The Firm comprises of a team of worthy practitioners who represent a coalition of specialized skills that is geared to offer Audit & Assurance, Accounting Advisory and Tax & Regulatory services and who are well versed with industry specific requirements and the corresponding laws prevailing in the country. 
We consider every member of the organization as a family member and the entire team as one united happy family. Our people related decisions are not only driven by our mind but also driven by our heart.

Deepak Rao : Founder
Senior Advisor: Illume Advisory

Deepak Rao & Co was founded by CA Deepak Rao (the ‘Founder’, or ‘He’ or ‘Deepak’) who is a Chartered Accountant, a Fellow member of ICAI (FCA) and a Master of Commerce degree holder with over two decades of professional services experience.

Deepak’s experience includes incubating professional service practices, leading & managing large regional practices, creating careers for many people across various roles, working in international and multicultural environments having worked in the UK for 6 years, the Middle East for 2 years and in India with large global network of professional services firms.

He has led and managed several complex Audit & Assurance and Accounting Advisory engagements, in India and internationally across diverse market segments such as Technology, Financial Services, Infrastructure, Industrial, Media, Entertainment and Consumer Products. He also has experience in working with many dynamic start-ups through their business life cycle. He is also the Senior Advisor to Illume Advisory (the profile of which can be found in https://deepakrao.co.in/our-collaboration/ )

Deepak’s experience on select key projects include:
 ● Led the audits of many start ups in the tech spacer, large multinational investment banks, retail banks, and insurance       companies in India and the UK. This included managing the audit of the largest retail bank in the UK.
  Handled IFRS transition of a large multinational UK based insurance company.
 ● Led the audits of many auto captive finance & Non Banking Financial Services Companies in India.
 ● Led the audit of one of the largest multinational ATM manufacturer and service provider. 
  Led the audit of Indian subsidiary of world’s largest beverage maker.
 ● Spearheaded the successful IPO project of a Small Finance Bank as their auditor. 

Yashesh Ashar : Senior Advisor
Transactions, Tax & Regulatory

Yashesh is a Partner of Illume Advisory, a Mumbai based Transactions Advisory, M&A Advisory and CFO Advisory services firm. Yashesh has over 14 years of tax and regulatory experience as well as in M&A, group restructuring, inbound and outbound investment structuring, transaction structuring, due diligence, fund and structuring, tax modelling and negotiations, wealth and estate planning. Prior to this, he was a part of various Big 4 firms PwC and EY. Yashesh is a fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and a Bachelor of Commerce from the Mumbai University.  Yashesh has authored / co-authored various articles on tax, regulatory and transaction aspects. Yashesh is also regularly invited by leading business dailies for contributing expert views / articles. Yashesh is a TiE Charter Member and also, strategic advisor with MSME Business Forum.

His skills include: M&A and group reorganizations, Transaction structuring (including PE transactions), Buy side and sell side due diligence, Fund and platform structuring, Regulatory advisory and compliance, Tax advisory, compliance and litigation services.

Yashesh’s experience on select key projects include:
● Acting as a qusai CFO / consultant for AIFs / VCFs handling accounting. Auditing, tax and regulatory compliance MIS,  portfolio monitoring, investor relations etc.
● Experience on variety of transactions and M&As ranging from USD 0.5 million to USD 3.5 billion.
Experience on structuring and implementations of domestic & offshore funds with AUM of USD 5 million to USD 1.5 billion.
End to end transaction implementation from term sheet stage through valuation, diligence, structuring, negotiations, documentations, closing and post-acquisition integration..
Advising various private equity firms – offshore as well as domestic on structuring the fund as well as management structures.
● Experience in setting up alternative asset platforms across the entire spectrum.
Advised various financial services entities in formulating their entry strategy into India / structuring platforms in the financial services and private equity space
● Advising HNIs / business houses in wealth and succession planning avenues as well as on immigration / migration abroad.
● Advising various start-up entrepreneurs fund raise, ESOPs, exits / listing opportunities.
● Fund raising for start-ups including preparation of pitch deck, financial modelling, valuation & advisory.

 

Raashi Shah : Senior Advisor
Transactions, Tax & Regulatory

Raashi is a Partner of Illume Advisory, a Mumbai based Transactions Advisory, M&A Advisory and CFO Advisory services firm. Raashi has over 10 years of tax and regulatory experience as well as in international tax, tax structuring / M&A, due diligence, financial modelling wealth and estate planning, legal drafting and documentation, company law and FEMA matters. Raashi is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Bachelor of Law and MBA in finance. Raashi has authored / co-authored various articles on tax, regulatory and transaction aspects.

