By Pranat Pathak
The search for talent has never been more important for global asset management. In a sector where precision and innovation are critical, attracting the best talent is crucial to stay ahead. This is not only true for investment professionals, but also for the data scientists, quantitative modellers, and engineers who build platforms that enable those professionals to succeed. I believe India, with its deep pool of engineering and technology talent and digital-first mindset, is well-positioned to thrive in the global talent race.
More than five years after Covid-19 reshaped the way we work, many of the structural transformations triggered by the pandemic—access to a global talent pool and seamless cross-border collaboration—have not only persisted, but also intensified. Increasingly, firms require talent strategies that enable proximity to the best people. This evolution has significant implications for investment management, where the demand for specialised, highly skilled tech talent continues to grow.
Today, some of our most advanced technology work is led by teams in Bengaluru, including in areas such as quantitative modelling and development, as well as risk management. The city’s reputation for providing back-end support has matured into a deserved repute for industry-shaping innovation. To no great surprise, Bengaluru was recently named among the top 12 global markets for tech talent with the largest pool in Asia, in a CBRE report.
AI as a force multiplier
Talent and innovation are now converging in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). The question being asked is about the skills necessary to compete in this new AI future. In our industry, AI is already helping teams analyse vast amounts of data, identify new opportunities, and act with greater speed and efficiency. This reflects a broader trend in India, where the country’s information technology industry sector is expected to see a 45% boost in productivity as a result of AI, according to a recent EY study.
Despite these advances, I believe successful project teams in our field will need to use AI as a force multiplier—augmenting rather than replacing their domain expertise.
Take the example of risk modelling: AI can help parse complex data sets, identify anomalies more efficiently across large data sets, and write code, but designing models that withstand market shocks still requires human insight grounded in quantitative rigour. To deploy capital and manage risk effectively, I believe we still need to bridge the gap between the use of AI and the ability to explain AI outcomes.
What this means for hiring in asset management is clear: while AI is now an essential part of the way we work, it must be blended with specialised industry knowledge. This includes expertise in probability theory, numerical analysis, and advanced coding capabilities—all of which allow practitioners to use AI critically and creatively.
Expanding the talent aperture
Financial services firms are increasingly expanding their sources of specialised talent. Millennium and others are hiring senior professionals with Big Tech experience who bring advanced engineering and system design experience. While these candidates may not come from traditional financial services backgrounds, they bring outside perspectives and a different way of thinking.
Whether an individual comes from finance or Big Tech, one skill that has gained significance is professional agility—the capacity to operate across global teams, adapt to evolving technologies, and take initiative across functional lines. This is particularly true with advances in AI that require employees to rethink or sometimes rewrite the way they approach their work.
Demonstrating the ability to adapt to new and smarter ways of working is not a soft skill; it’s a core competency.
Also essential is a spirit of curiosity. From my experience, the most effective teams are those that not only build models or write code but actively seek to understand how their work drives broader business impact. Curiosity fuels innovation and turns good ideas into scalable ideas.
India’s vital role
As asset management firms look to scale, the focus remains on building high-performance teams that reflect the multidimensional nature of a different set of investment challenges. I believe that to build the best teams means having a global talent strategy that meets talent where they are. India plays a vital role in meeting that demand.
India’s world-class academic institutions such as Indian Institutes of Technology and other research bodies will continue to draw firms committed to building their businesses around talent. Consider this—1-1.5 million students graduate from India’s engineering institutes each year. Employers are finding that India’s talent pool is no longer just large—it is specialised, globally competitive, and primed to lead in high-demand areas such as AI. This is a driving factor behind the forecasted growth of the country’s global capability centres from 1,700 today to 2,200 by 2029.
Looking ahead
AI’s advance makes it difficult to predict exactly what the world of work will look like two years from today. Even in such an unpredictable environment, I believe a few things will remain constant. The demand for specialised talent in asset management will continue apace, driving firms to look outside of their traditional hiring models to identify new sources of talent and skill sets. India, with its deep pool of talent, is well-positioned to play a leading role in helping to shape the future of asset management.
The writer is a Chief Information Officer, EMEA, and Global Head of Fixed Income, Commodities and Risk Technology, Millennium.
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