Global Investment House (GIH), a Kuwait-based investment banking and asset management firm, has appointed Rajiv Nakani to head its alternative asset management business. For Nakani, who joins as a senior vice president, this will be a second innings with GIH. Earlier, he was the head of investment banking at Global from August 2004 to June 2007.
As part of his new role, Nakani will be responsible for GIH’s alternative asset management products and services, said a company statement. Bader Al-Sumait, CEO of GIH stated that Nakani has significant investment and investment advisory experience across Middle East, North Africa and South Asia that will help the company to enhance its product offerings, and offer its clients the highest level of services.
Prior to his joining at Global recently, Nakani was investment director at Eastgate Capital Group, a private equity firm in Dubai and has been managing $500 million fund, investing across Asia and North Africa, the company said.
He was also director at The Sultan Center Company and was looking after its mergers and acquisitions biz for food products in Kuwait. At The Sultan, Nakani built the private equity platform for retail and food & beverages sectors, and led the acquisition and integration with a retail operation in Jordan.
Nakani also held board and executive committee membership in several companies including Avendus Capital Pvt Ltd, a leading investment banking company in India; Al Razzi Holding Co., an international healthcare private equity/buyout company; and Africa Business News SA, an African media company involved in business news services. He also has a deep understanding in financial services, telecom, media, retail, logistics, healthcare, education and real estate.
Meanwhile, in a setback to GIH’s private equity biz, Shailesh Dash, managing partner and head of Global Capital Management resigned from his post recently. Dash had been at GIH since 2000 and was a founding member of the firm's private equity operations, which began in 2005.
