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Vikram Desai (45 years) serves as President of the DSP Group and DSP Investments, the private investment office for Hemendra Kothari and related family entities. He is responsible for the investment strategy of the group - overseeing new investments and areas of expansion for the group, as well as oversight of all existing investments across public/private markets and fund commitments. The core operating business of the group is DSP Investment Managers, a Top 10 asset management company in India with ~US$ 17 billion of assets under management (AUM). 

From 2013 to 2018, Vikram was the Director of CPPIB India Advisors Private Limited. The Toronto-based  Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) invests ~C$500 billion of assets of the Canada  Pension Plan on behalf of over 20 million Canadian contributors and beneficiaries.  

Vikram was responsible for launching the Mumbai office for the Canada Pension Plan Investment  Board (CPPIB) and building CPPIB’s India business by originating, evaluating, negotiating, and structuring transactions across asset classes including public markets, private equity, real estate, and infrastructure. He also launched the Active Fundamental Equities program in India focused on public markets and pre-IPO investments. 

He was closely involved in the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s commitments of over C$5  billion in India - including CPPIB’s investment into Kotak Mahindra Bank, L&T Infrastructure  Development Projects Limited (the unlisted roads/infrastructure subsidiary of Larsen and Toubro  Ltd), the formation of CPPIB’s real estate joint ventures with Piramal Enterprises (residential) and the Shapoorji Pallonji Group (commercial), fund investments and numerous private equity co-investments alongside CPPIB’s local General Partner’s including KKR, Apax Partners, Bain Capital amongst others.  

Before CPPIB/VSG, Vikram served as Managing Director / Managing Member of the Boston-based  Sparta Group LLC from 2003 to 2012, a private investment office where he invested globally across asset classes and in individual securities, delivering investment returns in the top decile of comparably sized endowments and foundations with a capital of over $500MM.  

Vikram’s 20+ years of global investment and transaction experience includes private equity investing at San-Francisco-based FFL Partners, and Mergers & Acquisitions at the CSFB Technology Group,  where he executed transactions over $25BN.  
Vikram is a BBA graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and a Mumbai native. At CPPIB, Vikram served on the Executive Committee and as the nominated Chair of the Limited Partners Council of the Indian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (IVCA). He is a member of the YPO (Young Professionals Organisation) Mumbai chapter.