Kaku Nakhate, 

It’s been a busy year for Nakhate, 48, who says India continues to be one of Bank of America-Merrill Lynch’s most profitable operations in the Asia-Pacific region. That’s thanks to the bank’s role in marquee deals like iGate's $4 billion sale to Capgemini, Bharti Airtel’s billion-dollar bond issuance, RIL’s $1.1 billion sale of a U.S. asset, and Coal India’s $3.7 billion stake sale, the largest government divestment. Then there was Adani Ports’ $650 million bond issue—the largest dollar-denominated bond offering by an Indian infra company. Nakhate, who moves up the rankings this year, also advised on ING Vysya Bank’s $2.4 billion merger with Kotak Mahindra.