Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, March 2026 — Standard Chartered India has welcomed Ritesh Desai to its Investment Banking team as Executive Director. In this role, he will focus on Pharma & Healthcare coverage, building on the bank’s global franchise to support clients through strategic and cross-border initiatives.
“I will be focusing on Pharma & Healthcare coverage, building on SCB’s deep rooted global franchise to support clients through strategic and cross-border initiatives.”
With this move, Ritesh Desai brings a strong track record across investment banking and M&A, with deep sector experience spanning pharma and healthcare. His appointment strengthens Standard Chartered’s coverage capabilities in a sector that continues to see sustained strategic activity and cross-border opportunity.
Before joining Standard Chartered India, Ritesh Desai served as Executive Director at Ambit Private Limited, where he led Pharma & Healthcare coverage and advised clients on strategic transactions and market-led opportunities.
Earlier, he worked with Piramal Pharma Limited as General Manager – M&A, contributing to inorganic growth initiatives and building experience across deal evaluation, execution, and strategic value creation in the pharma space.
He previously spent more than a decade with Kotak Investment Banking, progressing through multiple roles and building strong advisory experience across transactions, client engagement, and deal execution within investment banking.
Earlier in his career, he worked as an Analyst with Citigroup as part of the Global Healthcare Team, strengthening his foundational exposure to healthcare-focused financial advisory and sector analysis. He also served as a Qualified Assistant at RSM & Co, building early experience in professional services.
About Standard Chartered
Standard Chartered Bank has been operating in India for over 165 years, making it one of the oldest foreign banks, with a network of 100 branches across 42 cities. Its key business segments include Corporate, Commercial and Institutional Banking and Consumer, Private and Business Banking. Globally, Standard Chartered is a leading international banking group, with a presence in 53 of the world’s most dynamic markets and serving clients in a further 64.
The bank’s purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through its unique diversity, and its heritage and values are expressed in its brand promise, here for good. Standard Chartered uses global capabilities and deep local knowledge in India to provide a wide range of products and services to meet the needs of individual and business clients. Its Global Business Service (GBS) centres in India support technology and innovation that help redefine banking through modern technologies.
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