About the Winpe Leadership Awards 2025
The 2025 edition once again highlighted the exceptional efforts of firms and individuals leading the way with innovative, inclusive policies in the Private Equity and Venture Capital sector. This prestigious event celebrated high-performing leaders committed to driving sustainable change and fostering diversity across the sector.
The awards ceremony recognized 11 outstanding winners who have demonstrated dedication to creating better opportunities for all. The distinguished jury of global leaders with deep industry expertise honored those whose actions are paving the way for more inclusive and forward-thinking business practices. By recognizing these trailblazers, the Winpe Leadership Awards continue to build momentum for broader industry reform, inspiring others to follow suit and contribute to a more inclusive and equitable future for all in Private Equity and Venture Capital.
2025 Winners
Deal of the Year
Venture Capital
Deal of the Year
Private Equity
Private Equity Backed Company of the Year
Venture Capital Backed Company of the Year
Firm of the Year
Private Equity
Firm of the Year
Venture Capital
Richa Bajpai,
Campus Fund
Leader of the Year
Venture Capital
Nithya Easwaran,
Multiples Alternate Asset Management
Leader of the Year
Private Equity
Vishal Tulsyan,
Motilal Oswal Alternates
Changemaker of the Year - Private Equity
Manish Kheterpal,
WaterBridge Ventures
Changemaker of the Year - Venture Capital
Shweta Jalan,
Advent International
Special Acknowledgment
-Leadership
2025 Jury
Debbi Sutuntivorakoon
Partner,
Axiom Asia Private Capital
Debbi Sutuntivorakoon
Partner,Axiom Asia Private Capital
Debbi Sutuntivorakoon joined Axiom Asia in 2016. She is primarily responsible for leading the Investor Partnership Services team and portfolio monitoring. Prior to joining Axiom,Debbi worked at EXS Capital in Hong Kong where she focused on deal execution including investment research, analysis, and investor relations for private equity real estate transactions. Debbi began her career as a financial journalist for Mergermarket covering M&A and private equity transactions.
Debbi has participated as a panelist and moderator in industry events including PEWIN,PEI, Asian Investment Banking and IFLR Asian Private Equity forums. Debbi graduated with a B.A., Magna Cum Laude, from Tufts University and was awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst charter in 2017. She attended Deerfield Academy for high school. She speaks fluent English, Thai, Cantonese and Mandarin.
Pamela C. Fung
Managing Director,
Morgan Stanley
Pamela C. Fung
Managing Director,Morgan Stanley
Pamela is a partner and investment committee member for the Morgan Stanley Private Equity Solutions Team and has 18 years of industry experience. Prior to joining the firm, Pamela was a management consultant with McKinsey & Company's corporate finance practice in Hong Kong, responsible for investment opportunity identification, deal advisory, merger management and strategy development. Previously, she was a management consultant with Monitor Group, specializing in marketing strategy for clients across Asia, and a member of the corporate finance team with Lehman Brothers in Hong Kong. Pamela has a Law degree (first class honors) from the University of Hong Kong and an M.B.A. with honors in finance and management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Ralitsa Rizvanolli
Partner and Head of Investments,
Sarona Asset Management
Ralitsa Rizvanolli
Partner and Head of Investments,Sarona Asset Management
Rali is accountable for investment selection, execution and monitoring of investments for Sarona’s funds and impact mandates on behalf of third-party clients such as governments and non-profit organizations. Rali ensures that ESG and impact are embedded into the investment process. Rali is passionate about deepening the gender lens and climate risk assessment capabilities at Sarona, believing that investing with both lenses leads to better financial and sustainability outcomes. Prior to Sarona, Rali was an investment manager at Triple Jump. Rali built a portfolio of private equity and fixed income investments primarily in Africa and MENA for a fund of funds (Dutch Good Growth Fund) funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Prior to that Rali was a Portfolio Manager with responsibility for credit risk analysis and top-down allocation for microfinance funds. She started her career in microfinance, holding various positions at MIX Market, a data and market intelligence platform for the microfinance industry. Rali holds a B.A. in International Relations from Pomona College in California and an M.A. in International Development from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Rali was born and raised in Bulgaria and has spent extensive time working and living in emerging markets including Albania and Mexico. Rali currently heads Sarona’s Singapore office.
