Varsha Pai
About Varsha Pai
Varsha Pai is a Director of Leveraged Finance at HSBC, specializing in event-driven financing and strategic advisory for private equity-owned firms. She holds a postgraduate degree from T A Pai Management Institute and has extensive experience in capital structure management and client relationships.
Current Role at HSBC
Varsha Pai serves as the Director of Leveraged Finance at HSBC, a position she has held since 2022. In this role, she focuses on right-sizing capital structures and maintaining sponsor relationships. She manages a diverse portfolio that includes firms in sectors such as infrastructure, healthcare, technology, media, and telecommunications (TMT), and business services. Her expertise includes event-driven financing, which encompasses mergers and acquisitions, recapitalization, and stake consolidation.
Previous Experience in Finance
Prior to her current role at HSBC, Varsha Pai worked at ICICI Bank as Regional Head and Client Banker from 2010 to 2021. In this capacity, she gained extensive experience in client management and financial services. Additionally, she briefly worked as a Consultant at SilverMile Capital in 2021, where she contributed to financial advisory projects in London. Earlier in her career, she completed internships at HSBC and redBus, gaining foundational experience in the finance sector.
Educational Background
Varsha Pai holds a Postgraduate Degree in Finance and Marketing from T A Pai Management Institute, Manipal, which she completed from 2008 to 2010. She also earned a B.Com (Hons) in Financial Management and Direct Taxation from Lady Shri Ram College for Women between 2002 and 2006. Most recently, she studied at London Business School, achieving an MSc/MBA with a focus on Private Equity and M&A from 2021 to 2022.
Early Education
Varsha Pai completed her early education at Bishop Cotton Girls' School in India, where she studied Commerce and Business Mathematics, achieving the ISC certification from 1988 to 2002. This foundational education provided her with essential skills in commerce and mathematics, which she later applied in her higher education and professional career.