Grit & Gumption Go A Long Way
Manisha Girotra in a recent media interview had said the secret of her success lies in her persistence. She said that’s one thing that keeps her going as investment banking is a difficult career. “You win or lose on a daily basis, and you lose more than you win,” she was quoted saying to a leading publication.
So, what does she do in such a situation? She gets over a not-so-great-day and looks forward to the next one. After all, any career is a rat race, be it for men or women. What’s important to succeed in corporate India, is to have the grit to keep going. ‘Hang in there’ seems to be her key phrase.
This mantra, sure, seems to have worked for the chief executive of Moelis India, a boutique investment bank that specialises in mergers and acquisitions, recapitalisation and restructuring and capital market advisory, among others.
Girotra has been leading Moelis & Company’s India office since 2012. She took the helm of the boutique investment bank at a time when a host of large banks were in turmoil following the sub-prime crisis. She saw that more as an opportunity than obstacle. Today, the deal-making landscape in the county is more or less looking up. As per data available with Grant Thornton, corporate India’s deal activity (mergers and acquisitions and private equity) bounced back in January 2018 with the year-on-year values recording over five-fold increase with marginal surge in the deal volumes.
Girotra carries with her more than 25 years of investment banking experience, with extensive cross-border M&A expertise across a broad range of industries. Prior to joining Moelis & Company, Girotra was the CEO and country head of Swiss global financial services company UBS in India where she was managing its investment bank, commercial bank, markets, equity research and wealth management divisions. And before UBS, she was head of North India at Barclays Bank.
Girotra, a graduate from St. Stephen’s College, began her career in investment banking at ANZ Grindlays in London. She also holds a master’s from the Delhi School of Economics. Girotra currently serves on the boards of Ashok Leyland, Mindtree and Jio Payments Bank.
