Umesh Vallipuram is a results-oriented finance executive with 20+ years successful track record of corporate development, investments and deal execution. He started his finance career with PriceWaterhouseCoopers and qualified as CPA, CA in 1997. In 1998 Umesh joined First Asset, a start-up investment management firm, which was sold to AMG in 2005. He was with AMG, a US-based public global asset management firm, for 15 years and most recently as Vice President, Affiliate Development before recently co-founding BisRing, a start-up prop tech platform. Umesh has also volunteered with various community organisations over the last 20 years, mainly with the goal of helping the next generation strive. In 2012, he co-founded the Centre for Leadership and Innovation, a non-profit organisation for youth aged 10-18 to learn public speaking, team building and leadership skills.

I chose a career path in corporate finance because of how much it challenged and excited me. I had the opportunity to work with professionals in different sectors, I was held accountable for results, and was pushed to be better – giving me job satisfaction and was also financially very rewarding.

When I started my career in the 1990s there were hardly any Tamils on Bay Street. It was a struggle and I had many barriers to overcome, but I was determined to succeed. It’s now great to see so many in the younger generation making a mark for themselves. The opportunities in the field of corporate finance is tremendous, and I’d like to see many more of the younger generation Tamils pursue it and succeed.

As part of the pilot TiF Mentorship Program, I was paired up with a finance professional who has been working for 5 years since graduating from university. He is very talented, extremely hardworking, ambitious, and very much community minded. While working long hours, he was volunteering with various community organisations. As a mentor, I was a sounding board in helping him prioritise demands of his job versus volunteering commitments. He also had new job opportunities presented to him. I provided guidance on evaluating the different options and on choosing what’s best for him in the longer term. Further, COVID-19 presented a lot of anxiety and uncertainty for many, and our monthly catchup calls enable us to share our experiences and fears, which I believe benefited both of us.

I very much enjoyed the experience of being a mentor, as I was able to relate to my mentee very well. I also had the satisfaction that I was able to share my experiences with him, provide perspective when asked, and was a sounding board when he needed to make some important career decisions.

The Tamil identity has driven me to be involved in various organisations, but mainly to help the next generation strive. My wife and I strongly believe in the need to give back, so that our three children will value the importance of volunteering, helping others and being proud of their Tamil heritage.