SeedVC

Girish Bhagat

Chairman, Saleri India

His specialization lies in cross-border business and technology facilitations, with a notable track record of connecting 40 EU companies to the Indian market across various sectors over the past 11 years. By introducing advanced technologies to India, he has successfully fostered an ecosystem conducive to emerging high-tech manufacturing and positioned India as a global manufacturing hub.

Currently serving as the Chairman of Saleri India Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of Industrie Saleri Italo SpA, Italy, and Simest Spa, he also holds a board membership at Benedetti & Co, Srl, Italy. His expertise extends to designing low-risk and comprehensive "India Entry" solutions for foreign businesses, encompassing greenfield and brownfield ventures, manufacturing or commercial models, wholly owned or joint ventures. This end-to-end service includes sector evaluation, market research, business strategy development, partner search, corporate structure establishment, industrial facility setup, supply chain establishment, CXO recruitment, financial control, accounting and banking, business development support, techno-economic viability studies, M&A advisory, and regulatory compliance management.

He has successfully re-strategized Indian operations for several prominent Italian companies and presently serves on the boards of international subsidiaries of 11 Italian firms. With a diverse career spanning nearly four decades in the banking and financial sectors, he has been instrumental in establishing pioneering start-ups in investment banking and capital markets. Having held leadership positions at esteemed institutions such as Citibank, HSBC, HDFC Securities, and UTI, he co-founded India's first boutique investment services business, IIT InvesTrust, in 1992, coinciding with India's opening to foreign investments.

He holds a Master's degree in Business Economics and a Bachelor's degree in Economics (Honours) from Delhi University. He frequently shares his insights on the Indian economic environment and foreign direct investment (FDI) opportunities in India as a regular speaker at international forums.