JLL India CEO Ramesh Nair is leaving the company to pursue opportunities outside the firm. He is succeeded by Radha Dhir, an experienced financial services executive, who has held senior leadership positions in Deutsche Bank India and Yes Bank, the company said in a statement from Singapore.
Nair joined JLL as an analyst in 1999. He rose through the ranks to become Chief Operating Officer in 2013 and then CEO of the India business in 2017. He was also a member of the Asia Pacific Executive Board.
In his time with the firm, he has overseen multiple businesses and functions and has been a valued advisor to many domestic and multinational real estate owners, occupiers and investors, helping to deliver successful projects of the highest quality across asset classes and geographies.
Dhir was previously group president at Yes Bank, where she was Head of Multinational Corporate Banking. Prior to that, she was managing director, Head of Global Subsidiary Coverage Group, Deutsche Bank India, and a member of the Deutsche Bank India Executive Committee. She will join JLL on January 25, 2021. She will report to Asia Pacific CEO Anthony Couse, will be a member of the Asia Pacific Executive Board, and will chair the India Leadership Council.
“Ramesh Nair has been a great asset to JLL in his two decades with the firm. I am grateful for his service, his commitment, and I thank him for the immense contribution he has made in building the business over the years. He has much to be proud of as he passes the baton to Radha Dhir, with JLL India in a strong position for future growth and with a high performing and ambitious leadership team,” said Anthony Couse, CEO, JLL Asia Pacific.
While working for Deutsche Bank India, Dhir led a relationship management team serving both multinationals and India-based corporates. Having started as a graduate trainee in 1995, she took on positions of increasing responsibility and, in 2008, was the first woman and youngest Managing Director appointed at Deutsche Bank India.
As CEO, Dhir will set the overall strategic direction of JLL India, tapping into the growth opportunities of this fast maturing market. The real estate sector in India is expected to reach a market size of US$1 trillion by 2030 and contribute 13% to the country’s GDP by 2025, according to figures from the India Brand Equity Association.
In India, JLL has presence across 10 major cities (Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Kochi and Coimbatore) and in over 130 tier 2 and 3 markets with a workforce of close to 12,000 professionals.
