Kunal Thanvi

I come from a business family, and my early years were spent helping run my father’s timber business. The timber business is tough and working in it taught me invaluable lessons about competitive advantage, pricing power, and the importance of frugality. I started young, spending afternoons and weekends in the office, talking with the workforce and gaining a unique perspective on life. These experiences now guide my search for companies with strong competitive advantages, effective management, and prudent financial practices.

My passion for investing was ignited by the philosophies of Charlie Munger and Warren Buffett. Their logical approach to investing, especially the focus on avoiding obvious mistakes and thinking like a part-owner, appealed strongly to me. A key lesson from Charlie that shaped my career is to focus more on what not to do rather than what to do, in both life and investing.

I joined Banyan Tree in 2019 as an Equity Research Analyst after meeting Jigar at a value investing conference. Over the years, I have worked at various companies in portfolio management. I have been fortunate to be part of this journey by enhancing our research processes, expanding, and training the research team. My goal is for Banyan Tree to have the best research team in the country.

I like reading books, business magazines, and thinking about investments. Reading is a critical part of my professional life, and I make it a point to start and end my day with reading. A book that has had a profound impact on me is “All I Want to Know is Where I’m Going to Die So I’ll Never Go There” by Peter Bevelin. I recommend it to everyone for its simple yet powerful life lessons, and its ability to make one a better investor and human being.

In my spare time, I enjoy old Bollywood music, cricket, video games, and meaningful conversations with family and friends.