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To be native is to be in a place where you fit naturally. We do this by knowing our industries and our clients inside out. With the highest reach of talent and the deepest industry knowledge, we are native to them first, so that we can find their natives.

Meet the team

Management Team

Our Natives

Aditi Samant

Associate Principal , Banking , Mumbai

Aditi comes with a blend of experience across Technology and Executive search. Post her graduation with a degree in software engineering, Aditi worked with Accenture in Application Development. She then went on to pursue her MBA in Human Resources from NMIMS and then joined Native. She is now an Associate Principal and specializes in Global Banking and Markets hiring and has managed multiple complex leaderships searches in this domain.

She can be reached at aditi.samant@nativeworld.com

Ali Molai

Associate Principal , SCM & Procurement , Mumbai

Ali has completed his Bachelor’s degree in 2 streams ie: Hospitality Management and Food Technology form Sophia College and Psychology from Mumbai University. He has experience of over a decade in Sales and Account Management, Project Management and Business Development. Ali enjoys cooking and eating, reading science fiction, traveling to places he has never been before, and spending time outdoors. At Native, Ali will be part of the SCM & Procurement team in Mumbai and will be reporting to Pragya Rathor. He can be reached at ali.molai@nativeworld.com

Ankit Mahajan

Principal , Legal COE , Gurgaon

A Law graduate from Amity Law School, Ankit practiced law in various Courts /Forums /Tribunals /Commissions in Delhi for a period of one year and then worked as an inhouse legal counsel for a few companies. He then pivoted his career into executive search with Michael Page handling Legal, Compliance, and Secretarial Domain spanning mid to senior-level roles across law firms and in-house groups pan India. We are thrilled to have him join us in the Legal COE. In his free time, he likes to play with his infant. Go out for drives (Gedi) and listen to Punjabi Music. Ankit will be part of the Legal COE team in Gurgaon and will be reporting to Varun Sidana. He can be reached at ankit.mahajan@nativeworld.com

Anuja Bose

Associate Director , Legal & Compliance , Mumbai

Anuja has about 9 years of experience, with the majority of it being in the recruitment business. She started her career in London working as a Research Associate in a boutique search firm focusing on Private Banking. Before joining Native, she was working as the Head of Research at Vahura where she was part of the executive search team and worked on key leadership mandates. She was also responsible for a few thought leadership reports generated. At Native, she will be a part of the Legal Team and will be hiring for the Non-BFSI Clients.

In her free time, Anuja can usually be found running a small business with her mother, in which they engage with rural Indian artists, to create utility gift products. Connect with Anuja.

She can be reached at ajuja.bose@nativeworld.com

Arihant Barmecha

Director , Private Equity , Mumbai

Arihant joined the executive search sector after working in product sales for over 9 years with Standard & Poors and Venture Intelligence. This experience in capital markets product sales has given him a strong understanding of the impact that insightful analysis can make on a company’s growth. Currently, Arihant is an Associate Director at Native, where he uses his forte for hiring within the Private Equity sector.

While Arihant lives in a concrete jungle, he is a native of organic gardening. Connect with Arihant.

He can be reached at arihant.barmecha@nativeworld.com

Bhavik Doshi

Associate Director , Consumer Lending & Insurance , Mumbai

Bhavik has 9+ years of cross-functional experience across in-house talent acquisition and executive search. Starting his career with Fullerton India Credit Company managing talent acquisition for Rural & Retail businesses, he also played a pivotal role in recruiting business teams at L&T Infrastructure Finance & Aditya Birla Finance. Before joining Native, he was with Michael Page as an Associate Manager, managing NBFC & Fintech leadership hiring. As an Associate Director at Native, he will be managing Consumer Lending & Insurance Practice.

Bhavik is a fitness enthusiast & goes by the belief of Health is Wealth. Connect with Bhavik.

He can be reached at bhavik.doshi@nativeworld.com

Chirag Thakkar

Associate Director , Enterprise Tech , Mumbai

Chirag started his career with Tech Mahindra as Technical Associate. He later worked with Bajaj Electricals as Assistant Manager – Sales & Marketing. His Executive Search journey began with Michael Page where he spent 5 years in the Technology & Logistics domain. At Native, Chirag is an Associate Director and will focus on hiring for Enterprise Tech.

Chirag is a music enthusiast and has learnt to play the Tabla. He also enjoys traveling and playing carrom. Connect with Chirag.

