Manish Kejriwal

Managing Partner and Founder, Kedaara Capital

Manish Kejriwal is the Founder and Managing Partner of Kedaara Capital. Kedaara is a private equity firm  pursuing control and minority investment opportunities in India. It currently manages over ~US$ 6 billion  through investments in several market leading businesses across a variety of sectors including consumer,  financial services, pharma/healthcare, technology / business services and industrials. Kedaara’s operating  partner model comprising former CEOs with proven track records of building market leading businesses.  Since its inception, Kedaara has remained singularly dedicated to its stated strategy of focusing on  investments built through trust-based relationships with best-in-class entrepreneurs and management  teams across secular fast growing end markets. Kedaara combines the strengths of a well-networked,  highly experienced local investing and operating team, with the experience of their strategic partner,  Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, a global private equity firm.  

In early 2004, Manish founded the India office of Temasek Holdings Pte. Ltd., where he headed all its  investments and other activities till September 2011. During this time, Temasek invested over US$ 4 billion  in India. He was a Senior Managing Director and also held multiple responsibilities in Temasek Singapore.  He was a core member of its senior leadership team and a key member of Temasek Holding’s Senior  Management Committee (SMC), and its Senior Investment & Divestment Committee (SIDC). He was also  tasked to lead the firm’s global investments in the FIG sector, and its investments in Africa, Middle-East and  Russia. Manish brings over 30 years of experience in investing, encompassing the full cycle of experiences  in private equity across a variety of industries and sectors in private and public companies, and consulting.  

Prior to Temasek, Manish was a Partner at McKinsey & Company, Inc. and was part of their New York,  Cleveland and Mumbai offices. He helped found “The Private Equity Practice” during his years in New York  and was instrumental in conceiving and co-authoring the widely followed “NASSCOM McKinsey reports”.  Prior to McKinsey, Manish had worked at the World Bank in Washington D.C. and with Goldman Sachs  (Principal Investment/Corporate Finance) in HK.  

Manish received an AB from Dartmouth College where he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Major in  Economics and Engineering Sciences and where he received the Dean’s Plate. He holds an MBA from  Harvard University, where he graduated with high distinction as a Baker Scholar.  

Manish is currently the lead independent director at Bharti Airtel, on the boards of Bajaj Finserv Limited and  Bajaj Holdings Investment Limited, and various Kedaara investee companies. He is also a Member of the  Governing Board at K Raheja Corp. Over the years he has been on the boards of various portfolio  companies: Temasek Holdings Advisors India, Parksons Packaging, ICICI Onesource, Punj Lloyd, Bharti  Infratel, Fullerton Financial Holdings and Fullerton India Credit Company. He is passionate about driving a  few select education initiatives reflected by his ongoing involvement in the United World College movement,  as a founder trustee at Ashoka University and a former member of the Harvard Alumni Board.    

Manish is an active member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and was named a Young Global  Leader (YGL) by the World Economic Forum. Manish is the Co-chair of the CII National Committee on  Private Equity and Venture Capital and was also a member of the Alternative Investments Policy Advisory  Committee, constituted by the Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI). He has authored various  articles on PE in India and has been profiled in various newspapers and periodicals. He is a sought after  speaker at numerous conferences in India, Asia and North America. He was profiled as one of the “25  hottest young executives in India” by Business Today.