Amar Merani is the Chief Investment Officer (CIO) and Head of Real Assets at 360 ONE Asset, earlier known as IIFL Asset Management. Amar is responsible for the strategy, AUM growth and investments of the Real Assets business.

He leads all new fund raises, handles investor interactions, leads the team on deal selection, asset monitoring and exit strategy of Real Assets. Recently, he has also led the launch and successful fund raise of 360 ONE’s first equity fund for Infrastructure platform investments, with InvITs and infrastructure investments as the underlying theme.

Prior to joining 360 ONE Asset in April 2021, Amar was the CEO of Xander Finance, which made over 55 investments in Real Estate and Private Credit in his 9-year stint. He led new investments worth over USD $500 million, most of which were fully exited with full returns in his tenure. Amar established the team, policies, raised leverage, managed the regulatory interface, grew investments and exits. Xander Finance emerged as one of India’s leading wholesale NBFCs focused on Real Estate and maintained its track record through the credit crisis from 2018-21.

Prior to joining Xander, Amar spent 11 years at Kotak Investment Banking where, as Executive Director and Real Estate Head, he raised over USD $1 billion of equity for several of India’s topmost real estate developers as well as advised them successfully on M&A and restructuring mandates. Earlier in his tenure in Kotak, Amar was involved with various infrastructure initiatives such as monetisation of city gas distribution and LNG projects as well as the IPO of India’s private sector first fixed line telecom and data services company. Prior to joining Kotak in 1999, Amar was involved in structuring and project financing of India’s first BOT toll road project (in Vadodara Gujarat, 1997) and several new power plants, new fixed line, cellular and satellite telecom projects, ports and industrial parks in his 5-year tenure at IL&FS.

Amar is an active member in several infrastructure and real estate industry associations including APREA, GRI, IVCA and Naredco. He is an alumnus of VJTI, BE Electrical (Hons) and is an MBA from NMIMS Mumbai.