Ahead of the curve

Ritesh Jain is an avid half-marathoner. But the 35-year-old Head of Fixed Income and fund manager with Canara Robeco seems to prefer the 100-metre dash as a touchstone for his investment philosophy. "I have learnt the hard way. After the Lehman Brothers debacle, the markets have changed drastically and the buy-and-hold strategy is out," says Jain.

This will not please purists, like Warren Buffett, but Jain is unruffled. "I have been able to cut the risk for my investors. Simply, if there is money to be made take it off the table," he says. Jain mostly parks his funds in highly liquid government bonds and public sector securities for easy exit opportunities. And it's paid off for him and his investors so far. Under his stewardship, Canara Robeco's Debt-Income Fund has outperformed in the last one year (April 2008-April 2009) with a whopping return of 35 per cent.

Already, in the last three years, Jain has been feted by the industry and the media alike for his uncanny ability to stay ahead of the curve. So, what makes a good fund manager? Jain sums it up succinctly: "Don't have an ego and keep revising your strategy in sync with the investment climate as you go along. Accepting your mistakes helps you make the right decisions."

• WINNER: Ritesh Jain
• FUND: Canara Robeco Income
• FUND TYPE: Debt - Income
• FUND MANAGER SINCE: April 2008
• 3-YEAR ANNUALISED RETURNS: 13.83%
• INVESTING STRATEGY: Dynamic asset/duration allocation with flexibility of moving between aggressiveness and conservatism
• INVESTING PHILOSOPHY: Deliver best risk adjusted return to the investor
• GURUS: Albert Edwards, Dylan Grice, strategist with Societe Generale
• RUNNER-UP 1: Maneesh Dangi, Birla Sun Life Dynamic Bond Fund
• RUNNER-UP 2: Devesh Thacker, Sahara Income