He can be reached at chirag.thakkar@nativeworld.com

Chhavi Mishra

Associate Director , CFOs & Finance Roles , Mumbai

Chhavi is an experienced recruitment specialist with 9 years of experience. She started her career at Venator and is currently an Associate Director at Native with a focus on hiring M&A, Strategy experts & CFOs for corporates. In her time at Native, Chhavi deploys innovative approaches and strategies that help in the hiring for many critical roles.

While at leisure, Chhavi likes to pursue new heights while trekking, as well as good food. Connect with Chhavi.

She can be reached at chhavi.mishra@nativeworld.com

Deepa Krishnan

Principal , Finance COE , Bangalore

Deepa Krishnan is a seasoned finance expert with a distinguished career spanning over a decade.

She began her journey at Yes Bank, where she spent eight years in the Corporate Banking team, followed by stints at Credit Union, Indusind Bank, and Novopay, focusing on banking and strategic partnerships.

Most recently, she excelled as EVP Large Corporates for South India at Yes Bank, fostering strong relationships with prominent conglomerates.

Deepa holds an MBA from IMT Ghaziabad and is also a California State Certified Sexual Assault Counselor.

In her new role at Native, she will lead the Finance COE team in Bangalore and she can be reached at deepa.krishnan@nativeworld.com

Deepa Malhotra

Associate Director , Consumer & Human Resources , Gurgaon/Delhi

Deepa started her 16-year career as an HR Generalist with a focus on Talent Acquisition, Management, and Learning and Development. She has worked with Benetton and the Taj Group, where she managed the policy administration procedures and organization programmes including sourcing, hiring, and onboarding employees. Her foray into executive search started with Native, where she is currently an Associate Director. She brings her experience to create human capital solutions for our clients in the Consumer sector.

Deepa enjoys being a native of creative expression. She enjoys dancing and oil painting during her time off. Connect with Deepa.

She can be reached at deepa.malhotra@nativeworld.com

Dipika Singh

Associate Principal , Engineering , Bangalore

Dipika holds an MBA degree and comes with more than 9 years of experience in recruitment and executive search. She has worked with Purple Quarter, Allegis Group and Randstad previously. Dipika’s expertise lies in engineering talent across tech start-ups and large business conglomerates. At Native, She is an Associate Principal for the Engineering team.

Dipika loves solo travels and hikes, keen on exploring and experiencing new places and cultures. Connect with Dipika.

She can be reached at dipika.singh@nativeworld.com

Ishan Bhatia

Associate Principal

Ishan began his career with Alpha Plus Technologies in a Business Development role. He then did his MBA from NMIMS and joined Native directly from campus.

He is an Associate Principal and specializes in Private Equity hiring. He has led several marquee assignments for Tier 1 global and domestic private equity and venture capital funds

Ishan is a football fan and supports the team, Arsenal . He also plays cricket, pickleball and tennis.

Jai Shirsalkar

Associate Principal , CFOs & Finance Roles , Mumbai

Jai comes with 10+ years of work experience and is a seasoned executive search professional with a passion for recruitment and strong domain expertise in leadership hiring. She has worked with Korn Ferry as a part of the Industrial Practice and worked on CXO level mandates for a diversified set of clients across the larger industrial manufacturing sector. Later she joined Godrej in a Corporate Talent Acquisition role, where she managed high volume searches across multiple entities of the group ranging from Real Estate to Private Equity. At Native, Jai is an Associate Principal and will focus on hiring M&A, Strategy experts & CFOs for corporates.

In her free time, Jai enjoys cooking and binge-watching online series. Connect with Jai.

She can be reached at jai.shirsalkar@nativeworld.com

Karan Dalal

Associate Director , Private Equity , Mumbai

Karan brings 8+ years of experience in financial services and the executive search industry. Before joining Native, he was with Huxley Associates in executive search and before that was a derivatives trader at a domestic stock broking institution. His analytical skills and innovation ability have helped in many successful hires. As an Associate Director at Native, Karan will focus on hiring for the Private Equity sector.

On weekends Karan enjoys playing sports and listening to music when not busy, travelling to places far and near. Connect with Karan.

He can be reached at karan.dalal@nativeworld.com

Mandeep Dadyala

Principal , Industrials , Mumbai

Mandeep started his career with Amada India as a Sales & Marketing Engineer. Post his MBA, he forayed into the executive search at Michael Page where he spent almost 5 years specialising in hiring for the B2B industry. At Native, Mandeep is a Principal and will focus on hiring for Industrial roles.

Mandeep is a fitness enthusiast and enjoys playing football. Connect with Mandeep.

