When Gautam Banerjee retired as executive chairman in 2012 after 30 years with PricewaterhouseCoopers, investment firm Blackstone’s co-founding father Stephen A Schwarzman approached him to head up operations in Singapore. At the age of 58, he became its Senior Managing Director and Chairman. Blackstone now has US$684 billion in assets under management.

Outside Blackstone, Banerjee assumes several positions, including independent directorships on the boards of Singapore Airlines, SingTel, Piramal Enterprises and GIC, as well as Chairman of raiSE, the Singapore Centre for Social Enterprise.

Banerjee moved with his family from Mumbai to Singapore when he was 16, and two years later he went to England for his studies at Warwick University, obtaining an honours degree and an Honorary Doctor of Laws. He is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, and of the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants. He was Singapore’s Nominated Member of Parliament from 2007-2009.