Know Your Fund Manager | Sameer Narayan, Head - Alternate Investment - Equity, Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC

Synopsis

Growing up in a middle-class family that valued discipline and long-term thinking, I developed an early interest in understanding how businesses grow and create value. That curiosity gradually evolved into a passion for equity markets and investing.

Let's start with your personal story

Being born and brought up in Mumbai, I was naturally exposed to the pulse of India’s financial markets. My academic journey began with a B.E. in Production Engineering, after which I pursued a Master in Management Studies (MMS) from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai. Growing up in a middle-class family that valued discipline and long-term thinking, I developed an early interest in understanding how businesses grow and create value. That curiosity gradually evolved into a passion for equity markets and investing.

How did you land up in this job?

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My journey in financial markets spans over two decades across both the sell side and the buy side, which has helped shape my investment perspective. I started my career on the sell side with firms such as SSKI, Enam Securities, and Motilal Oswal, where I gained deep exposure to equity research and market dynamics.

In 2006, I transitioned to the buy side with BNP Paribas Asset Management, advising offshore mandates. Later, in 2011, I was part of the founding team of the Adani Family Office, where I was responsible for managing and structuring investment strategies.

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Before joining Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC, I served as Head – PMS at Invesco Asset Management (India), managing segregated mandates across both growth and value strategies.

Currently, I am the Head – Alternate Investments (Equity) at Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC, where I oversee equity strategies within the alternate investments platform.

Which funds are you currently managing?

At present, I oversee multiple strategies within the PMS and AIF platform, with a combined AUM of approximately ₹4000 crore as of February 28, 2026.

The portfolios under my purview include strategies such as Select Sector Portfolio, Core Equity Portfolio, Top 200 Core Equity Portfolio, India Special Opportunities Portfolio, and Innovation Portfolio, along with the India Equity Opportunities Fund under the AIF platform.

Each of these strategies is designed with a distinct mandate – ranging from focused sectoral exposure to diversified core equity approaches allowing investors to participate in different facets of India’s growth story.

What is your investment philosophy and how will you describe your investment strategy?

My investment philosophy is anchored in identifying strong businesses with a long runway for growth, backed by capable management teams and robust fundamentals. When evaluating companies, I focus on three key attributes: the quality of the business, the integrity and execution capability of management, and the sustainability of earnings and cash flows.

From a strategy perspective, I prefer businesses that operate in large and expanding markets, as they have the potential to scale meaningfully over time. Patience is a critical element of this approach – rather than chasing short-term market trends, the emphasis is on identifying structural growth opportunities and allowing them time to play out.

In segments such as small and mid-caps, where the failure rate can be high, our approach is to focus on companies that can scale from small to large businesses, while maintaining discipline around risk management.

What gives you the kick while managing other people's money?

Managing other people’s money comes with a deep sense of responsibility, and that responsibility itself is what makes the role so meaningful. The real satisfaction comes from identifying businesses early in their growth journey and seeing them create long-term value for investors.

For me, the biggest motivation is the process of studying businesses, forming a thesis, and seeing that thesis play out over time. Markets constantly test your conviction and discipline, and navigating that journey successfully while helping investors achieve their financial goals, is what makes fund management both intellectually stimulating and rewarding.

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Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online.

...moreless

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