He can be reached at mandeep.dadyala@nativeworld.com

Mansi Kanade

Associate Director , Asset Management , Mumbai

Mansi is a highly accomplished Chartered Accountant with nearly 19 years of experience in finance. She specializes in Mutual Funds and Wealth Management, having worked with renowned firms such as HSBC Mutual Funds, Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund, and Kotak Mahindra Bank. Mansi’s journey includes being a Partner at Qber Asset Advisors LLP and venturing into her own entrepreneurial venture in the Mutual Fund Distribution and financial services space. At Native, she will be a part of the Asset Management team.

In her leisure time, she enjoys cooking, traveling, spending time with family, and exploring the joy of reading fiction. Connect with Mansi

She can be reached at mansi.kanade@nativeworld.com

Manswi Garg

Associate Principal , Con Tech , Gurgaon

Manswi has completed her B.Tech and has worked with Byju’s for seven years where she essayed various roles in sales & business development. Her last role with Byjus was in the Central Learning Development team where she was managing a portfolio of Training Business Leads for the organization through advanced practices of Content Mapping. At Native, she will be a part of the Consumer Tech team.

Manswi loves to travel, explore new places and has a passion for music. She is fond of attending concerts and indulging in the melodic strains of classical music. Connect with Manswi.

She can be reached at manswi.garg@nativeworld.com

Meghna Chowdhary

Principal, HR COE , Mumbai

Meghna began her career with Lakme after graduating from the Institute of Hotel Management.

Post her MBA from Goa Institute of Management, she worked as an Area Sales Manager with Piramal Consumer Products and later transitioned her career into Leadership Hiring with Michael Page focusing on hiring Legal talent. At Native, Meghna will be a part of the HR COE (B2C and FS) West team.

Meghna is Native to the world of travelling and cooking. She can be reached at meghna.chowdhary@nativeworld.com

Pragya Rathor

Associate Director , Supply Chain Management , Mumbai

Pragya is a seasoned professional with a experience of 10 years in sales and executive search. Her expertise spans across diverse sectors including consumer, Healthcare, Infrastructure, Logistics, and Manufacturing. As an Electronics Engineering graduate and MBA in Marketing, she offers a unique skill set to our team.

Pragya has held key roles at James Douglas (An EMA Partners professional search company), Michael Page India, and Marsh, contributing to their growth in India. At Native, she will be a part of the Supply Chain Management & Procurement team.

In her free time, Pragya enjoys painting, baking, and exploring new destinations. Connect with Pragya.

She can be reached at pragya.rathor@nativeworld.com

Pooja Shah

Associate Principal , Private Banking , Mumbai

Pooja Shah is an astute professional with 12+ years of diversified work experience and knowledge across Banking Operations, Private Wealth Management, Branch Banking, Compliance and Fraud & Risk Prevention. In her last stint, she was with JM Financial Services, where she was a part of the Wealth Management team. Prior to that she worked with Centrum Wealth Management and HSBC Bank and essayed various roles. Pooja has completed her BMS and has pursued her MBA from NMIMS University. As an Associate Principal at Native, Pooja will focus on hiring for the Private Banking space.

Pooja enjoys travelling, exploring new places, driving and cooking. Connect with Pooja.

She can be reached at pooja.shah@nativeworld.com

Ruchi Thakkar

Director , Investment Banking, Institutional Equities & Asset Management , Mumbai

Ruchi has around 11 years of experience in Investment Banking (IB), Structured Finance (SF) and Project Finance (PF). Post her MBA from NMIMS, she started her career with SBI Capital’s Project Finance desk. She later moved to HDFC Bank, where she spent close to 8 years focusing on IB and SF products across sectors. Additionally, she was also responsible for Infrastructure coverage across IB, SF and PF. As a Director at Native, Ruchi will focus on hiring for the Capital Market sector.

Ruchi is a board gaming enthusiast and loves trying new games across the globe. Connect with Ruchi.

She can be reached at ruchi.thakkar@nativeworld.com

Ranjan Dua

Principal , Finance COE

Ranjan began his career with Maruti Suzuki in Sales managing dealerships. He then joined Michael Page where he transitioned to a consultant in the Finance practice. Over his 5 year stint, Ranjan has built strong and deep relations across the consumer sector and has placed several CFOs across large corporations.

He is is a graduate from Delhi University and holds an MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur.

He enjoys podcasts and takes keen interest in capital markets.

He is Native to the world of Sports – Football, Poker, & Chess.

At Native, Ranjan will lead our B2C Finance team in Gurgaon.

