Asia Pacific M&A Summit 2026

Sanjeev Krishan is the Chairperson of PwC in India. Having been with the firm for over 31 years, Sanjeev has served in diverse leadership and client service roles. He has extensive experience working across sectors, both in India and overseas.

Prior to his current role, Sanjeev served as the Deals Leader for PwC India. He has successfully led the firm's transactions, private equity and deals businesses over the years - spearheading relationships with most global investors and getting the firm to a pre-eminent position amongst its private equity clients and their investee companies. Sanjeev also did a brief stint with PwC Sweden as part of an International Exchange Programme, where he worked with several private equity funds and corporate clients, mostly on cross-border deals.

Sanjeev is a part of FICCI's National Committee on Stressed Assets and is also a member of select CII sub-groups - deliberating new ideas and providing insights on important areas including board governance and related party transactions. Sanjeev is also a member of the SEBI Primary Market Advisory Committee, sharing his inputs on regulatory issues and legal frameworks to enable ease of doing business and drive investor interest in India. Additionally, he is a member of the Rotary Club of Delhi, South.

He frequently interacts with the media on various issues ranging from geopolitics, economic outlook for India, sectoral trends and other topics that are top-of-mind for Indian and global CEOs. Additionally, he regularly participates in seminars, panel discussions and events held globally including across India.

Sanjeev is passionate about playing a part in building a sustainable future for the society we live in, and actively advocates the causes of conservation, socio-economic inclusion, and diversity. He is a certified chartered accountant, and an associate member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). Sanjeev graduated with First Class in Economics from the University of Delhi and remains an active and proud alum.

Raamdeo Agrawal is the Chairman and Co-founder of Motilal Oswal Financial Services Limited, a prominent financial services firm established in 1987, specialising in Indian equity capital markets and research. Raamdeo Agrawal and his business Partner Motilal Oswal, spread their businesses in retail broking and distribution, institutional equities, asset management company, private wealth, investment banking, private equity and home finance.

As chairman of Motilal Oswal Asset Management Company, Raamdeo Agrawal has been a key architect of the "QGLP" (Quality Growth Longevity & Favourable Price) investment framework and the 'Buy right, sit tight' investing philosophy. His leadership has significantly influenced the groups research initiatives, with him taking charge of the annual Motilal Oswal Wealth Creation Study since its inception in 1996.

Raamdeo Agrawal is a qualified chartered accountant and has been in equity investing for the past four decades. His insights and expertise have been featured on 'Wizards of Dalal Street' on CNBC TV18. Raamdeo Agrawal's co-authorship of the book "Corporate Numbers Game" in 1986 and his solo work "The Art of Wealth Creation" showcase his commitment to sharing financial knowledge.

As an influential figure in finance, Raamdeo Agrawal continues to shape the industry through his thoughtful insights and dedication to wealth creation studies. Mr Agrawal has been releasing Annual Wealth Creation Studies for the past 28 years. These are the most awaited investing guides and reference studies in India.

Raamdeo Agrawal has maintained a consistent track record of integrity, earning recognition through the Rashtriya Samman Patra from the Central Board of Direct Taxes. In 2018, he was honored as the "Chhattisgarh Citizen of the Year" at the Chhattisgarh Excellence Awards, receiving the award from the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Dr Raman Singh.

Dilip Jose is the Managing Director and CEO of Manipal Health Enterprises Limited (Manipal Hospitals), an integrated healthcare services system and one of the largest hospital networks in India, with 49 facilities across 24 cities and over 12,500 beds.

He has more than 36 years of experience in various sectors and across functional areas. In the healthcare sector, where he has spent the last 22 years, his previous assignment was as Senior Advisor to TPG. Preceding that he held positions as Group CEO of CARE Hospitals, managing a network of tertiary care facilities and Regional Director with Fortis Healthcare, heading their operations in South India. Prior to that, he performed leadership roles in the areas of Medical and Para-Medical education as well as tertiary healthcare delivery.

Before his move to the healthcare sector, Dilip spent about 14 years in corporate finance and strategy. Dilip is a Management Graduate from IRMA and completed the Global CEO programme from The Wharton School.

Lucy is the PwC UK Deals leader and has been on the UK Management Board since 2022. In the UK, Lucy oversees the running of our Transactions, Lead Advisory, Value Creation and Realisation, Restructuring and Forensics Businesses. She also holds the role of PwC EMEA and Global Deals Leader, where she sits on the Global Advisory Leadership Team.

Lucy began her career in audit in London where she qualified as a chartered accountant (ICAEW) before completing a two-year secondment to the New York Deals team. Lucy has been a UK partner since 2006 and in addition to her market focus has been the UK Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences Leader; Chief Operating Officer for Deals and People Leader for Transaction Services. In 2022 she became UK Head of Deals, and from July 2024, she has also held the role of Global Deals Leader, leading PwC's Global Deals practice.

