ASK PMS

PMS

IME's View on ASK PMS

AMC View

ASK is the market leader with a strong investment policy and in-house team. Blackstone acquired a majority stake in their asset management business. Their rating has been downgraded to 4-star due to recent underperformance, but an upgrade to 5-star is possible as performance improves.

AMC Pedigree

ASK is a leading PMS provider known for delivering sustainable long-term returns with minimal risk. Post Blackstone acquiring a majority stake in ASK in 2022, ASK is now a blackstone company.

Team Pedigree

Led by Bharat Shah, ASK has a strong and stable investment team which focuses on developing fund managers from their research team aligned with ASK's investment philosophy. While ASK recently lost their long-term CIO Prateek Agarwal to Motilal in Oct-22, they have been able to fill this vacancy with George Joseph joining as the CIO while Sumit Jain (the interim CIO when Prateek left) continuing to play the role of a deputy CIO.

Investment Philosophy

Traditionally ASK followed a GARP investment philosophy (focusing on buying high-qualty businesses, with consistent earnings growth available at the right price). Under George Joseph, this philosophy has been tightened into what they call their FOCUS Philosophy (F - Fundamentals, O - Opportunity Size & Scale, C - Cycles & Capital Allocation, U - Unmatched Moats, S - Safety). The aim is to follow a fundamental-investment philosophy (F - Fundamentals) focused on high-quality companies (U - Unmatched moats) with attractive growth potential (O - Opportunity size) and available at the right valuations (S - Safety), while being aware of underlying business & market cycles (C - Cycles & Capital Allocation).

PMS Background

ASK is one of the oldest and largest PMS houses in India, having commenced operations in 1983 under the leadership of Asit Koticha. The firm has a singular focus on discretionary listed Indian equity mandates and places strong emphasis on mindset and philosophy alignment with clients. Over the years, ASK has built a reputation for disciplined execution, supported by a stable, in-house research team and a clearly defined investment process. Fund managers are typically groomed internally, ensuring continuity and consistency in philosophy and decision-making.

Investment Philosophy

The investment philosophy is anchored in a FOCUS-driven framework designed to identify high-quality businesses capable of generating sustainable long-term wealth across market cycles. The approach combines fundamental analysis, assessment of structural growth opportunities, cycle awareness, competitive strength, and valuation discipline to deliver consistent, risk-adjusted outcomes while protecting capital.

  • Fundamentals: Emphasis on strong balance sheets, healthy cash flows, and consistent profitability. Focus on business quality, resilience across cycles, and disciplined capital allocation, with priority given to sustainability of returns rather than short-term earnings volatility.
  • Opportunity Size & Scalability: Preference for businesses operating in large and expanding opportunity sets, supported by structural growth tailwinds and favourable industry dynamics. Focus on scalability and long-term demand visibility without excessive reliance on leverage.
  • Cycles & Capital Allocation: Recognition that both markets and businesses move through cycles. Active evaluation of cycle positioning, with emphasis on management prudence during upcycles and discipline during downturns. Willingness to invest in cyclical recoveries or structural improvements where risk–reward is favourable.
  • Unmatched Moats: Focus on companies with durable competitive advantages such as brand leadership, economies of scale, network effects, technology edge, or regulatory protection. Strong moats support pricing power, margin stability, and resilience to competitive disruption.
  • Margin of Safety & Stewardship: Embedded risk management through valuation discipline and governance standards. Investments are made at reasonable valuations relative to intrinsic value, with strong emphasis on ethical leadership, shareholder alignment, and long-term stewardship to preserve capital while retaining upside.

In essence, the FOCUS framework integrates quality, growth, cycle awareness, competitive strength, and valuation discipline into a cohesive investment approach. By remaining anchored to business fundamentals and long-term value creation, the philosophy seeks to deliver consistent wealth creation while minimising the risk of permanent capital impairment.

Suitable For

Investors seeking exposure to high-quality businesses with an emphasis on consistency, capital protection, and long-term compounding rather than aggressive return maximisation.

