Robust-talking Madhabi Puri Buch broke a number of obstacles

MUMBAI: In 2022, when Madhabi Puri Buch took cost as Sebi chairperson, she broke a number of obstacles – main of them being the primary girl and the primary former personal sector skilled to go the markets’ regulatory physique. After a four-and-half-year stint as a whole-time member at Sebi, she had taken just a few months off as a consequence of private causes however in March 2022 got here again to go it.
At Sebi, Puri Buch, a tricky taskmaster, is understood for bringing in a collaborative apply in decision-making, particularly in putting in new guidelines for the regulated entities.She additionally put sturdy give attention to IT in market regulation and surveillance. As well as, she’s recognized for her data-driven strategy to administration and resolution making.
In contrast to lots of her predecessors, the 59-year-old has not shied away from publicly flagging considerations, be it these associated to futures and choices or valuation of SMEs. In addition to, she has initiated contemporary adjustments in regulating mutual funds and used know-how cracked down on market manipulators.

Earlier than Sebi, Puri Buch – a graduate of in maths from St Stephen’s Faculty with an MBA diploma from IIM Ahmedabad – had a protracted innings at ICICI Financial institution and at one level was recognized as one of many ladies leaders on the personal sector lender. She was amongst these recruited from prime enterprise faculties simply earlier than the 1991 financial reforms that additionally remodeled the monetary sector in India.
From IIM-A’s 1989 batch she has a number of outstanding batchmates, together with Rasesh Shah, chairman of Edelweiss; Sanjeev Bikhchandani, founding father of Naukri.com; Nirmal Jain, CEO of India Infoline; Rahul Bhasin, managing companion at Baring Non-public Fairness and Vedika Bhandarkar, former Credit score Suisse CEO, who now heads Water.org based by Matt Damon.
India’s financial reforms gave ICICI a possibility to interrupt out into a number of new monetary companies that opened up for the primary time. Puri Buch was among the many younger administration graduates to take management positions within the new housing finance unit.
A lot of Buch’s character was formed by her early years at ICICI, the place she gained foundational expertise in retail finance and an understanding of know-how within the monetary sector. The ICICI setting instilled in her a powerful drive for getting issues executed.
She later went on to go ICICI Securities after the worldwide monetary disaster.
In 2011, Puri Buch moved to Singapore to go enterprise growth at Larger Pacific Capital. The shift was as a result of her husband Dhaval Buch had simply moved there as a senior chief within the multinational provide chain vertical as a part of Harish Manwani’s workforce.
Dhaval an HUL veteran
Dhaval is an alumnus of IIT Delhi and has had a company profession of 35 years in Hindustan Unilever in India after which in Unilever globally as a part of its senior administration workforce.Presently, he’s a senior advisor at Blackstone and Alvarez & Marsal. He is additionally a non-executive director at sports activities attire model Gildan. With over 30 years of expertise in provide chain administration, primarily at Unilever, he additionally had temporary roles at Mahindra & Mahindra earlier than co-founding the monetary companies consulting agency Agora Advisory along with his spouse in 2013.
Blackstone sources stated that Buch’s appointment on the India unit of the US-based buyout fund pre-dates Madhabi’s appointment as Sebi chief in 2022. Buch was appointed as a senior advisor of Blackstone in 2019. Dhaval did not have any personal fairness expertise earlier than Blackstone as he had spent a very good a part of his profession in procurement and provide chain. At Blackstone, Buch solely advises personal fairness corporations throughout Asia on procurement and provide chain associated subjects, which is his space of experience.