Rupal J. Bhansali

Rupal is executive vice president of Ariel Investments, a money management firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois with offices in New York and Sydney. The firm offers six no-load mutual funds for individual investors and defined contribution plans as well as separately managed accounts for institutions and high net worth individuals. As chief investment officer and portfolio manager of Ariel’s multi-billion dollar international and global equity strategies, she oversees Ariel’s New York based global equities research team. Rupal joined Ariel in 2011 after spending 10 years with MacKay Shields, where she was senior managing director, portfolio manager and head of international equities. Prior to that, she spent 5 years at Oppenheimer Capital, where she managed international and global equity portfolios and was promoted to co-head of international equities. Additionally, she has held various roles at other financial services firms since she began her career in 1989, including Soros Fund Management. In 2009, Forbes International Investment Report named her a “Global Guru”, and in 2015, Barron’s recognized her as a “Global Contrarian”. Rupal is a frequent guest on premier shows such as Bloomberg, CNBC Squawk Box and Fox Business News. She is also a sought-after speaker at prestigious industry conferences including the CFA Institute, Morningstar and Schwab. Fluent in several Indian languages including Hindi, Rupal earned a Bachelor of Commerce in accounting and finance, as well as a Master of Commerce in international finance and banking from the University of Mumbai. She later earned an MBA in finance from the University of Rochester, where she was a Rotary Foundation Scholar.