Her skills include: Tax advisory and structuring, Legal drafting and documentations, Tax and GST compliance and representation, Regulatory advisory and compliance (FEMA, Company laws), Tax advisory, compliance and litigation services and Start-up advisory & fund raising.

  • Raashis’s experience on select key projects include:
    ●  
    Acting as a qusai CFO / consultant for AIFs / VCFs handling accounting. Auditing, tax and regulatory compliance MIS, portfolio monitoring, investor relations etc..
  • ● End to end implementation of various M&A transactions including slump sale, demerger / merger, preparation of schemes, briefing senior counsel etc..
  • ● Handling tax and GST compliances and representation for various corporates and start-ups.
  • ● End to end transaction implementation from term sheet stage through valuation, diligence, structuring, negotiations, documentations, closing.
  • ● Drafting of various legal documentation for contracts, M&A transactions, SHA, SPA etc.
  • ● Advising various start-up entrepreneurs fund raise, ESOPs, exits / listing opportunities.
  • ● Advising HNIs / business houses in wealth and succession planning avenues as well as on immigration / migration abroad.
  • ● Advising on Crypto taxation as well as setting up crypto NFT platforms in Singapore / Dubai.
  • ● Advising on setting up domestic and offshore fund structures for investments in India.
  • ● Fund raising for start-ups including preparation of pitch deck, financial modelling, valuation & advisory.

Neha Kapur: Senior Consultant
Risk Advisory & Internal Audit

Neha is an independent Risk Management and Internal Audit Professional, based out of Bengaluru. Neha has over 15 years experience in risk consulting environment at PricewaterhouseCoopers, BDO, Axis Risk Consulting Services Pvt. Ltd. and freelancing assignments. She started RastikFab that retails curated Kosa textile products. Neha has cleared exams for Certification in Internal Audit (CIA ®), Control Self-Assessment (CCSA®) from The Institute of Internal Auditors, Florida and Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA). She is from Commerce background and she is a MBA from Fore School of Management.

Her skills include: Risk based internal audits, preparation of SOPs, Process design reviews, Risk assessment, and Internal financial controls.

  • Neha’s experience on select key projects include:
    ● Manage large Internal Audit and Risk engagements across portfolio of clients. Scheduling engagements; Preparation of audit strategy and work plans; Monitoring progress of assignment to ensure adherence to time budgets; Preparation of MIS and Resource allocation.
  • ● Build strong network and relationships at clients (Board / Audit committee / Management)
  • ● Leading, nurturing and managing team.
  • ● Work with Advisory Leadership on firm’s strategic priorities and practice initiatives.
  • ● Develop and Profitably Grow Risk Advisory Services (RAS) practice in Bangalore across various sectors. Business planning, business development, project execution, billing and collections.
  • ● Marketing initiative with prospective clients; preparation of Approach Paper and Proposals.
  • ● Worked as a Resource Manager for RAS practice which included management of Retain software, monitoring of utilisation and skill enhancement initiatives for the team. Worked with cross functional teams to establish the manpower planning model for RAS.
  • ● Part of the setting up of Knowledge management function for RAS in PwC.
  • ● Training Lead for Mumbai office in PwC.
  • ● As freelancer worked with Swiggy, helping them define and review processes for Procurement, Inventory and defining process related smart sheets.
  • ● As part of JBR with PwC, worked on IFC reviews.

Management & Leadership

The Management & Leadership team of the Firm consists talented Chartered Accountants with experience across diverse market segments such as Technology, Financial Services, Infrastructure, Industrial, Media, Entertainment and Consumer Products.

This team consists of empowered people from diverse perspectives. Diversity is about differences and this team thinks broadly about differences, such as gender, language, working & thinking style, religious & cultural background, sexual orientation, experiences, and career paths. This team imbibes and promotes an inclusive culture which is about leveraging differences to live the culture where all people are; respected, valued, have a sense of belonging, empowered, socially responsible, have integrity, ethics & morals in their DNA, inspired to contribute their best and given an opportunity to cherish various cycles of professional experience.

Trainees

The Firm considers that it has a very important responsibility to train, professionally develop, guide, coach and mentor future leaders in the professional services discipline in which it operates.

As part of fulfilling this responsibility, the Firm integrates in it’s team; talented, dedicated and hardworking trainees especially in the field of accountancy and aspiring Chartered Accountants.

These Trainees are empowered to pursue their passion at work, given various cycles of learning experience, given a career path, upskilled in core professional competencies, respected and valued.

The trainees are nurtured in such a way that they acquire the knowledge and skill sets necessary for them to fulfil their academic objectives as well as to become extraordinary professionals, future leaders, and builders of the Great India tale.