A 16-year UBS veteran and the former chief of its India franchise has been appointed to spearhead the new India business of investment banking boutique, Moelis & Co. 

Manisha Girotra starts as chief executive officer of Moelis India, based in Mumbai, marking the first step in Moelis' expansion plans for the region.

At UBS India, Girotra managed its investment bank, commercial bank, markets, equity research and wealth management divisions. She worked on a number of marquee deals during her career including the largest cross-border deal in Indian history, Vodafone’s US$13 billion acquisition of HITL’s interest in Hutchison Essar, the US$11 billion sale of Zain to Bharti Airtel, Reliance Industries US$3 billion joint venture with Pioneer Natural Resources and Newpek, and The Birla Group’s US$6 billion acquisition of Novelis.

She left UBS last December and was succeeded by Aashish Kamat, former chairman of financial institutions coverage for the investment bank in Asia-Pacific.

Last year, Girotra was nominated to Fortune magazine’s Most Powerful Women in Business Club and she has appeared in Business Today’s 25 Most Powerful Women in Business in India for the past five years.

Mark Aedy, head of EMEA and Asia investment banking at Moelis, said: “As Indian companies increasingly look overseas for global growth, it is important for us to have a presence in India.”

Moelis advises on mergers & acquisitions, recapitalizations and
restructurings, capital markets and risk advisory, and asset management
services to corporations, institutions and governments. It has opened
offices in the
United States, London, Dubai, Frankfurt, Sydney, Hong Kong and Beijing
since its formation in July 2007.