'We expect private capex to improve going forward'

Amish Mehta, MD & CEO, CRISIL, explains why he is optimistic about private capex improving, supply chains and his company's mandate

- MILIND SHELTE

Amish Mehta, rating agency CRISIL's new MD & CEO, has worked across sectors. He has had stints with mobile tower company Indus Towers, lubricant maker BP/ Castrol India, global consultant EY India, and oil and gas major ExxonMobil India. A chartered accountant by training, Mehta joined CRISIL, an S&P Global company, in October 2014 as President and Chief Financial Officer, before being elevated to President and Chief Operating Officer. Last October, he walked into the corner office at CRISIL's Mumbai headquarters. In an exclusive interview with Business Today's Sourav Majumdar and Anand Adhikari, Mehta discusses his mandate, the road ahead for the country's largest rating agency, and the current state of affairs of the economy. Edited excerpts:

Q: You have been the MD and CEO of CRISIL for seven months. Tell us about your mandate and the focus areas.

A: It is a huge responsibility. CRISIL, as an institution, is making markets function better by the way it touches various organisations, stakeholders, and the work that it undertakes. There is a huge responsibility to ensure that we are able to make that impact. We are able to do things that our stakeholders value, whether it's our customers across institutions, buy-side and sell-side firms, investors, government regulators, large global conglomerates, [and] the spectrum of corporates and institutions we deal with. It's our ability to connect the dots and put the intelligence out, whether it's data, research, ratings, and benchmark.

Q: How does a company like yours, which is in the business of forecasting, deal with the fast-changing operating environment?