Sunil Mishra
Partner - Primary Investments,
Adams Street Partners
Sunil Mishra
Partner - Primary Investments,Adams Street Partners
Sunil specializes in fund selection, due diligence, negotiations, and monitoring of Asian investments ex-China, specifically in India, Australia, Japan, Southeast Asia, and Korea. He also actively participates in all fund investment decisions and is involved in the sourcing, screening, execution, monitoring, and exiting of growth and buyout co-investments.
Prior to joining Adams Street, Sunil worked for Standard Chartered Bank in Singapore performing financial and business analyses of local and regional companies. Previously, he worked in India as an Investment and Strategy Associate in Tacogroup, the automotive technology and engineering investment arm of the Tata Group of India, where he worked on business planning, feasibility studies, and localization plans for new ventures.
Sunil manages relationships with several of Adams Street’s managers and sits on advisory boards of more than a dozen private equity firms within the Adams Street Partners portfolio. He is currently Chairman of the Singapore Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (SVCA) and has been a member of the SVCA Board since 2016.
Thomas Kronsbein
Director Private Equity,
Global Markets DEG
Thomas Kronsbein
Director Private Equity,Global Markets DEG
Thomas Kronsbein, based in Cologne, Germany, is a Director at DEG - Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH and heads the firm‘s Private Equity Global Markets team. He has ~20 years of experience in the Private Equity / Investment industry gained in various roles at DEG, AXA Group and EY.
Thomas is a Member of the Board of Directors of Forte Insurance Group, Cambodia and has previously served on the Boards of ZEP-RE (PTA Reinsurance Company), Kenya and the African Reinsurance Corporation, Nigeria.
He holds a business degree in Accounting Finance (Diplom Kaufmann) and is an alumni of Würzburg University, Germany and Umeả University, Sweden and possesses a robust skill set that includes Due Diligence, Corporate Finance, Mergers & Acquisitions, Valuation, Financial Analysis, and more.
2024 Winners
Firm of the Year
Private Equity
Firm of the Year
Venture Capital
IT Clean Mobility
Deal of the Year
Private Equity
Evolve
Deal of the Year
Venture Capital
PeopleStrong Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
PE Backed Company of the Year
NIRAMAI Health Analytix Private Limited
VC Backed Company of the Year
Ashley Menezes,
ChrysCapital
Changemaker of the Year
Private Equity
Vineet Rai,
Aavishkaar Capital
Changemaker of the Year
Venture Capital
Shivani Bhasin Sachdeva,
India Alternatives Investment Advisors
PE Leader of the Year
Padmaja Ruparel,
Indian Angel Network
VC Leader of the Year
Alka Goel,
Alkemi Growth Capital
Here to Win
2024 Jury
Amit Sachdeva
Managing Director, Co-Investments,
AlpInvest
Amit Sachdeva
Managing Director, Co-Investments,AlpInvest
Amit is a Managing Director and heads AlpInvest’s co-investment effort in the Asia Pacific region, where he focuses on equity transactions in Asia and Australia. Amit rejoined AlpInvest in 2018 after about 3 years at Neuberger Berman in Asia. Prior to NB, Amit worked at AlpInvest for 8 years in our Hong Kong based co-investment team between 2008 – 2016. Before that, he was with JP Morgan IBD based in New York. He started his working career in 2000 as a supply chain management consultant in the US at i2 Technologies and LogicTools respectively. Amit received a Bachelor of Technology from the Indian Institute of Technology, a Master of Science from Northwestern University and an MBA with a major in Finance from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Kunal Sood
Managing Director,
Pantheon’s Asia Investment Team
Kunal Sood
Managing Director,Pantheon’s Asia Investment Team
Kunal is a Managing Director in Pantheon’s Asia Investment team and a member of the Asia Investment Committee. Kunal is involved in all aspects of Pantheon’s activities in Asia and is responsible for primary (fund), secondary and co-investment opportunities across Asia-Pacific markets. Prior to Pantheon, Kunal was at a middle-market direct private equity investment firm and previously at CITI Group and ICICI Bank. He has a Masters from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and a Bachelors in Engineering from Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology. Kunal is a member of the Limited Partners Council and Secondaries Special Interest Group for India Venture Capital Association (IVCA). Kunal was previously based in Hong Kong and is now based in Singapore.
