Devina Mehra Manages $600Million |30 Years of First Global & Public Markets Investing| Shrishti Sahu

Our guest today is Devina Mehra, Chairperson & Managing Director of First Global, a quantitative asset management firm. Devina launched First Global 30 years ago as a securities firm, evolved it into an investment bank and now is a leading asset management firm with a global lens. First Global was the first Asian firm to get a membership of the prestigious London Stock Exchange in the late 90s. Research, investment strategy and fund management are the strengths of First Global. Prior to starting First Global, Devina had a seven-year-long stint at Citibank working on the Corporate Finance & Risk side. She’s an IIM-Ahmedabad gold medalist and was in the news for breaking a 60 year record as a college graduate for winning 8 gold medals which were awarded to her by Rajiv Gandhi while at Lucknow University. Devina has also featured in Fortune Magazine’s Most Powerful Indian Women in Business. She identified major multibaggers before they became mainstream - her most famous ones being HDFC, Amazon and Apple. My favourite story of Devina is how when everyone on Wall Street had written off Amazon, First Global came out with a very bullish report on the stock and supported the company at a very tough time - so much so that Jeff Bezos personally wrote to Devina thanking her for her support. Over the last 30 years Devina has often identified major stocks and sectors early and I am thrilled to get this opportunity to interview her today on the show! This is going to be such an insightful conversation for anyone trying to learn about public market investing both in India and globally - she’s truly a legend and a stalwart in the field of investing!

Chapters

00:00 Childhood Memories and Shaping Experiences

09:09 The Evolution of First Global

20:01 Eliminating Bias and Managing Risk

34:21 Caution in the Small Cap and SME IPO Space

40:37 Navigating the Small-Cap Space and Avoiding FOMO

41:36 The Changing Composition of Indices: From Traditional Industries to Tech Companies

46:19 The Challenges of Investing in Lending Businesses

53:26 The Importance of Learning and Bettering Yourself as an Investor

59:05 Feed Your Mind and Don't Focus on Outward Competition

01:14:59 Devina Mehra's Ambition for FIRST Global and Upcoming Book

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