'We want a great product where we enjoy investing our money in'

Over the years, the mutual fund space in India has largely been dominated by AMCs sponsored by big banks and group companies. However, the ‘David’ that has stood up to the goliaths of the industry over the last decade is PPFAS Mutual Fund

Rajeev Thakkar, CIO - PPFAS Mutual Fund

Few days back, we had the opportunity to talk to its CIO and fund manager, Rajeev Thakkar, who has helped PPFAS’s flexi-cap fund become one of the largest actively-managed equity funds in the country. In this exclusive chat with Value Research, the much-respected fund manager reminisces about the AMC’s journey, provides sharp investment insights and his views on current global trends. Here’s an edited excerpt...

In your recent letter to unitholders, you mentioned how you started with just about 800 investors and are now making a difference in the lives of 25 lakh investors. Did you foresee such growth? And what have you set your eyes on in the next decade?

Firstly, I would like to make a small correction: 25 lakh is the folio number; unique investors would be around 21 lakh.

(Coming to your question), the organisation has never had numerical targets in terms of monthly gross sales, net sales, AUM or even the number of clients, for that matter. The focus has been on the investment side. We want a great product where we enjoy investing our money in and can recommend to our friends and families without hesitation.

Then, the attempt has been to make it a pull product where people are attracted towards it and invest on their own, rather than us doing hard selling and pushing the product in the marketplace. That was the goal, and I think we have achieved it. Essentially, we set out to create a differentiated product in the market.