Investment team

Bharat Shah | 5-star rated FM

Executive Director | 34 yrs Experience | 18 yrs at current firm

Past Experience: Senior FM (Birla MF)

Bharat Shah is a highly respected investments professional, having overseen the growth of ASK PMS to the largest PMS in India over 2 decades. Prior to joining ASK, Bharat Shah was a very well respected equity fund manager at Birla PMS, known for large wealth creation in IT picks. Bharat Shah has been on the board of ASK since 2008.

George Heber Joseph | 4-star rated FM

CIO | 23 yrs Experience | 1 yrs at current firm

Past Experience: JIO BlackRock (CIO), ITI MF (CIO), ICICI Pru (Sr. FM)

George Heber Joseph has been appointed as the new CIO of ASK PMS, bringing with him over 20 years of extensive investment management experience. He played a key role in establishing Jio BlackRock AMC, where he served as CIO, and previously spent more than a decade at ICICI Prudential AMC, managing over USD 2 billion in assets across equity strategies. He has also held leadership roles at ITI AMC. George is a Chartered Accountant and a Management Accountant, with a strong track record in building and managing high-performing investment teams and portfolios.

Sumit Jain | 4-star rated FM

Deputy CIO | 20 yrs Experience | 20 yrs at current firm

Past Experience: First Global (Analyst)

Sumit has been with the ASK group for over 15 years, having started as an analyst to now being responsible for managing portfolios. Prior to joining ASK, Sumit worked as an analyst at First Global tracking the US macroeconomy and the FMCG sector.

Sandip Bansal | 3-star rated FM

Deputy CIO | 22 yrs Experience | 4 yrs at current firm

Past Experience: FM & Head Investment Research (SBI Life), Sell-side Research Analyst (UBS, KIE)

Sandip has 20 years of work experiene (14 of which have been in equity research). Sandip has a strong research & fund management experience, having worked as Fund Manager & Head of Research at SBI Life Insurance prior to joining ASK. Prior to SBI Life, Sandip worked at the sell side with UBS & Kotak Securities. Sandip in a CA and an MBA (IIM-A)

Recommended Funds

ASK Emerging Opportunities

1 Year
-4.7%
3 Year
10.2%
5 Year
13.1%

ASK Lighthouse

1 Year
-4.6%
3 Year
-
5 Year
-

ASK Select

1 Year
-3%
3 Year
8.7%
5 Year
10.7%

ASK Domestic Resurgence

1 Year
0.3%
3 Year
12.6%
5 Year
14.8%

ASK Growth

1 Year
-2.1%
3 Year
8.8%
5 Year
11.7%

ASK Indian Entrepreneur (IEP)

1 Year
5.3%
3 Year
10.1%
5 Year
12.5%

ASK Multicap AIF

1 Year
-
3 Year
-
5 Year
-

Experience the benefits of working with a 'research-first' investments firm

Free 30-Day Trial

Get complimentary access to the revolutionary IME RMS (direct access to IME's central team insights across 1000's of MFs, PMSs, AIFs & Global funds - a first in the industry).

Additionally, a dedicated private banker will help build your financial plan, investment mandate & undertake a comprehensive portfolio review for free.

IME RMS - Preview

IME Capital Logo

IME Capital is a research-first investments firm. We aim to disrupt the wealth management industry, by shrinking the gap in investment insights between central research teams & RMs/Clients.

Disclaimer MF/PMS/AIF/Direct Equities are all subject to market risks. Please read the scheme information and other related documents carefully prior to investing. Past performance is not indicative of future returns. Please consider your specific investment requirements before choosing a fund or designing a portfolio that suits your needs. Market & other data on this site has been sourced from what are considered to be reliable sources. All views shared (product ratings, views on individual securities etc.) are the proprietary property of IME Capital and cannot be used in any form without explicit written consent. IME Capital Pvt. Ltd. makes no warranties or representations, express or implied, on products offered through the platform (and that of our partners) or on the correctness of data & views shared. It accepts no liability for any damages or losses, however caused, in connection with the use of, or on the reliance of its product or related services. Detailed Disclaimer | © 2021 All rights reserved | ARN No: ARN-182445