About Karan Ahluwalia

Karan Ahluwalia, Senior President & Country Head, Media & Entertainment, Fine Arts, Luxury and Sports Banking Group at YES BANK

Karan Ahluwalia is a specialist knowledge banker with longstanding experience in the Indian Industry. He is currently Senior President & Country Head - Media & Entertainment, Fine Arts, Luxury and Sports Banking Group at YES BANK.

As part of the start-up team at YES BANK since 2004, he has been instrumental in setting up, developing and managing the portfolio of this highly focused banking group. Under Karan’s guidance and leadership, YES Bank is today the market leader for banking solutions in these sunrise sectors.

At YES BANK, Karan has worked on customizing comprehensive financial and banking solutions comprising of strategic advisory, fund raising, direct & structured financing to meet the specific requirements of players in the Media & Entertainment, Sports and Luxury sectors.

Within the M&E space Karan has developed unique solutions for a range of organizations in the broadcast, film and television content, advertising, cable and satellite and new media space. YES Bank is associated with landmark deals in this space including the IPO of India’s largest animation company, the largest acquisition in the Indian exhibition space, PE fund raising for India’s largest digital marketing company and has won various Global M&A Advisor Awards.

Under his guidance, the Sports Banking group engaged in key transactions to assist the Indian Premier League and has assisted the BCCI and its member associations in their respective financial and advisory requirements. YES BANK most recently extended its long standing relationship with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to become the sole banker for the U-17 Football World Cup to be held in India in 2017. The group is also involved in funding of iconic sports infrastructure in India and was the lead debt syndicator for the Buddh

International F1 Circuit which was the venue for the first ever Indian Grand Prix in 2011.

In order to capitalise on the vast opportunities in India’s growing Luxury market, Karan has developed a deep rooted understanding of the requirements of this sector and has built relationships with prominent players from within the luxury retail, retail infrastructure and allied areas. YES Bank recently released the first of its kind luxury study in association with ASSOCHAM, Italian luxury council “La Fondazione Altagamma” and the European Cultural & Creative Industries Alliance, Brussels.

Karan is also actively involved in promoting the growth of these sectors both domestically and internationally through his roles and participation at various chambers of commerce and industry events; and is currently part of the ASSOCHAM Luxury Committee as well as FICCI’s Entertainment & Sports Committees. An avid researcher and writer on the business of entertainment, Karan has authored several research documents in collaboration with leading industry bodies including FICCI, CII and Assocham and has been a moderator and key speaker on various panel discussions for financial solutions for the luxury as well as media & entertainment industry.

In a career spanning close to fifteen years, Karan has developed deep rooted & strong professional relationships with major industry players in the M&E, Sports and Luxury space. He brings with him over 10 years of banking experience as well as firsthand experience in startups within the media industry.

Prior to YES BANK, Karan was part of ANZ Investment Bank and Rabo India (Rabobank’s Indian subsidiary) where he has worked across the Corporate Finance, Investment Banking, Marketing and Strategic Initiatives functions.