has worked as a Research Associate with Integrascreen Services. He holds a Post graduate Degree in Management with specialization in Finance from University of Mumbai

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ABHIJEET SHAH

Senior Vice President, Debt Advisory

Abhijeet, a Chartered Accountant, has more than 10 years of experience in debt syndication and more than 4 years in Audit & Taxation. His understanding of the banking operations & products and his hands on approach in structuring various transactions & in dealing with the Banks/FIs helps us in obtaining timely sanctions from the Lenders. His experience in debt raising and strong banking relationships gives us an edge while dealing with Banks and Financial Institutions.

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NIRAJ BIYANI

Senior Vice President, Equity and M&A Advisory

Niraj has more than 10 years of rich experience in Investment Banking. Prior to joining Quest, he worked with IL&FS Investsmart in Investment Banking and NBFC division evaluating equity proposals and advising clients on public and private equity fund raise as well as appraising projects and sanctioning loans. He is able to use his expertise of both debt and equity fund raising, to provide different dimensions and novel solutions to our clients’ funding requirements. He is a Management Post Graduate from NMIMS, Mumbai and Certified Financial Manager from Centre for Financial Management.

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KALPANA SAH

Advisory (Pharma and Healthcare Desk)

Experience

– 16 years of experience in Pharma industry
– 10 years of experience as a CA in Audit and Taxation

Previous Roles

– CEO of Pharmasync Consultancy Services, a Pharmaceutical BD and Regulatory Consultancy Services firm
– Sr VP SCM at Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
– Head Commercials at Sharon Bio-Medicine Ltd.

Education

– Chartered Accountant and a Fellow Member of the ICAI Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
– Bachelor of Commerce from Mumbai University

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AARTI RAGHAVAN

President, Investment Banking

Aarti heads Quest’s Equity and M&A Advisory practice. She has over 14 years of experience and has closed over $10 billion worth of investment banking transactions. Having worked in Investment Banking both in New York and Mumbai, she brings a global understanding of how equity and M&A transactions are done. In her recent stint with SBI Capital Markets, she has worked on equity transactions across various sectors including Auto, BFSI Consumer, Power and Infrastructure, with clients ranging from Tata Group to the Government of India. Prior to this, Aarti was with Citigroup Global Markets, New York as a part of the Financial Institutions Group (FIG) Investment Banking team, working on Equity, Debt and M&A deals in the Insurance and Asset Management space.
Aarti completed her MBA from Stern School of Business, New York University and is a merit-ranked Chartered Accountant. She is also a qualified Cost Accountant and Company Secretary.

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