Ex-MSCI India business head Chandru Badrinarayanan joins Blue Sky Analytics as Chief Operating Officer (COO).
Blue Sky Analytics is a new-age climate intelligence firm producing global high-frequency and actionable climate data sets for a range of physical risks by leveraging satellite data, AI, and cloud computing. With the technical USP in high volume computation power and optimization, deep environmental and climate modelling expertise, and a robust satellite data analytics team, Blue Sky is leveraging on its initial thesis of “Climate Risk is the new Credit Risk” to bring much needed climate intelligence to the global BFSI industry.
Chandru brings more than 35 years of experience across sales, banking, financial services, analytics & risk management; would helm Blue Sky’s next stage of growth as a marquee player in the global climate intelligence sector.
Previously, Chandru was a Managing Partner at ECube Investment Advisors, a niche player in the ESG value chain. Chandru is also a member of the Global Policy and Reference Group of UNPRI and a special invitee to the technical committee on regulations, constituted by the Government of India and coordinated by the UNDP.
An alum of INSEAD Business School, Chandru has worked closely with regulators in India on various market development initiatives.
Notably, Chandru helmed MSCI’s business in India, where he popularised ETFs and ESG Investments. Before MSCI, he spent 13 years at CRISIL (an S&P company) as a Senior Director and established various businesses, from fixed-income services to risk management solutions.
As a strategic advisor, I have observed Blue Sky Analytics closely over the past year. I was extremely bullish of the business, idea, technology, and team already while joining as an advisor, but truly realized the massive business opportunity unfolding as I worked closely with the team. I envision Blue Sky as a firm which can play a critical role in the climate intelligence value chain and help the world effectively combat climate change by bringing in more transparency and bridging the trust deficit between various stakeholders. The growth and success would happen through a solid strategy, high quality execution, driven by a well-balanced mix of Ambition, Accountability, Alignment, and Account Management. As an ex-MSCI & CRISIL alum, I intend to bring high customer service and client success focus to Blue Sky Analytics at this transformative juncture” Chandru Badrinarayanan said,
Chandru has been associated with Blue Sky as a Strategic Advisor, guiding the firm in product and business development since January 2022. As the Chief Operating Officer, Chandru will be responsible for strategic initiatives, revenue generation, business development and marketing functions to steer Blue Sky’s next growth phase. He will also manage the company's daily business operations, working closely with key team members to ensure alignment with current company policies and goals. Leveraging his deep experience and sharp insights into ESG & Climate Change, he will continue to be involved in product development.
“This move is a game-changing leap for us as a team and an organisation to truly get to the next stage of our journey, fully capitalise our potential and emerge as the most sought-after global climate intelligence company. Chandu’s diverse experience across sectors, his past successes launching and scaling high-margin businesses and his global network will be pivotal in driving Blue Sky to newer heights. Moreover, his discipline and solid business fundamentals will help inculcate the same into the company culture.” said Abhilasha Purwar, Founder and CEO, Blue Sky Analytics.
About Chandru Badrinarayanan
Chandru Badrinarayanan is the founder of New Age ESG & Climate Action Pvt Ltd., which provides strategic advice on ESG & Climate to New Age firms. He was also a Managing Partner at ECube Investment Advisors. Before ECube, he served in leadership positions at MSCI as the country head for India and senior director at CRISIL (an S&P company).
At MSCI, he rapidly grew MSCI’s Index, ESG Ratings, and analytics business in India. At CRISIL, he added new lines of business like risk solutions, corporate vendor & dealer evaluations and assurances, solar gradings, fixed Income indexes, and government securities valuations.
He is a special invitee to the technical working group on Regulations for Sustainable Finance, constituted by the Ministry of Finance, Government of India. He is also a member of the global policy and the reference group of UNPRI. He is an alum of INSEAD Business School and a CFA from ICFAI. He also has completed programs on climate change from the Asian Investor Group on Climate Change and Fintech and Strategic Innovation from INSEAD Business School.
About Blue Sky Analytics
Blue Sky Analytics is a Climate-Tech Startup using satellite-derived climate intelligence to power decisions across various sectors. Using proprietary AI and ML models, the company provides off-the-shelf and bespoke global data solutions across various environmental indicators, including GHG and carbon emissions, flood, drought, wildfire, heat risk and much more. With wide-ranging applications, the potential use cases of this data may include monitoring & measuring physical climate risks of various assets, calculating climate VaR and stress testing for different warming scenarios. Blue Sky's data can be accessed via the user-friendly platform SpaceTime™ and accessible APIs.