Ralph Keitel
Head of Fund of Funds,
responsAbility's
Ralph Keitel
Head of Fund of Funds,responsAbility's
Prior to assuming the role as CIO for SIFEM (the Swiss DFI) in March 2023, Ralph was Principal Investment Officer in the Private Equity and Investment Funds department of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group. During his 16-year tenure, he headed IFC’s private equity fund activities in Eastern Europe, Africa, Latin America and East Asia and was based in Washington DC, Johannesburg and Singapore.
Prior to joining IFC, Ralph was with Caisse de Dépot et Placement de Québec (CDP) in Montréal, where he managed a portfolio of venture capital funds in North America and Europe. Previously, he spent nearly 5 years with TBG (now part of the KfW Group, Frankfurt), providing seed early-stage venture capital financing for technology start-up companies before assuming responsibility for TBG’s portfolio of funds.
Ralph holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Bonn (Germany) as well as a post-graduate degree in Finance and Management (Dean’s Honour List) from McGill University in Montreal (Canada).
Rebecca Xu
Co-Founder & Managing Director,
Asia Alternatives
Rebecca Xu
Co-Founder & Managing Director,Asia Alternatives
Rebecca Xu is a Co-Founder and Managing Director of Asia Alternatives. Ms. Xu splits her time between Asia Alternatives’ Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong offices. Ms. Xu is on the Firm’s Investment Committee and co-leads Asia Alternatives’ investments in growth and venture capital funds, focusing most of her time on Asia Alternatives’ China investments.
Prior to starting Asia Alternatives, Ms. Xu was a Senior Investment Officer at the Funds Group of the International Finance Corporation (“IFC”), the private sector investment arm of the World Bank Group. There, she had the primary responsibility of leading IFC’s fund investing and portfolio supervision in Asia for over six years. Previously, Ms. Xu also worked at McKinsey & Co, Inc. (Washington D.C.) and HSBC (Hong Kong).
Ms. Xu received an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the Foreign Affairs College in Beijing, China. Ms. Xu is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.
Ms. Xu currently serves on the Advisory Boards for a number of Asia Alternatives’ China and India private equity funds. In addition, she serves as the Chairwoman of the Hong Kong Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (HKVCA) and on the Board of the Chun Hui Bo’ai Children’s Foundation.
Yar-Ping Soo
Partner,
Adams Street
Yar-Ping Soo
Partner,Adams Street
Yar-Ping leads the Primary Investment Team’s practice in Asia and actively participates in all investment decisions. She also manages relationships with several of Adams Street's GPs in the region.
Prior to joining Adams Street, she was a Senior Vice President of GIC Special Investments (GICSI), which is
the private equity arm of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation. Yar-Ping spent more than a decade at GIC and worked in their New York, Redwood City, and Singapore offices. She was the Head of Asia/Emerging Markets based out of Singapore, leading GIC Private Equity’s investments in leveraged buyout funds, growth capital funds, and co-investments.
Yar-Ping is a member of Adams Street’s Primary Investment Committee.
2023 Winners
Asian Footwears
Deal of the Year
Private Equity
String Bio
Deal of the Year
Venture Capital
Hyperface
Deal of the Year
Venture Capital
Firm of the Year
Private Equity
Firm of the Year
Venture Capital
Nithya Easwaran,
Multiples Alternate Asset
Management Private Limited
Investor of the Year
Female - Private Equity
Sushma Kaushik,
Aavishkaar Capital
Investor of the Year
Female - Venture Capital
Ashley Menezes,
ChrysCapital
Private Equity Leader of the Year - Male
Kanwaljit Singh,
Fireside Ventures
Investor of the Year
Male - Venture Capital
PeopleStrong
Portfolio Company of the Year
Private Equity
Omidyar Network
Portfolio Company of the Year
Venture Capital
2023 Jury
Harisha Koneru Haigh
Managing Director, Private Investments & Real Assets,
Northwestern University Investment Office
Harisha Koneru Haigh
Managing Director, Private Investments & Real Assets,Northwestern University Investment Office
Skilled allocator with 25+ years of investment experience. Last 17 years in the Endowment & Foundation sphere. Lead sourcing, underwriting and management of managers across asset classes. Experienced in asset allocation and liquidity management. Key member of leadership team that led NU’s Investment Office during CIO transition. Track record of hiring, training and mentoring junior and midlevel professionals. Lead diversity initiatives for NU’s Investment Office.
