UTI International chief executive Praveen Jagwani talks about his newspaper column, Roald Dahl, Kenyan skies and watching a financial crash up close.
Name: Praveen Jagwani.
Company and job title: UTI International, chief executive.
Previous company and job title: Merrill Lynch, director, alternative investments.
How many years in the Asia-Pacific region?
Nine years in two stints.
What do you consider to be your home town?
It would now have to be Singapore, a safe and efficient city that has great restaurants and a cultural vibe that in a few years may even rival London.
Educational background: St. Stephen’s College, Delhi (BSc computer science), Xavier School of Management (MSc operations research, MBA), CFA.
First job in the funds industry: UTI International
What is the toughest challenge you’ve faced in your professional life and what made it so challenging?
During 1999-2002, I ran the wealth management business for a multinational bank in the UAE. Managing the repercussions of the tech-telecom crash was a gut-wrenching experience. Clients had lost millions of dollars and their disbelief, disappointment and anger was extraordinary. I learned a valuable lesson that in times of crisis, it is vital to step up the communication and increase engagement with clients.
What achievement in your job are you most proud of?
Seeing many of the young people I mentored successfully running businesses and companies.
What advice would you give to someone who is beginning their career in the funds industry?
Robert Kiyosaki [businessman and author] says it best: “The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire, the size of your dream, and how you handle disappointment along the way.”
If you could change one thing about the funds industry, what would it be?
Standardise regulations across the globe, thereby eliminating a pain point and reducing the cost burden on the end investor.
What is your greatest ambition in life and why?
Do the best I can every day and hopefully never retire.
What’s the best investment you’ve made and why?
Managing the family wealth is my wife’s department. She has always been a believer in real estate.
Tell us something about you that most people don’t know:
I used to run a weekly column in The Economic Times of India in the late 90s while I was a private banker. The editor taught me how to connect with the audience, plug into their psyche, tug at their heartstrings, make them laugh and sometimes cry.
Favourite country to visit for a holiday and why:
Safaris in Kenya. Pristine nature, amazing animals and clear, starry skies – a direct contrast to life in a concrete jungle.
Favourite type of food and why:
Japanese. They have for generations crafted the culinary arts and continue to improvise. Every meal is an experience.
Favourite book or film and why:
The Collected Short Stories of Roald Dahl. His work kindled my imagination and inspired me to write.
Your house is burning. Your family is safe. You have time to rescue one object. What would it be and why?
The CD containing family pictures.
©2015 funds global asia
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