Ram Chawla
*********@*****.*** +44-779*-***-*** Flat 2806 Landmark West, London, E14 9AL, UK
Summary
• Seeking a greater challenge within financial markets following the acquisition of the firm I co-founded
• Direct experience in portfolio management; proficient in financial modelling and programming Career
Apr 15 – Present PrestaCap Holdings SA (Founding Partner) London, UK Manage a fund focused on direct lending to European SMEs; $125m raised; track record available on request
• Jointly founded the company, raised $2m of equity capital and $125m of fund capital commitments, gained authorisation from the FCA and CSSF, sold majority stake to a London-based hedge fund
• Directly responsible for managing portfolio; lead a team of 8 investment analysts and programmers
• Strategy involves direct lending to small private firms via the internet, using their commercial receivables from rated corporates as collateral, then securitising the loan book in order to generate leverage and improve liquidity
• Developed investment process, risk management framework and all supporting infrastructure from scratch
• Built tools for portfolio optimisation and valuation using survival analysis and Monte Carlo simulation
• Oversee online loan origination followed by fundamental analysis, due-diligence and deal documentation
• Maintain relationships with investors and leverage providers Mar 13 – Apr 15 Barclays Plc (Desk Analyst: Corporate Credit – AVP) London, UK Directly involved in the management of $2bn across four corporate credit strategies
• Developed trade ideas and monitored portfolio positions – contributed to top-quartile performance of desk’s flagship opportunistic credit strategy; implemented ideas represented ~25% of AUM
• Built a suite of quantitative screening tools used to gauge the credit quality and relative valuation of bonds, credit default swaps and corporate hybrid securities – now a core part of the investment process for the entire global team
• Performed fundamental analysis on portfolio companies across the investment grade and high-yield markets
• Analysed bond/loan indentures, determined appropriate valuations and identified catalysts; searched for relative value opportunities between issuers and across the capital structure Oct 10 – Feb 13 ACPI Investments Ltd (Fixed Income Investment Analyst – Analyst) London, UK Member of an investment team managing $1bn in global multi-sector portfolios
• Researched interest rate, currency and credit markets on a global basis under the direction of the CIO; converted research into trading and investment ideas
• Implemented strategies across managed accounts – priced and traded a wide range of cash and derivative products; managed interest rate and currency hedging, marked positions to market and verified P/L
• Assisted with pitches for new business and investor updates Education
Oct 06 – Jun 10 Imperial College London (Aeronautical Engineering – BEng 2:2) London, UK Relevant Modules: Mathematics, Statistics, CFD, Finite Element Analysis, Computing, Economics, Finance Setup a website which generated ~$3K/month in revenues at its peak, used proceeds to practice investing Other
Software & Programming Proficiencies: Microsoft Office, Bloomberg LP / API, C#, Python, VBA, MATLAB, R, SQL Languages: English (Native), French (Basic), Mandarin (Basic) Certifications / Courses: CFA Charterholder, Moody’s Advanced Bank Credit Analysis, CISI L4 Securities & Derivatives Interests: Travel, Surfing, Paragliding, Investing