Meet Sandeepa Vig- One of the Portfolio Managers at the Independent Global Advisory Avestar Capital

The financial advisory industry has long been commanded by large brokerage firms and wirehouses. However, the scenario has largely changed as more advisors are going independent. The opportunity to grow and build something of your own along with increased freedom and flexibility is a key selling point for advisers to move to the independent space. One such independent global advisory is Avestar Capital. The founding partner of Avestar Capital, Xerxes Mullan, previously the director at Merrill Lynch sought to cater especially to entrepreneurs, C-suite executives, and ultra-high net worth families. 
 
Xerxes observed that technology and especially fintech is a space that is rapidly changing and must be leveraged to better meet the goals of his clients. As with any good financial advisory, the Portfolio Managers at Avestar Capital form the backbone of the operations. Xerxes and the management team at Avestar believe in roping in highly experienced members whose experience may benefit the firm as well as the clients. The team has a wide range of experience across different fields and they all come in with incredible industry knowledge. The team has guided entrepreneurs throughout the stages of a business life cycle- right from the initial capital raised to the monetization plan. This level of knowledge, experience, and proficiency is essential to help the clients stay ahead of the technology curve. 
 
Sandeepa (“Sandy”) Vig, a portfolio manager at Avestar Capital comes with more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry, having worked at India Infoline (IIFL) for 16 years in India. She is one of the largest wealth managers in India and is an asset herself to the cross-border client servicing team at Avestar Capital. 
 
With an increase in the quality of virtual communication, integration, the interaction between countries, and with more globalization around the world, it is easier for individuals to cross national borders. Individuals can now comfortably leave their native countries to look for better work opportunities and higher standards of living abroad. While this may sound rosy, in reality, there are a number of unique challenges and issues that arise when it comes to financial reporting, tax obligations, managing assets, to name a few. This is where financial advisories such as Avestar Capital with a focus on cross-border clientele step in to lessen this burden and effectively help manage their wealth. Cross-border clients have different considerations and goals that financial advisors must consider to help them achieve their financial goals. US and foreign tax protocols, various sources of income, the country where the client expects to stay, capital gains, foreign investment- the list of services that international clients need are exhaustive. To conclude, advisors who deal with international and cross-border clients must understand a wide range of rules and regulations and make certain resources available to their clients to navigate this complex maze. Sandeepa’s substantial skills are integral to helping grow Avestar Capital in the cross-border financial advisory business.
 
Sandeepa works on setting up strategic alliances with other financial services businesses that can help Avestar Capital achieve its overall objectives and strategy. She has a great network of people and professionals in the financial advisory space, which is extremely crucial in the financial advisory business, more so when dealing with cross-border clientele. As someone with abundant institutional experience in the financial services business, she thinks at an institutional level which makes her an astute and highly competent advisor. She is an accomplished business builder and a capital markets professional, with a specialization in Institutional Equities/ ECM and Wealth Management. Her market knowledge and experience add nuance to and great value to her clients. She has been able to build strong client relationships through her passion for the business, her impressive service, and her relationship skills. Sandeepa has an enthusiastic approach towards training and enabling women to become accomplished wealth managers. Her excellent leadership skills developed over her years at IIFL. 
 
At IIFL she founded and led the Private Client and Wealth Management business which started with a 20 member team and was eventually scaled up across 200 branches. This business made a profit in the very 1st year of operations which in turn helped the firm turn profitable and funded other ventures. She received the “Leadership Award of the Year” in recognition of her huge success. 
 
Sandeepa’s areas of specialty are Private Client and Wealth Management, Equity Capital markets, and Institutional businesses. She drives strategic capital raising efforts for private and public listed companies and different institutional clients such as large long-only funds, private equity, and sovereign wealth funds with deal sizes from $100mn to $1bn. She led a $500mn transaction that enabled one of the largest global PE funds to exit a partial stake in their publicly traded portfolio company.
 
Her collaborative approach to constructing and leading teams and her penchant for cultivating successful long-standing customer relationships make her invaluable to the team at Avestar. Sandeepa spent most of her life in Mumbai, India, and is now based in New York City but often travels to India for the Avestar cross-border business. She lives with her husband and her daughter studies at a University in Boston. Apart from work, Sandeepa is avidly involved in volunteering and working to help the community. 
 
It’s no secret that experience and background are crucial indicators of a good and reliable wealth management firm and Avestar Capital intends to embody these values through their team and their clients. Avestar is elated to have Sandeepa on board as they focus on bringing the right team together to further build the business.