Smart People: A K Sridhar

SMART EYE

A K Sridhar

"Common sense and intuition are the keys to making good decisions," says A K Sridhar, chief investment officer, UTI Asset Management Company. These attributes surely have come in handy as UTI continues its turnaround.

"Things have changed for the good," says the 43-year old. "The old perception about UTI is gone," avers Sridhar, noting that the retail interest in the fund has increased manifold in the recent past.

According to him, UTI's image has undergone a transformation in the past two years and now it is as good as any private mutual fund. "Now we are judged purely by performance and we are holding up well." What has been the reason behind the improved performance?

"Having the right processes in place," explains Sridhar. "Right processes ensure consistency and predictability in performance." Having the right people at the right place is also important.

"Good human resource and process management has helped UTI," says Sridhar, who was recently promoted as executive director of UTI Mutual Fund. The promotion comes as a recognition of his efforts as CIO. How is he planning to cope? "Being an executive director, I'll be actively involved in board meetings. Otherwise my responsibility remains the same," is Sridhar's modest reply.

A chartered accountant, Sridhar started his career as an audit officer with Pricewaterhouse Coopers before spending three years with the corporate treasury department of Ashok Leyland.

However, his desire to become involved with the investment arena saw him joining UTI in 1989. In 15 years, he worked with various departments, including investment analysis, debt fund management, treasury and money market operations, equity research and credit rating before becoming CIO.

Married with two daughters, Sridhar is the quintessential family man. Vacations with family are important yearly events which he never misses. Reading short stories and watching movies are favourite pastimes.

He enjoyed watching The Terminal recently. Not surprising, considering that like the hero of the movie, Viktor Navorsky, Sridhar also believes that when circumstances are tough, common sense and intuition help you pull through them.