Indian Institute of Foreign Trade in association with Bombay Chamber of Commerce & Industry successfully organised the 5th National Finance symposium 2009 on the theme “The Future of Investments – A Quest for Value’ in Mumbai.
 |
| Mr. K T Chacko, Director- IIFT |
The symposium aimed at gaining insight into the two fundamental aspects of investments in a crisis scenario – Return and Risk. It focused on the crucial role of market regulators and credit rating agencies to strengthen the markets besides the importance of risk prudence.
The Introductory session included an analysis of the current state of affairs in the Indian Financial markets and some investment strategies to achieve superior returns in our markets going forward. Introductory Address was given by Mr. K.T. Chacko, Director – IIFT .
 |
| Mr. Bharat Doshi, Exec Director & Group CEO, Mahindra & Mahindra |
The inaugurals were followed by two Technical sessions and a Panel discussion.
This session dealt with issues like optimum capital structure, strategic focus around various businesses, and importance of financial controls in the wake of the recent global financial crisis. It was informative by the perspective of industry experts discussing on reassessment of the asset allocation and developing innovative strategies so as to achieve superior returns in the highly dynamic global financial environment.
The relevance of risk management and prudence in investing is besides the increasing responsibility of market regulators in strengthening the financial system through regulation and market supervision were the focus areas during this session. Issues like role of credit rating agencies, risk management with interest rate futures, innovation in derivatives and boosting investor sentiments through efficient Corporate Governance practices were also discussed.
The session aimed at forming a perspective on how the financial environment would pan out in the near future considering the green shoots of economic revival and the yellow weeds that seemed to indicate that we are not out of the woods yet. In this panel discussion, industry experts discussed on where the Indian economy is heading in the near future and how we are positioned vis-à-vis the rest of the world. The session also aimed at formulating strategies for both short term and long term growth.
Session I : Seeking Alpha in a Beta World
This session dealt with issues like optimum capital structure, strategic focus around various businesses, and importance of financial controls in the wake of the recent global financial crisis. It was informative by the perspective of industry experts discussing on reassessment of the asset allocation and developing innovative strategies so as to achieve superior returns in the highly dynamic global financial environment. Some eminent speakers who shared their valuable inputs during this session were:
- Mr. Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, Partner, RaRe Enterprises
- Ms. Madhabi Puri Buch, CEO, ICICI Securities
- Mr. Baman K Mehta, CEO, Darashaw & Co
- Mr. Amit Chandra, MD and Country Head, Bain Capital India
- Mr. Lamon Rutten, CEO, MCX India
Session II : Risk Management and Prudence in Investing
The relevance of risk management and prudence in investing is besides the increasing responsibility of market regulators in strengthening the financial system through regulation and market supervision were the focus areas during this session. Issues like role of credit rating agencies, risk management with interest rate futures, innovation in derivatives and boosting investor sentiments through efficient Corporate Governance practices were also discussed.Some eminent speakers who graced this session were:
- Mr. Krishnamurthy Vijayan, Executive Chairman, JPMorgan Asset Management
- Mr. Hemant Mishr, MD & Head-Global Markets, Standard Chartered Bank
- Mr. J N Gupta, Executive Director, SEBI
- Mr. Rajkumar Singhal, MD- Head Trading, Global Markets Group, Bank Of America
- Mr. Ajay Diwedi, Director, Ratings, Crisil
Session III : Panel Discussion (Green Shoots or Yellow Weeds – India vis-à-vis the rest)
Eminent panelists for the discussion were:
- Mr. Madhu Kannan, MD and CEO, Bombay Stock Exchange
- Mr. Ashvin Parekh, Partner, Ernst & Young
- Mr. Devesh Kumar, MD, Centrum Broking
- Mr. Govind Sankaranarayanan, Chief Financial Officer, TATA Capital Ltd.
- Ms. Shubhada Rao, Executive Vice President and Chief Economist, Yes Bank
- Mr. Venkatachalam Shunmugam, Chief Economist, MCX