He can be reached at ranjan.dua@nativeworld .com

Sakshi Padwal

Principal , Consumer Practice , Mumbai

With over 6 years of diverse experience, Sakshi has built a strong career foundation, starting with Coffee Day Beverages before transitioning into Executive Search with Michael Page. Most recently, she led Leadership Hiring at Reliance Industries. Sakshi holds an MBA from the Goa Institute of Management and is passionate about Yoga and traveling. In her new role, she will lead our Consumer practice in Mumbai.

You can reach Sakshi at sakshi.padwal@nativeworld.com.

Siladitya Aich

Associate Principal , Asset Management

Siladitya has closely followed the Indian stock market for a couple of years and hence being part of the Public Equity hiring team was a natural choice for him. He graduated from NMIMS, Mumbai with an MBA and comes from a sales background having worked in a traditional Area Manager role apart from doing sales in a food tech platform.

He is part of the AMC team at Native and can be reached at
siladitya.aich@nativeworld.com

Souvick Gupta

Associate Principal – HR COE , Bangalore

Souvick began his career as a Management Trainee with Lenskart and later transitioned to Executive Search with Michael Page managing HR Hiring.

He holds a Gold Medal in Bachelors of Supply Chain and is an MBA from XIMB.
He is Native to the world of Football and is an ardent supporter of Arsenal FC.

At Native, Souvick will be a part of HR COE Team in Bangalore.
He can be reached at souvick.gupta@nativeworld.com

Simran Arora

Principal , Consumer , Bangalore

Simran is a combination of strong left and right brains given the balance between her creative and business acumen. Her 13 years of work entails multi-functional experiences within marketing, research, and communication domain: creating brand strategies, media planning, designing communication campaigns, creating loyalty programs, and leading digital marketing disruptions. She has worked with the country’s leading entertainment media channels such as Disney, Sony, and Viacom 18 and has consulted FMCG brands such as Unilever, Kraft, Pepsi Co. etc. on new launches. An alumna of Indian School of Business (ISB) Batch 2012, in true spirit she is a mompreneur and at Native, she is a senior member of our Consumer space.

Her knack is to connect with people, anyone and anywhere, to get them to open up and share their life tales. A natural storyteller, she writes crime-based series in her free time and manages sponsorships for a government-run hospital as philanthropy. Connect with Simran.

She can be reached at simran.arora@nativeworld.com

Soumyajit Paul

Principal , Private Banking , Mumbai

Soumyajit comes with 8+ years of experience across Banking and Search. He started his career as a Wealth Manager and has worked with HDFC Bank, Standard Chartered Bank prior to stepping into executive search. He holds a full-time MBA degree from WeSchool Mumbai and has completed an Executive program in Advanced Finance from IIM C. As a Principal at Native, he focuses on hiring in the Private Banking space.

Soumyajit is an avid reader and keeps abreast with stock market updates. Connect with Soumyajit.

He can be reached at soumyajit.paul@nativeworld.com

Saachi Mehra

Associate Principal , Private Equity , Mumbai

Saachi did her MBA from NMIMS and joined Native directly from campus. She is a part of Private Equity team and has led 100+ assignments across various buy side platforms and asset classes. Her talent grasp and access amongst the junior/mid level talent pool within PE/VC, Consulting and IB domains is wide and extensive. She has led marquee assignments for various global sponsors having an India base.

Saachi is an avid reader and a trained dancer; she also loves offbeat travel and try native cuisines. Connect with Saachi.

She can be reached at saachi.mehra@nativeworld.com

Shrey Shah

Associate Principal , CFOs & Finance Roles , Mumbai

Shrey started his career as a system administrator at Tata Consultancy Services. While pursuing a hybrid MBA at Welingkar, he began his journey in executive search with Native. Since then, he has been focused on building his expertise within the Finance domain hiring across sectors. He has been part of numerous leadership hiring assignments helping diverse platforms hire finance leaders. He is particularly well known within the B2C new age firms and holds a good network and relationship with Finance leaders within these segment. A numbers person at heart, you will find him positively multiplying his wealth through trading and other avenues.

Shrey is also a foodie and enjoys playing cricket. Connect with Shrey.

He can be reached at shrey.shah@nativeworld.com

Sneha Bangar

Associate Director , Pharma, Healthcare & Life Sciences , Mumbai

Sneha comes with 15+ years of experience where she has developed a keen sense of identifying, assessing, and developing leadership potential. She has managed mid to senior-level searches for sectors like Consumer, Infrastructure & Con-Tech. Her journey with Native was started by building the Industry practice and was a key member in setting up the HR hiring practice. In the past, she has worked with search firms such as Catenon & Anther. She started her career with advertising giants such as Ogilvy, Saatchi & Saatchi & JWT. As a Principal at Native, she will focus on hiring in the Pharma, Healthcare and Life Sciences verticals.

