With over half a million followers on X (formerly called Twitter), Arora is popular for his witty and wise takes on the Indian market. He’d be interacting with the users of CNBC-TV18 ACCESS today (Oct 16) at 2 PM IST.
Reserve your seat now because members of CNBC-TV18 will get to ask questions and gain direct insights that can help you understand where the smart money is moving, and reshape your portfolio accordingly.
Being part of the elite CNBC-TV18 ACCESS community will help you get the front row on many such exclusive events, both online and offline, with the movers and shakers of the Indian market through the year. Check out the upcoming schedule here.
After topping the 1985 batch at IIM Calcutta, Samir Arora, the founder of Singapore-based asset management company Helios Capital, went on to pursue a PhD at Wharton University in the early 1990s before dropping out.
In a conversation with CNBC-TV18, Arora said the decision to drop out of Wharton was defined by instinct and a lifelong fascination with equities.
“First of all, a PhD is extremely boring, and I did the two and a half years. So, that’s why I have a master’s degree in finance from Wharton, which is like a consolation prize,” he added.
His first break came with Alliance Capital in New York, which later sent him back to India just as the markets were opening up. At Alliance, Arora built a good reputation as his funds delivered nearly 32% annualised returns over eight years and commanded almost a fifth of industry inflows.
But when the firm decided to exit single-country businesses globally, he walked away in 2003, eventually setting up Helios Capital in 2005 with former Alliance colleagues Dave Williams and Karan Trehan.
“Basically, kids or brokers would join and become brokers or whatever because there was no AMC business other than the Unit Trust of India and the SBI. So, because of that, I said, if I want to do investments a little bit, even though I was not sure I wanted to do that,” Arora said in an interview.
Helios began as a Singapore-based investment firm, managing offshore and alternative portfolios focused on Indian equities. After years of running institutional money, Arora turned to the domestic retail market.
In 2023, Helios secured Sebi’s nod to launch its mutual fund arm, Helios Mutual Fund, bringing its disciplined, first-principles approach to Indian investors.
Today, Helios MF manages over ₹3,400 crore across its Flexi Cap and other schemes. Its portfolios follow a “barbell” strategy, balancing proven “Good Stocks” with emerging ideas that can become tomorrow’s leaders.
The fund has made active, visible calls, adding names like Adani Ports and Phoenix Mills while exiting Reliance Industries earlier this year.
Arora, who considers himself India Bull, says, “NAV is the boss at the end of the day. As long as you are doing things properly, NAV is the boss.”
Apart from these achievements, Arora is one of the founders of Ashoka University, Haryana, and has also funded a lifetime student bursary at Singapore University of Technology and Design.
His philanthropic interests span the areas of helping children, the elderly, and individuals.
