Know Your Fund Manager | Satish Dondapati, Fund Manager, ETF, Kotak AMC

Let's start with your personal story:
I was born in Delhi and come from an Army family. My father served in the Indian Army, and my mother is a homemaker. Due to my father's transferable job, I completed my schooling in Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) across Kolkata, Jammu, Udhampur, Nagpur and Secunderabad. I hold an MBA in Finance from FOMS, Jabalpur. My education and exposure to different parts of the country sparked my interest in finance and have shaped my professional journey.

How did you land up in this job?
I started my career in sales with Aviva Life Insurance and later joined Bajaj Capital, where I was involved in selling a range of financial products. I then moved to Centurion Bank of Punjab as a Product Manager for Mutual Funds, which marked my transition into the investment industry. In 2008, I joined Kotak Mutual Fund as a Product Manager. In 2019, I got the opportunity to manage ETFs and Index Funds, moving into portfolio management. Currently, I work as a Fund Manager for Passive Funds at Kotak Mutual Fund, managing ETFs and Index Funds.


Which funds are you currently managing?
Currently, I manage all the Equity ETFs, Equity Index Funds, and the Liquid ETF at Kotak Mutual Fund. This includes 19 ETFs and 23 Index Funds. As of June 2026, the combined AUM of these ETFs and Index Funds is Rs 20,440 crore.

What is your investment philosophy and how will you describe your investment strategy?
My investment philosophy is based on passive investing, where the objective is to closely track the performance of a benchmark index. In passive investing, the aim is not to beat the market but to track it as efficiently as possible. We build the portfolio in line with the index, execute trades carefully, and manage cash efficiently to keep tracking error and tracking difference as low as possible. Since passive investing is a low-cost and transparent approach, investors get exposure to the market without depending on stock selection. Over the long term, this helps them participate in the overall growth of the market.

What gives you the kick while managing other people's money?
What I enjoy most is managing investors' money with accuracy and responsibility. In passive investing, the goal is to track the benchmark as closely as possible, and that challenge keeps me motivated. It is satisfying to deliver what we promise by keeping tracking error low and ensuring efficient execution. The trust that investors place in us is what gives me the greatest satisfaction.