Banyan Tree PMS
Our view on their team, the pedigree, the funds & investment philosophy followed.
IME's Review of Banyan Tree PMS
| AMC Rating | Pedigree Rating | Team Rating | Philosophy Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade | Upgrade |
AMC View
Banyan Tree benefits from a seasoned investment team, long-standing fund track record, significant scale, and a clearly articulated investment philosophy. However, its recent underperformance—often characteristic of more rigid investment styles—has been a key factor weighing on its overall AMC rating.
AMC Pedigree
They are a successful PMS founded by Fund Managers, operating for over 20 years with assets worth around 5000 crores in a single fund, showcasing their longevity and success in the industry.
Team Pedigree
Spearheaded by founders Ravishankar WS and Sandeep Talwar, the PMS is equipped with experienced professionals. The investment management team is led by Kunal Thanvi, who serves as Assistant Fund Manager & Head of Research, and is supported by a dedicated group of experienced Research Analysts (including names like Abishek Vinod Kumar, Aman Agarwal, and Umang Shah) and Research Associates. Additionally, key directors such as Jigar Shah play a significant role, with Jigar specifically focusing on managing and mentoring the research team and actively identifying new investment ideas.
Investment Philosophy
Banyan Tree Advisors' investment philosophy is a disciplined, long-term, value-oriented approach primarily focused on capital protection by investing in high-quality companies with competitive advantages at a fair price, ensuring a "margin of safety." They prioritize businesses with strong fundamentals and shareholder-friendly management, commit to a long-term investment horizon (3-5+ years) ignoring short-term market noise, and aim to counter behavioral biases through a concentrated portfolio and flexible asset allocation.
AMC Background
Banyan Tree PMS is a Bangalore-based portfolio management company established in August 2004. The firm was co-founded by Ravishankar and Sandeep Talwar, and has operated for over two decades, managing assets of over 5000 crore. Banyan Tree’s leadership team includes seasoned investment professionals with extensive Indian equity market experience, including long tenures at research, advisory, and portfolio management roles prior to joining the firm.
Investment Philosophy
Banyan Tree Advisors follows a long-term, fundamentally driven investment philosophy centred on value investing principles with an explicit emphasis on capital preservation, margin of safety, and intrinsic value orientation. The firm prioritises investing in high-quality companies with durable competitive advantages, strong cash flows, low leverage, and resilient earnings capacity, bought at reasonable valuations relative to their intrinsic worth. Investment decisions are based on bottom-up analysis, with sales typically occurring only when a stock becomes materially overvalued or original investment assumptions deteriorate.
Investment team
Ravishankar | 4-star rated FM
Co-Founder | 31 yrs Experience | 22 yrs at current firm
Past Experience: Chescor (Portfolio Advisor), Multi-Act (Portfolio Advisor), MAAM Equity (Portfolio Advisor)
Ravishankar has 28 years of experience in the asset management industry and is one of the founders of Banyan Tree. Has handled Global markets for 5 years and has spent 23 years in Indian markets. He graduated as an Electronics Engineer from BITS, Pilani, and went on to acquire an MBA from IIM, Bangalore, and is a CFA Charterholder.
Jigar Shah | 3-star rated FM
FM | 24 yrs Experience | 16 yrs at current firm
Past Experience: Multi-Act
Jigar Shah joined Banyan Tree Advisors in 2010. As Director, he focuses on managing and mentoring the research team and meeting clients. He has completed his CA from ICAI, India. He has also completed the requirements of a Chartered Financial Analyst from the CFA Institute, USA.
Sandeep Talwar | 3-star rated FM
Co-Founder | 32 yrs Experience | 22 yrs at current firm
Past Experience: SSKI (Research Analyst), Multi Act (Research Analyst)
Sandeep Talwar has 28 years of experience in research and investment management in the Indian market and is one of the founders of Banyan Tree. He completed his B.Tech in Chemical Engineering from BITS, Pilani, and his MBA from IIM, Bangalore.
Shyam Prabhu | 3-star rated FM
FM | 29 yrs Experience | 19 yrs at current firm
Past Experience: MAAM
Shyam Prabhu joined Banyan Tree Advisors in 2007. As Director, he focuses on Portfolio Management, Compliance and Corporate Finance at the firm. He has a B.E in Instrumentation Engineering from VESIT, University of Mumbai, and an MMS from Sydenham Institute of Management Studies, University of Mumbai. He has also completed the requirements of a Chartered Financial Analyst from the CFA Institute, USA.
Recommended Funds
Experience the benefits of working with a 'research-first' investments firm
Free 15-Day Trial of IME RMS App
Get complimentary access to the revolutionary IME RMS App (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.
