Mr. Akhil Gupta is a Senior Managing Director and Chairman of Blackstone India and is based in Mumbai.

Mr. Gupta’s primary role is to source and manage private equity transactions in India. In addition, he provides support for Blackstone’s other businesses, including real estate and corporate advisory services.

Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Gupta served as CEO - Corporate
Development for Reliance Industries Limited and Reliance Infocomm Limited. Reliance is India’s largest private sector business with diversified interests in petrochemicals, energy, power, telecom, and financial services. Mr. Gupta’s efforts at Reliance were focused on developing Reliance’s oil & gas, refining, and telecom businesses.

Mr. Gupta began his career at Hindustan Lever, India’s largest multi-national corporation. From 1981 to 1992 he worked in the U.S, first in consulting with Strategic Planning Associates and ICF in Washington D.C., then as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Krauses Sofa (an integrated retailer and manufacturer of furniture), and after that as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Stylus Inc. (another integrated retailer and manufacturer of furniture).

Mr. Gupta received his B.Tech degree in Chemical Engineering, with distinction, from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi in 1973 and an MBA from the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University in 1981.