Lucy advises large private equity and corporate clients on multinational carve outs and vendor due diligence; bid defence; buy-side due diligence and was the founder of the firm's market leading healthcare transaction services practice.

As PwC UK Deals leader, Lucy oversees the running of our Transactions, Lead Advisory, Value Creation and Realisation, Restructuring and Forensics businesses.

As the Global Deals Leader, Lucy oversees a diverse team of over 20,000 professionals. She leads a team of cross- territory Deals partners to define and execute our global deals strategy, focusing on fostering collaboration across different regions, and ensuring the delivery of innovative solutions that drive value and impact in the marketplace.

Neelkanth Mishra is the Chief Economist at Axis Bank, Head of Global Research, and a Whole Time Director at Axis Capital. Consistently rated as India's top analyst in various investor polls, he is a highly respected expert and media columnist on global and Indian macroeconomic trends.

Neelkanth joined Axis in May 2023 after a distinguished two-decade career at Credit Suisse, where he served as Co-Head of Asia Pacific Strategy and India Strategist. He is a part-time member of the Indian Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, the part-time Chairman of UIDAI (Aadhaar), and a part-time member of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). His advisory roles extend to government bodies such as the India Semiconductor Mission and the 15th & 16th Finance Commissions. In addition, Neelkanth is a member of the CII’s Economic Affairs Council and frequently presents to corporate boards.

His professional journey includes stints at HUL and Infosys. An alumnus of IIT-Kanpur, he is a gold-medalist and Distinguished Alumnus Awardee, having ranked fourth in the entrance exam to the IITs.

Prashant Kumar Jain was Chief Investment Officer at HDFC Mutual Fund, a leading Mutual Fund of India from 2004 to 2022. During this tenure, HDFC Mutual Fund’s assets grew from approximately Rs.3000 cr^ to approximately Rs. 4,40,000 cr. Of this approximately Rs.2,35,000 cr was in equity / Equity oriented funds. He has 31 years of investment management experience.

Prashant holds the distinction of being the only fund manager in India & one of the few globally, to have continuously managed a scheme for over 28 years. This fund, namely, HDFC Balanced Advantage Fund (earlier known as HDFC Prudence fund), a hybrid equity debt fund, delivered a CAGR of ~17.9% between Jan 1994 to July 2022 vs Sensex CAGR of ~9.6% in this period.

Apart from being the most awarded fund manager in India, he also has the distinction of being the first fund manager in India to have managed 1 lac crores of equity funds. Some refer to him as a contrarian investor, some a value investor, but he considers himself to be a rational investor. He has probably called every cycle / excess right in his three decade career – often early, but eventually right. His key winning themes over this period were technology in 90’s, old economy from early 2000 to pre-Lehman, consumer from pre Lehman to mid-2010’s and corporate banks, energy, defense, utilities etc. in the last phase. On the other hand, he also successfully called the tech bubble and avoided the excesses of pre lehman in infra, power etc.

He completed his PGDM from Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore in 1991. Before this, he has obtained a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. He is also a recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award from IIT Kanpur and IIM Bangalore. Prashant has worked with SBI Mutual Fund (1991-1993) as well as Zurich India Mutual Fund (1993- 2003) in different capacities. He moved to HDFC Mutual Fund, subsequent to the takeover of Zurich India Mutual Fund by HDFC in 2003. He, Ashwani Kumar and Sharad Mohnot set up 3P Investment Managers in 2022, a firm focused on long-term investing. The 3Ps stand for Prudence, Patience, and Performance. 3P Indian Equity Fund an open-end AIF targeted for HNI’s had a strong start. This Fund currently manages approx. 25,000 crores for nearly 1200 families.

Steve Cater leads PwC UK's Corporate Finance practice focused on providing M&A and financing advice to private equity, infrastructure and real estate funds, PLCs and other corporates as well as privately owned and entrepreneur backed businesses.

He remains very focused on delivering for his clients, specialising in M&A advice in the Financial Services sector. His recent deals have values ranged between £25m and E500m and span across various sub-sectors of the FS market including asset servicing, asset & wealth management, financial technology and insurance.

Steven Jeong is a Partner at PwC Korea and the leader of its Asia Pacific Corporate Finance and M&A Advisory practice. With over two decades of experience in mergers and acquisitions advisory, investment banking, corporate finance, and financial due diligence, Steven is recognised for his strategic insights and exceptional client service.

Throughout his career, Steven has supported leading domestic and international clients across various industries with M&A transactions and private placements, leveraging his extensive global network and capabilities.

Steven spearheaded numerous international engagements and mega deals. Among his recent notable achievements, Steven led the advisory engagement with Yum! for Cartyle Group's takeover of its KFC franchise operator in Japan, provided buy-side advisory for SK Ecoplant's acquisition of TES, Singapore's leading IT Asset Disposition company, and acted as the sell-side advisor for Hanwha's divestment of its Ireland battery storage assets.

