The entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity. That's precisely would describe a person like Rajiv Memani, Country Head, Ernst & Young India, who like his compatriots is young, entrepreneurial, skilled and competitive. It is as a result of efforts of people like him that there has been significant activity in foreign investment in India. A visible measure of new confidence in India could be seen from the fact that during the next 12 months, India is expected to receive foreign investment to the tune of US$15 billion, a three-fold increase on the previous year.

And, believe it - it's people like Memani who have given this new confidence to FDI players to invest in India. One of the hottest properties in the world of wheels and deals, Memani is extremely shy about his achievements, a modesty that comes naturally to big achievers. Though Memani is the CEO and country manager of E&Y India, he's not an investment banker. In fact, he's from the placid world of chartered accountancy. A man who believes in intelligence and smart way of working, it's Memani's untiring labour which has made E&Y one of the leading dealmakers. In fact, according to Bloomberg rating, Ernst & Young topped the list in number of transactions and was second in total deal value in India. That means it was second only to Morgan Stanley and ahead of stalwarts like JP Morgan, Merrill Lynch and SBI Capital Markets.

As the son of Ernst & Young chairman Kashi Nath Memani, deal-making may run in the family, but Rajiv has earned his own spurs. In 2002, he was involved in the $720-million ONGC Videsh's acquisition of a 25 per cent stake in a Canadian-owned oil field in Sudan. He has also been an advisor to Indian Oil on the acquisition of IBP, to Zuari for a strategic stake in Paradeep Phosphates, and Tata Power in North-West Delhi Electricity Distribution. Some of his other memorable deals include the Customer Asset sale to ICICI One Source, the Color Plus sale to Raymonds and Mano Pharma to Orchid.

Not surprisingly, Memani also played a key role in the sale of 50 per cent stake in All-Out to Johnson for Rs 200 crore, rumoured to be one of the largest FMCG in India. While the company was in the doldrums, he was setting a searing pace for it. As India Inc. prepares to comply with Clause 49 of the Securities and Exchange Board of India's listing agreement; Memani is upbeat like never before. "This is where the action is," he said. Himself an embodiment of action and intelligence, Memani has already started working on 10 new big-ticket accounts. So, isn't he afraid of upsetting the stalwarts? "We are not brokers with other interests, our knowledge is operational," Memani said recently. True, it's the operation, immediate actions and sharp intelligence, which determine the course of one's destiny as it has done in Memani's case.