Hemal Mirani
Managing Director,
HarbourVest Partners
Hemal Mirani
Managing Director,HarbourVest Partners
Hemal first joined HarbourVest in 1997 and spent eleven years developing relationships with leading Asian private equity managers and working with our investors and consultants across the region to advance and optimize their private market investment programs. She rejoined HarbourVest after six years with CVC Capital Partners in Hong Kong, where she was head of investor relations in Asia and Chief Administrative Officer.
Hemal received a BA in Commerce from Sydenham College (Bombay) in 1989, an MA in International Studies with a Japanese language concentration from the Joseph H. Lauder Institute, and an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School in 1997. The latter two were part of a joint degree program at the University of Pennsylvania. Hemal speaks fluent Japanese.
Kanchan Samtani
Managing Director & Senior Partner,
India Leader – Principal Investors & Private Equity,
Boston Consulting Group
Kanchan Samtani
Managing Director & Senior Partner,India Leader – Principal Investors & Private Equity,
Boston Consulting Group
Kanchan is based in Mumbai and serves as an Executive Committee member for Boston Consulting Group, the firm’s apex decision-making body globally. She leads BCG’s Transactions & Integrations practice in APAC. She has also founded and leads BCG’s Principal Investors and Private Equity practice in India.
Kanchan has more than 20 years’ experience in management consulting primarily across TMT (technology, media & telecom) and private equity. Over the last 5 years, she has worked closely with most leading private equity investors in India, advising them on portfolio strategy, pre-deal diligence etc. She also works extensively with corporates as well as growth stage companies on topics spanning the transaction lifecycle e.g. fund raise / IPO, M&A, post-merger integration and divestitures.
She received her MBA degree from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta.
Maninder Saluja
Partner, Head of Private Equity Funds & Co- Investments, Executive Committee Member,
Quilvest Capital Partners
Maninder Saluja
Partner, Head of Private Equity Funds & Co- Investments, Executive Committee Member,Quilvest Capital Partners
Mani is a Partner at Quilvest Private Equity and Head of Funds & Co- Investments globally. He joined Quilvest in New York in 2005 and opened Quilvest's Hong Kong office in 2010. He is a member of the Executive Committee.
While at Quilvest, Mani developed the Asia and emerging market private equity programs and currently oversees Fund & Co-Investments globally, with a particular focus on Asia and the United States. Mani initially joined Quilvest in NY as a member of the direct investment team focused on lead and co-investments primarily in the United States.
Prior to joining Quilvest, Mani worked at Alvarez & Marsal, a prominent crisis management and restructuring advisory firm, where he worked with creditors and distressed companies in various operational and financial turnaround situations.
Prior to A&M, Mani worked as the Director of Finance and Strategic Planning for a data center and data communications provider in the Northeastern United States. Mani started his career in the Media & Communications and International investment banking practices of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, both in New York and Hong Kong.
Mani received his MBA from the Harvard Business School and a BBA with a concentration in finance from the University of Michigan. He is an advisory board member or board observer on a number of Quilvest's funds and co-investments. In addition, Mani is on the board of EMPEA, the Emerging Markets Private Equity Association. He is married with three children.
Mei Ni Yang
Managing Director,
Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan
Mei Ni Yang
Managing Director,Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan
Mei Ni Yang is based in Hong Kong and is part of the senior team leading private equity funds in the Asia-Pacific region. Mei Ni has more than 20 years of experience in the private equity and venture capital industry.
Prior to joining Ontario Teachers’, Mei Ni was a Partner and Head of Private Equity for Asia-Pacific at Mercer, where she was a member of the global IC and was responsible for investment research, business development and portfolio construction. She started her career at Citigroup Investment Banking and held various senior positions at JP Morgan Partners, Hamilton Lane and UBS.
Mei Ni received her B.S. and B.A. degrees from The University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated from the Huntsman Program, a dual-degree program between The Wharton School and College of Arts and Sciences. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst registered in Hong Kong.
Steven Evers
Managing Director & CEO, Head Office,
Triple Jump
Steven Evers
Managing Director & CEO, Head Office,Triple Jump
Steven Evers is a co-founder of Triple Jump where he is responsible for overall strategy, business development and portfolio management. Prior to joining Triple Jump, Steven held positions in banking and consulting at FMO, KBC and at the ING Bank. Steven has been active in the impact investing sector for 15 years, working both in the field and as a fund manager.
Steven has an MBA from the IESE Business School in Barcelona and a degree in Economics from the University of Amsterdam. He is a Dutch National and speaks Dutch, English and Spanish.