In his current role as the head of Asia Pacific's Corporate Finance and M&A Advisory practice, Steven is instrumental enhancing and expanding the PwC network across the Asia Pacific region and globally. He is dedicated to fulfilling PwC's mission of building trust in society and solving important problems, while consistently delivering exceptional value to clients.

After 32 years long career with Unilever, Sanjiv Mehta has entered into a joint venture partnership with L Catterton, one of the largest global consumer focused investment firms, to develop a new India focused investment vehicle. Sanjiv is Executive Chairman of L Catterton India and Chairman of L Catterton Asia. Sanjiv is a Board Member (NonExecutive) of: Air India, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories & the French food giant Danone SA. He is also the President Commissioner (Non-Executive Chairman) of PT Unilever Indonesia TbK.

Sanjiv has been the Chairman / CEO and Managing Director (2013-23) of Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) which is India’s foremost Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) Company. During his 10 years at the helm of Hindustan Unilever, the market capitalization of the Company increased from $12 billion in 2012-13 to $76 billion making it the fifth most valuable company in India and the most valuable business for Unilever. Sanjiv was also the President of Unilever South Asia having a combined turnover of $ 9 billion and member of ‘Unilever Leadership Executive’, the global executive board of the consumer goods giant. Sanjiv was CEO / Executive Chairman of Unilever Businesses in different parts of the world for 21 years from 2002-23. He was Chairman and Managing Director of Unilever

Bangladesh Limited (2002-06), Chairman and CEO of Unilever Philippines Inc. (2007-08), Chairman of Unilever - North Africa and Middle East (2008-13) and took over India and South Asia responsibilities from 2013. In each of these roles he left his imprint by accelerating growth, turning around businesses in trouble, winning major competitive battles and building distinctive capabilities.

Sanjiv has done his bachelor’s in commerce, Chartered Accountancy and has also completed his Advanced Management Program (Harvard Business School). Sanjiv has been the President of India’s oldest and largest trade body FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) during 2021-22, is a member of the South Asia Advisory Board of Harvard Business School and is Chairman Emeritus of ‘Vikaasa’, a coalition of top Indian and MNC companies. During the period when Sanjiv was heading HUL it won several recognitions including the prestigious The Economic Times ‘Company of the Year’ & ‘Corporate Citizen of the Year’ awards, Business Standard’s ‘Company of the year’ award, the ‘Best Governed Company’ award by the Asian Centre for Corporate Governance and Sustainability and the 'Outstanding Company of the Year' award at CNBC-TV18’s India Business Leader Awards (IBLA). Forbes rated HUL as the most innovative company in India and the 8th most innovative company in the world. Aon Hewitt in a global study rated HUL as the 3rd best company globally for building leaders.

Sanjiv was conferred the honorary degree of ‘Doctor of Philosophy in Business Management’ by Xavier University (Xavier Institute of Management) in 2019. He has received several personal recognitions including the ‘Business Leader of the Year’ by The Economic Times, ‘Best CEO’ Award from Business Today, the ‘Best CEO Multinational’ by Forbes, the ‘Management Man of the Year’ by Bombay Management Association, the ‘CA Business Leader’ by The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, the ‘Best Transformational Leader’ by the Asian Centre for Corporate Governance and Sustainability, Pralhad P. Chhabria Memorial Global Award, the ‘JRD Tata Corporate Leadership award’ by the All India Management Association, the ‘Sir Jehangir Ghandy Medal’ by Xavier School of Management (XLRI), Jamshedpur, ‘IMPACT Person of the Year’ by exchange4media group (Business World), ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ by CEO’s Association for Inclusive India -SKOCH Group, ‘CEO of the year’ by Business Standardand ‘Best of the Best CEO’s’ by Fortune. He has also been inducted into the ‘Hall of Fame’ by The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

Kunal Malani serves as the President – Group Strategy & Transformation at Samvardhana Motherson International Limited, a USD 21.2 billion global leader in design, engineering, manufacturing & assembly and one of the top 15 automotive suppliers worldwide.

Mr. Malani is an alumnus of the Indian School of Business and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. With more than two decades of experience in steering complex global businesses, Mr. Malani brings deep expertise in Group Strategy and Financial Planning, Corporate reorganization, Deal Structuring, Global Treasury Management, Mergers & Acquisitions, Financing and Investor Relations across diverse sectors.

Mr Malani has spearheaded key leadership positions in the Motherson Group including Group CFO, Head of M&A and Strategy to drive over ~5x growth in net revenues and deliver nearly ~10x growth in profitability and market capitalization (to USD 15 bn). He is now spearheading Group-wide transformative initiatives aimed at strategically reorganizing and accelerating growth to achieve Vision 2030 plan and beyond to achieve over 4x growth in revenues to USD 108 bn.