The appointee, who has worked at Morgan Stanley Investment Management for a quarter of a century, is a published author, regular media commentator and strategist.

Prominent fund manager and market commentator Ruchir Sharma is joining Rockefeller Capital Management, the US firm has announced. 

As managing director and chairman, Rockefeller International, Sharma will serve as an advisor to the firm, be a resource for its global family office advisors and clients, and a global brand ambassador.

Sharma also plans to form an investment company, Breakout Capital, in which Rockefeller Capital Management will be a partner. At Rockefeller Capital Management, he will report directly to Greg Fleming, CEO, and have a seat on the firm’s management committee.

“Ruchir brings not only great investing skills but additional intellectual firepower to the firm,” said Fleming. “His position reinforces our commitment to the global markets. He’ll be a great asset to our advisors, bankers and clients across businesses and borders.”

For the past 25 years, Sharma has worked at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, most recently as head of emerging markets and chief global strategist. There, he managed nearly $20 billion in assets and helped launch several new products including an Emerging Leaders fund, a Frontier Markets strategy, and a Special Situations fund.

He is also a writer and author on the global economy and markets, frequently appearing on news channels. He was a regular contributor to The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and is a contributing editor at The Financial Times, where he writes a bi-weekly column. Sharma is the award-winning author of two global best-sellers, The Rise and Fall of Nations and Breakout Nations.

At Morgan Stanley Investment Management, Sharma managed a 40-person team based in New York, Singapore, Hong Kong and Mumbai. 

Born in India, Sharma began writing a newspaper column at age 17 for The Economic Times, India’s largest financial daily. He earned his undergraduate degree at Delhi’s Shri Ram College. He was about to start graduate school in the United States when Morgan Stanley invited him to join its Asian investing team in 1996.

Away from his work, he is a dedicated athlete and represented India in the World Masters Championship and continues to train daily for the 100- and 200-meter sprints.