Vikram Gandhi

Vikram S. Gandhi is a Senior Lecturer in the General Management Unit. He currently teaches FIELD Foundations and FIELD Global Immersion in the Required Curriculum of the MBA  Program. He is also developing a new course, Investing for Impact, which is being offered in the Elective Curriculum of the MBA Program. In addition, Vikram is a faculty member of the Impact Co-Laboratory focusing on research in the area of Impact Investing. He also teaches in various Executive Education Programs.

Vikram is the Founder of Asha Impact, an impact investing platform.  He is a Senior Advisor to The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and a Senior Advisor to Greenhill & Co. Inc. Prior to this he spent 23 years in investment banking at Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse. He holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School where he was designated a Baker Scholar, and a B.Com with high distinction from the University of Mumbai. He is also a qualified Chartered Accountant. 

Vikram was Vice Chairman of Investment Banking and Global Head of the Financial Institutions Business for Credit Suisse, in New York and Hong Kong. He was a member of Credit Suisse''s Global Investment Banking Management Committee and the Fixed Income Operating Committee. Prior to his tenure at Credit Suisse, Vikram worked at Morgan Stanley, where he was Co-Head of Global FIG in New York; his prior work at Morgan Stanley included heading the Firm''s institutional strategy area, its Global E-commerce Committee, and as Country Head and President of Morgan Stanley India.  During his 23 year career in investment banking, Vikram has focused on advising Board of Directors and CEO’s around the globe on strategic direction and the implementation of major mergers, acquisitions, and capital raising initiatives.

Asha Impact, a platform set up by socially-conscious individuals led by Vikram leverages their combined capital, networks and expertise to address the critical development challenges facing India and other emerging economies through impact investing, venture philanthropy and policy advocacy. Asha Impact is focused on providing equity and grant capital to social enterprises as well as engaging with government, business and civil society on key policy issues.

Vikram has been involved with various developmental activities in India and globally. He is a Board Member and Chairman of the Asian Regional Committee of Grameen Foundation, a Board Member of Janalakshmi Financial Services, and a member of the Investment Committee at Gawa Capital. Vikram is a Founding Member of Harvard University’s South Asia Initiative and also a Founder of Ashoka University, the first liberal arts college established in India.   He is a member of The Global Leaders Circle at Harvard Business School. Additionally, he had worked with the National Innovation Council over the last few years to set up The India Inclusive Innovation Fund. He is also a Member of the Standing Council of Experts under the Ministry of Finance, Government of India. The Council helps in assessing the Indian financial sector and makes recommendations for enhancing its international competitiveness.