Trikona Capital, the leading fund management firm for institutional investment in Indian real estate and infrastructure, today announced it has expanded its development and asset management teams.

The team at Trikona Capital now includes six seasoned professionals who bring critical experience managing large scale, high-profile real estate and infrastructure projects and portfolios. This, combined with recent additions to the Trikona investment team, positions Trikona as the leader in India with 50 professionals dedicated to scaling the company’s investment platforms.

“The opportunity in India lies in execution — the ability to convert ideas into an operating company or a development project and from there, into cash,” said Aashish Kalra, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Trikona Capital. “We have proven a unique ability to build companies and projects with institutional quality underwriting and management, attract institutional follow-on investments at higher values, and create multiple exit opportunities. These additions to our team have executed large, complex projects in India and will assist Trikona Capital in its efforts to scale our investments in the country.”

In January, Trikona Capital demonstrated its end-to-end project management capabilities by becoming the first non-Indian firm to receive full approval for a Special Economic Zone for its Tech Oasis project, a planned development of 10 million square feet of IT, residential, and commercial space, in Greater Noida, near the nation’s capital. Trikona has also proven its ability to raise and deploy capital and generate returns. Trikona’s London-listed fund, Trikona Trinity Capital plc (AIM:TRC), reported an increase of 82% on invested capital in the first 18 months since its admission in April 2006 and realized an increase in net asset value of 53% for the same period.

The expanded development and asset management teams now include the following people.

• Koganti Srinath heads development and project management for Trikona Capital. With more than 30 years of project management experience, Mr. Srinath has worked with Delhi Rail Metro Corporation, raising $150 million (INR 6 billion) of funding for the project. Mr. Srinath was also with RITES, a planning and engineering consultancy in India, and the Delhi Urban Arts Commission, the government planning and development authority.
• Srinivas Murthy, with 35 years of real estate experience, leads asset management at Trikona Capital. Mr. Murthy previously headed real estate strategy and property development division of Hindustan Lever (Unilever India), which recorded over 25 million sq. ft. of real-estate assets and established JVs with leading real estate firms like the TATA Housing.
• Krishen Dhar joins as a leader of the strategy and business development team. Mr. Dhar brings 40 years of project management and business development experience, including 11 years with manufacturing firm ICI India where he was responsible for process and project management.
• Suresh Naik is a senior member of the Trikona asset management team. Bringing three decades experience, Mr. Naik headed property management for ING Vysya Bank, ING’s Indian entity. Mr. Naik was also a founder at Hindustan Lever's Real Estate Division, where he managed large land transactions, development projects, and joint ventures with leading Indian real estate firms like the TATA Housing, Hiranandani Group & Vascon Engineers.
• Ravi Kumara Bharamppa, a senior member of the development team, brings critical experience in project management, risk planning and contract allocation for large scale infrastructure projects. Mr. Bharamppa spent 17 years with Konkan Railway, one of India’s largest rail projects, and the Delhi Metro Rail Corp.
• N. B. Khadkikar, a retired Chief Engineer for Hindustan Unilever Ltd. where spent 23 years, now serves as technical advisor for Trikona’s asset management team. Mr. Khadkikar is a member of the Institute of Engineering, the Indian and American Concrete Institutions, the Association of Civil Consulting Engineers, and the Indian Society of Structural Engineers.

With these and other recent hires, Trikona’s team brings experience from firms such as Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Prudential Securities, Starwood Capital, Soundview Investments, and ING Vysava, as well as leading Indian and international real estate firms companies and such as DLF, Taj Asia, and Pacific Real Estate Group.

About Trikona

Trikona Capital is the leading fund management firm for institutional investment in Indian real estate and infrastructure assets. Trikona Capital has developed a unique and scalable platform that combines an experienced team in India, strong U.S.-based governance and investor reporting standards, and strategic partnerships with leading companies to invest in India's high growth industry sectors. Trikona’s diversified portfolio of investments span the residential, commercial, retail, infrastructure, industrial, hospitality, and urban rejuvenation sectors, creating a complete ecosystem of projects designed to capitalize on India’s surging economic and social development. With offices in New York, London, Delhi and Mumbai, Trikona also manages Trikona Trinity Capital PLC [LSE: TRC], a $500 million fund initiated in April 2006 for the Indian real estate and infrastructure sectors. For more information, go to www.trikonacapital.com.