Sneha enjoys her time with family & friends, supporting sustainable living causes & the world of exploration. Nothing cheers her more than discovering a new town, book or food. Connect with Sneha.

She can be reached at sneha.bangar@nativeworld.com

Sumesh Nair

Associate Principal , Legal , Mumbai

Sumesh comes with 8+ years of experience in Talent Acquisition, Leadership Hiring, Business Development and Product Management. Post his MBA, he has worked with marquee institutions like Citi, Native, ICICI Bank and OYO Rooms. Currently, Sumesh is an Associate Principal at Native and he will be a part of the Legal Team and will be hiring for the Financial Services clients.

Sumesh is an ardent fitness buff and in his spare time likes to go on road trips. Connect with Sumesh.

He can be reached at sumesh.nair@nativeworld.com

Shujat Ali

Director , Private Banking & Consumer Technology , Gurgaon

Shujat started his career with ICICI Bank as a Wealth Manager post his MBA. He forayed into executive search with Michael Page India where he spent 7+ years across Private Banking, Wealth Management and Insurance Practice. He holds a full-time MBA degree from the Fore School of Management. At Native, Shujat focuses on hiring for our Private Banking and Consumer Technology sector.

Shujat is a Native of the football field and a soccer fan. He is also a weekend chef and enjoys stirring up a few dishes in his leisure time. Connect with Shujat.

He can be reached at shujat.ali@nativeworld.com

Ujjwal Singh

Associate Director , Consumer Tech

Ujjwal Singh is an accomplished executive search professional with over a decade of experience in the recruitment industry.

Ujjwal holds an MBA from SMCHRD, class of 2012 and he began his career in FMCG sales with Agro Tech Foods, where he developed his foundation in consumer sales. His expertise in understanding client needs and industry trends has made him a trusted partner with large FMCG muti nationals in executive search.

Outside of his professional endeavours, he is Native to the world of trekking, photography, football, and reading, pursuits that enrich his personal and professional life.

In his new role at Native, he will be a part of the Consumer Tech (Sales product and marketing) team in Gurgaon and will report to Shujat Ali. He can be reached at ujjwal.singh@nativeworld.com.

Vikas Sharma

Associate Director , Corporate Tech , Gurgaon

Vikas is an engineer from NIT and has pursued an MBA in HR from MDI, Gurgaon. Prior to MBA, he worked with Maruti Suzuki managing their Infrastructure Project department and then ventured into executive search with Michael Page for 5 years covering multiple practices and functions. Vikas then forayed into Leadership hiring, PR & Branding with an Enterprise Tech platform – High Radius, exploring a completely different exposure in Talent strategy and employer branding.

Vikas is a globe trotter and has explored around 22 countries including hinterlands of rural India. He is disciplined about fitness and physical training. At Native, Vikas will be part of the Corporate Tech team in Gurgaon.

He can be reached at vikas.sharma @nativeworld.com

Vinal Vikamshi

Director , Finance, Legal, Operations, Marketing & Audit Roles , Mumbai

Vinal has a solid experience of 12+ years in hiring for the Financial Services sector at Native. Having straddled across Banking, Asset Management, and Insurance domains, she has gained a thorough business understanding of these domains and their corporate functions. As a Director at Native, Vinal focuses on hiring for Finance, Legal, Operations, Audit & Marketing functions across our Banking and Financial Services clients.

On her days off, Vinal likes to unwind by playing video games and traveling. Connect with Vinal.

She can be reached at vinal.vikamshi@nativeworld.com

Veeresh Kumar

Principal , Digital, Technology & Analytics , Mumbai

Veeresh has more than 9 years of consulting experience in Banking & Financial Service sector working with Global Banks and top firms like BOB, CRISIL, Deloitte and EY. Having expertise in Credit Risk Model Validation, Model Development, Logistic Regression, Predictive Modelling, Data Analysis and has executed several consulting projects. As a Principal at Native, Veeresh is an integral part of the DTA team.

He is an avid cricket and tennis fan. Enjoys outdoor activities and has run a few half and full marathons. He loves bike trips and exploring places. Connect with Veeresh.

He can be reached at veeresh.kumar@nativeworld.com

Your insider, on the outside.

Meet the team

Management Team

Our Natives

Your insider,
on the outside.