Title: Head of product, ESG data
Firm: Kestrel
Age: 34
Prachi Chandhok ended up in municipal finance by chance but attributes her success to her parents.
Growing up in India, Prachi's parents instilled in her the merits of hard work and integrity.
"One of the things that my parents said to me early on in my life is, 'If you have the will to do something, you can make it happen,'" she said.
And make it happen, Prachi did.
She started her career at Millennium Advisors, first in operations and then the muni desk. It was there that she realized that her background in computer science and engineering would take her on a path "that would immerse her in what she loves — identifying market challenges and designing solutions through innovative technology, products and workflows," according to Melissa Winkler, a senior vice president at Kestrel.
She spent several years at Millennium Advisors before joining Kestrel in November 2020, where she rose quickly through the ranks.
"Prachi brought us right into the major leagues, with her adept transformation of our ESG Impact Data methodology into an elegant software design," said Kestrel CEO Monica Reid. "From the very beginning, her ability to translate between our product development and engineering teams set a standard of excellence for software deployment, product improvements and updates with minimal downtime."
Prachi is responsible for new data products and enhancements, along with the technology integration of Kestrel data on the Bloomberg terminal. She has also been instrumental in launching the "first data offering to tackle the entire municipal market at series level," Winkler said.
ESG data, Prachi said, is another way to look at municipal bonds and finance activities.
"Whether or not you have an ESG strategy in your company, Kestrel's comprehensive analysis provides you with key insights on transition alignment and social equity," she said. "It's another way to look at muni bonds that no one else is doing."
Prachi earned her bachelor's degree in computer science engineering from SRM University in India and her master's in engineering management from Duke University. She lives in San Francisco with her husband Alec Boutin.
