Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, February 2026 — Pankaj Adhav has joined SMIFS Limited as Head of Human Resources Development, where he is driving the establishment and expansion of a pan-India wealth management organization. In his new role, he is focused on strengthening organizational foundations through scalable people practices, governance frameworks, and strategic workforce planning, while managing the complete employee lifecycle for a workforce of over 500 employees and leading a core HR team.
Prior to joining SMIFS Limited, Pankaj Adhav served as SVP & Head Human Resources Development at Arihant Capital Markets Ltd, where he led HR and training development initiatives across multiple business verticals, including traditional and digital broking, merchant banking, and institutional businesses, supporting the company’s growth through a strong people strategy.
Earlier, he was Senior Vice President Human Resources at YES Securities, aligning HR strategies with business priorities and leading talent acquisition, employee lifecycle management, and performance frameworks for key investment and institutional units. He also spent several years at 5paisa, heading HR business partnering and talent acquisition for a large multi-functional workforce and driving initiatives to build a high-performance culture and employer brand.
His earlier experience includes leadership HR roles at Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd, Anand Rathi Shares and Stock Brokers Ltd, Religare Enterprises Ltd, and Sharekhan Ltd, where he built deep expertise in large-scale talent acquisition, HR operations, and organizational development across India’s financial services sector.
SMIFS Limited is a diversified financial services organization with a legacy dating back to 1993. The company offers a wide range of services including equity, commodity and currency brokerage, portfolio management, investment banking, research and advisory, and distribution services. With a strong pan-India presence, SMIFS focuses on delivering research-driven advisory solutions to institutional and ultra HNI clients while upholding its core values of legacy, growth, and trust.
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