JPIN Team

Chris is an international banking, digital transformation, risk management, and disruptive innovation leader, with more than 30 years of proven strategic delivery at Board and C-suite levels. He has specialist knowledge of, and history with, finance and microfinance startups in Africa and India, and has found repeated success in replicating and scaling successful FinTech business models throughout these markets. He is an expert in using tech to grow tech, disrupting the status quo, and finding continued commercial success in doing so; including leading Africa’s first disruptor bank, and sitting as an advisor to several early-stage FinTech startups.

Chris has successfully founded and run businesses in the UK and emerging markets abroad in sectors such as property, eyewear, retail fashion and cosmetics. His portfolio includes companies like Inspecs, Maratex and G-volution. He is also currently a shareholder at Morgan Credit Energy Wales Ltd

With 19 years of leadership experience and a degree in public policy from LSE, Deepak is an expert in corporate expansion and change management, with experience scaling up one of the world’s most valuable e-commerce organizations and Uber’s biggest rival in India – Ola ($8bn valuations). Most notable is his work with Cleartrip, which became India’s biggest travel website, and his charitable volunteering with the children’s charity Magicbus, which saw them go from helping 30 to 30,000 children. Throughout his career, he has worked closely with several leading VC funds – including the infamous Tiger Global, Lightbox, Lightspeed, Kleiner Perkins, and Sherpalo; managing more than $100m of investment into various sectors over the years. These include Etravel and hospitality, urban mobility, real estate, pharmaceutical, food, and social development sectors.

Mark has over twenty years of experience in financial services and prior to becoming Director General of the EIS Association, he was Head of Research and Development at Mazars, a leading UK financial planning firm. Mark is highly qualified being a Certified Financial Planner, Chartered Financial Planner, Chartered Wealth Manager, and Fellow of the Personal Finance Society and also sits on the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments Accredited firms committee and TISA’s Distribution Policy Council. Mark’s involvement with EIS began 8 years ago and he has since championed EIS investing within a financial planning context and is extremely passionate about promoting the industry, increasing its effectiveness, and ensuring the private sector continues to drive much-needed funding to small companies.

Nina has over 25 years of experience in providing commercial tax and financial advice across a broad range of areas including corporate Governance, M&A transactions, due diligence, reorganizations, and financing. She has been on the board of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) London since Jan 2015, where she sat for three years as their first female President. Originally, Nina is a qualified chartered accountant and an ex-Partner of KPMG, having overseen business development and expansion in the Asian markets for five years. As the winner of several awards, including the 2008 Professional of the Year and the 2009 Asian Who’s Who Leadership award, and the 2016 woman of the year award, her excellence has rightfully been noticed. She was appointed to the Prince’s Trust Women in Leadership Group and is on the board of trustees for Cancer Research UK, and was awarded an MBE in 2013 in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Parul Jain is a Vice President at Mittal Investments, the family office of Mr. Lakshmi Mittal, where she heads M&A and Corporate Finance. She has been with the group for over 15 years where her primary focus has been on creating shareholder value. Parul Jain is a senior experienced executive who has been engaged in M&A for around 25 years first at KPMG India and subsequently with the Lakshmi Mittal Group. She has been actively involved in advising on private and strategic equity style investments across industries (oil and gas, telecom, media, EPC, steel, building materials, infrastructure, fashion to name a few) and countries (India, UK, Continental Europe, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Singapore, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Nigeria, Trinidad & Tobago).  She is a seasoned member of the Board/Advisory Board and Investment Committee with a focused approach in identifying and addressing issues relating to stakeholders, regulatory and corporate governance. Parul Jain is a natural leader and a team player who enjoys working collaboratively with C-Suite professionals. She is trained to focus on strategic direction and corporate governance to ensure people and processes deliver growth and profitability. She is passionate about education and diversity.  

Innovation Expert – ING NEO

Subhash V Thakrar is a professional chartered accountant with over 35 years of experience, an international business man and is actively involved in the voluntary and charity sector.  Subhash sits on the Boards of various companies in executive and non-executive positions. Some of which include London Chamber of Commerce (Past Chairman), India Value Investments Ltd (INVIL), Triangle Real Estate India Fund Managers Ltd, Attlee Centre, Let Britain Fly and Signature Africa Ventures Ltd. He was recently appointed by the UK Government as a Commissioner to advise the Secretary of State for International Development

Vijay Goel has been working at Singhania & Co for more than 15 years. At present, he is a senior partner for the London office of the firm. He has expertise in real estate and in advising clients on matters relating to corporate law, laws relating to joint ventures and foreign collaborations. He has extensive experience in advising on private equity funds for investment in India and has worked with American and Indian companies for their listing on AIM, London. He has also assisted Indian companies to acquire companies in the UK. Vijay has worked on a deal, where his client, a Government of India Company, provided approximately USD 500 million to Reliance for their power project in the year 2009