Mr Darius Pandole has been the Managing Director at JM Financial Investment Managers Limited since joining in August 2016.

Darius was the partner of New Silk Route Advisors since its inception in February 2007, and focusing on private equity opportunities in the Indian sub-continent out of the Mumbai office. Darius previously worked at IDFC PE Ltd., which he joined in February 2003. He was the Executive Director, and later Chief Operating Officer of this asset management company that managed the India Development Fund, an infrastructure focused private equity fund. The India Development Fund was the largest domestic private equity fund in India at that time and Darius was part of the start-up team responsible for raising and managing this fund.

In February 1999, Darius co-founded and served as Managing Director of IndAsia Fund Advisors Pvt. Ltd., the Indian advisor to the AMP-IndAsia India Fund – a private equity fund established in partnership with AMP of Australia. Whilst establishing this fund, he completed numerous successful private equity investments in the Information Technology, Telecom, and Media sectors on a “club basis”. Prior to this, in 1997, Darius had joined the investment team at the IndOcean Fund, which was amongst the first private equity funds to be established in India. The IndOcean Fund was established in partnership with Chase Capital Partners and Soros Fund Management.

Upon his return to India from the US in 1993, Darius managed the operations of his family owned soft drinks business, Duke and Sons Limited, which was a market leader in Western India.

Darius was the Indian junior national squash champion and represented India at various international tournaments. He was also a US national squash champion and first team All American.

Darius has a BA (Economics) from Harvard, and an MBA from the University of Chicago. He is a frequent speaker at venture capital industry forums in India.