With nearly 25 years in private equity—more than half of that at the Indian arm of Advent International—Shweta Jalan stands out as one of the few women at the helm of private equity in India. A graduate from National Institute of Management, Kolkata, Jalan has played a crucial role in shaping Advent India, building sector expertise in healthcare, consumer, IT, industrials, and financial services.
“We always strive to ensure that, during our stewardship, investee companies make a genuine transition from founder-led to management-led, evolving into professionally run businesses,” says Jalan, who refined her skills early in her career at ICICI Venture. Bharat Serums and Vaccines is a prime example of Advent’s approach, transforming it from a founder-led company to a professionally managed organisation.
For Jalan, private equity offers constant learning. Advent is also exploring new-age businesses, having invested in KreditBee, an online lending platform. “We need businesses with scale, which are hard to find in the start-up space, and where there is scale, the valuations are not attractive.”
So, what’s next for Jalan? At the moment, she is very bullish about the manufacturing sector, and sees it as the new sunrise sector for private equity firms.
With Advent looking to invest $5-10 billion in India over the next five years, her sharp eye will ensure the focus on growth remains strong.