Rakesh has more than 4 decades of experience of which 8 years were as the CEO at Reckitt Benckiser, a $17b revenue global leader in consumer health and hygiene, with brands such as Dettol, Lysol, Harpic, Nurofen, Durex, Finish, Vanish and Strepsils.
Under his leadership, RB transformed from a household cleaning business to a world leader in consumer health and hygiene. When he took over in 2011, the company had 20% of its business in consumer health, a figure that grew to over 60% in just 8 years. The Total shareholder returns compounded over 8 years at >12% p.a which was top quartile in the industry.
Principal
Rajat brings over a decade of experience in financial services and investing. Before joining 12 Flags, he looked at tech investments at Google through $10B India Digitization Fund and was part of the late-stage investing team at GIC. Rajat has also held roles in M&A and IBD teams at JP Morgan and Deutsche Bank. He is an electrical engineer from IIT Delhi and completed his MBA from IIM Calcutta.
Outside of work, Rajat tackles puzzles, writes questionable poetry, bluffs his way through poker, and plays sports — apparently, spreadsheets aren’t enough of a workout. He is an avid quizzer and relishes being a quizmaster (after all, asking the right question is more valuable – plus it makes him look sharp at house-parties). Oh, and he’s also an active member of Mensa International, perhaps being a smart person in the room is a full-time job.
Associate
Akshit brings over 6 years of experience in finance and investing domain. Prior to joining 12 Flags, Akshit worked as an investment professional at Omidyar Network. Prior to that, he also had stints with Alta Capital, JP Morgan, Blackstone and DE Shaw. Akshit is an alumnus of IIM Bangalore and SRCC.
Akshit is a cricket fanatic who is an ardent believer of Test cricket— because just like investing, it’s all about patience, strategy, and long-term commitment. As per him, short formats are just a ‘fast-food version’ of the game and not the ‘5-course meal’. He also enjoys watching nature documentaries, probably wondering if animal kingdom is more productive than startups and investing ecosystem.
Associate
Lakshay has nearly 5 years of investing experience with international VC firms. Prior to joining 12 Flags, he was part of the investment team at Accel where his focus was on consumer and consumer internet companies. Prior to that he has also worked at Rebright Partners, a Japanese VC fund. Lakshay is an engineer and holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from IIT Kharagpur.
When Lakshay isn’t working, he can be found playing pickleball (because tennis is too mainstream and high on efforts), watching Bollywood movies (because every funding round could use a little drama), or cataloguing sports cars (for he believes spreadsheets are the true path to owning luxury cars).
Analyst
Rishabh brings analytical prowess with his experience across tech and finance. Prior to joining 12 Flags, Rishabh has worked with Signal Capital, a private asset management firm based in London where he was instrumental in building their quantitative investment strategies. Rishabh is a graduate from IIT Bombay and is a CFA Level 3 candidate.
When Rishabh isn’t crunching numbers, he’s knocking sixes out of the park, applying his mechanical engineering skills to perfect his cricket swing, or smashing shuttlecocks in badminton with the highest precision. He also spends his time traveling the world, to get inspired for the next big idea (or perhaps just for the next wild adventure).
Analyst
Rishika brings valuable experience from her prior stints in the investment teams at VenturEast and Chiratae Ventures. Her work spanned across climate-tech, healthcare, and consumer sectors where she built thesis on various sub-sectors and identified interesting businesses & founders in the space. Rishika holds a master’s degree in Statistics from National University of Singapore and a bachelor’s in economics from University of Mumbai.
Rishika is all about community building (after all, a good portfolio needs a solid foundation), traveling the world (looking for “growth” opportunities in every country), and loving animals (for she believes in fostering long-term relationships, whether with people or pets).
Finance & Compliance
Neha brings over a decade of expertise in taxation, accounting, and audit. Before joining 12 Flags, she wore many hats as a virtual CFO for several early-stage startups. A Chartered Accountant by profession, Neha also holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Investment Banking from IIM Indore, along with certifications in International Taxation and Information System Audit from ICAI.
Neha enjoys experimenting with healthy recipes, carefully balancing ingredients like she balances balance sheets. She stays active through yoga and dance, proving that flexibility isn’t just for accounting adjustments. In her free moments, Neha also enjoys Indian mythology, secretly rooting for the accountants and treasurers in ancient royal courts.
Executive Assistant & Office Admin
Meenakshi Sharma is an accomplished Business HR and Executive Assistant with over 19 years of experience working with top management executives at Ola, JCB, and EROS. Meenakshi is an MBA graduate from Amity University and brings expertise in C-Suite office management, stakeholder engagement, and implementing transformative HR processes.
Meenakshi is a spiritual ambivert who gardens, moulds pottery, and travels for soul enrichment— while still being a multi-tasking pro in administrating things at office. Oh, and she’s a proud cat mom, where her two cats expertly manage her schedule with their “nap first, talk later” approach.