About ISB Hyderabad

Anand Shekhar is pursuing his Ph.D. in Finance at Bayes Business School, University of London, bringing extensive academic and professional expertise in corporate finance and governance. His academic excellence is demonstrated through multiple prestigious recognitions, including graduating in the Dean's list from Indian School of Business's PGP (MBA) program and receiving a merit scholarship at BITS Pilani for ranking in the top 3% of his batch. His research contributions have earned him a research grant from SEBI's Developmental Research Group for his work on share pledging. His academic achievements include the OP Jindal Engineering & Management Scholarship and selection as a GE Foundation Scholar Leader. His professional experience includes working in JSW Group's leadership program, where he gained valuable exposure to project finance and executive management. His academic foundation combines a Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Finance from BITS Pilani, reflecting his multidisciplinary approach to financial research. Currently, as a JN Tata Scholar at Bayes Business School, he focuses his research on corporate finance, corporate governance, and financial intermediation, contributing to academic understanding of financial markets and corporate behavior through rigorous research methodologies and innovative approaches to financial analysis

Dr. Rajagopal Raghunathan is a visiting Professor of Marketing at the Indian School of Business and a Professor of Marketing at the McCombs School of Business, University of Texas at Austin. His research focuses on the impact of people's judgments and decisions on their happiness, exploring the intersection of marketing and well-being. His work has garnered attention in various mass media outlets, including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and Self Magazine. An award-winning educator, Dr. Raghunathan has taught in numerous international programs, engaging students from diverse countries such as India, Thailand, Finland, China, and the U.S. He shares his insights on happiness, creativity, and leadership through his popular Psychology Today blog, "Sapient Nature," which has received over 500,000 page views. He is also the author of the book "If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Happy?" released in 2016, which has been translated into multiple languages. His contributions to academia include publishing in top journals such as The Journal of Marketing and The Journal of Consumer Research, further establishing him as a leading voice in the field of marketing and happiness research.

Hemant Gupta, the Certified Financial Planner (CFP), is the founder of Happy Niveshak, which is into Personal finance helping in and handholding clients towards the journey of wealth creation and achieve life goals. Hemant has worked with institutions like ICRA Ltd (moody investor company) and HDFC Bank over the last 12 years across Bengaluru and Mumbai location. He is on his journey to attain financial freedom and now helping people to look at Financial freedom as an important goal and achieve it.

Karan Mehta, CFA, CMT, is the Founder and Managing Partner at RealFloat Ventures LLP, bringing nearly two decades of experience in the investments industry. He most recently served as the Americas Head of Product at PineBridge Investments and previously worked as a senior product developer at Deutsche Bank, specializing in both Active and Passive strategies across London and New York. Karan has achieved exceptional investment results in his personal portfolio, boasting time-weighted returns exceeding 25% per annum since 2010. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Warwick and an MBA from the Indian School of Business, where he graduated with honors. Karan is a CFA Charterholder since 2012 and also holds the CMT professional designation. His extensive expertise encompasses investments, product development, fundraising, and entrepreneurship, positioning him as a prominent figure in the financial sector.

Prasanna Tantri is an Associate Professor of Finance and the Executive Director at the Center for Analytical Finance (CAF) at the Indian School of Business (ISB). He holds a Ph.D. in Finance from Deakin University and has completed both a Fellow Programme in Management (Finance) and a Post Graduate Programme in Management (MBA) from ISB. His research interests encompass banking, financial inclusion, financial contagion, regulation, and the interplay between politics and finance. Prasanna's work has been published in several top-tier journals, including the Review of Financial Studies, Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, and Journal of Accounting Research. In addition to his academic responsibilities, he serves as an Independent Director and Chair of the Audit Committee at Power Finance Corporation. His contributions to finance research and education have significantly impacted policy discussions and academic discourse in India

Professor Ramabhadran S. Thirumalai is an Assistant Professor of Finance at the Indian School of Business (ISB), where he focuses on critical issues related to pre-trade transparency in equity markets, arbitrage trading between individual stock futures and underlying stocks, and trading frictions faced by retail and institutional investors. He teaches courses on Derivatives and Security Markets at ISB. His academic background includes a Ph.D. in Finance and Mathematics from Indiana University, an MS in Statistics from the University of South Carolina, and a BE (Honours) in Chemical Engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science. His research interests extend to intraday stock return momentum and promoting share pledges in India. Professor Thirumalai has published extensively in reputable journals, contributing valuable insights into market microstructure and corporate finance. His work aims to enhance understanding of the dynamics within financial markets, making significant contributions to both academic literature and practical applications in finance.

Sumanth Karlapudi is a Chartered Accountant and lawyer with over 14 years of experience in the field of Indian taxation, having worked with EY in various capacities. He currently serves as the Director of Finance at a pharmaceutical company while also mentoring multiple startups in strategic roles across India. Sumanth specializes in tax, strategy, and implementation, with a particular interest in scaling operations and streamlining processes. His expertise has been instrumental in guiding clients through complex financial landscapes, helping them achieve their wealth creation goals. He is recognized for his proactive approach and value-driven orientation, contributing significantly to both corporate finance and entrepreneurial ventures. Sumanth's professional journey reflects a commitment to excellence in finance, making him a respected figure in the industry.