KISHAN KHANNA
Founder & C.E.O.
As the Founder and CEO of Alpha K2 Group of Companies, Kishan Khanna brings over 30 years of experience in wealth management, risk management solutions, marine and aviation finance.
BIOGRAPHY & BACKGROUND
Alphak2 Global Advisors is a leading provider of ‘Life Finance Solutions’, creating liquidity for highly illiquid estates, providing innovative wealth building solutions with the leverage of ‘Premium Finance Strategies’. Alpha K2 Risk Management offers “Award Winning” risk management solutions to clients. Innovative market and risk control strategies developed by Nobel Laurette Yale Professor, Dr. Robert J. Shiller, Professor Emeritus at Yale University, Dr. Roger G. Ibbotson and Wharton School Professor, Dr. Jeremy Siegel. Cutting edge, time tested strategies developed by these highly distinguished, preeminent minds in finance, help our clients navigate the markets confidently in times of extreme volatility and uncertainty. Alpha K2 Marine & Aviation offers global sales, charter and lease of jet aircraft, luxury yachts and ships. The firm recently expanded capabilities to develop creative ‘leverage financing’ strategies in the aviation and marine space.
After graduating with his MBA from the Joseph M. Katz School of Business at The University of Pittsburgh, Kishan was selected to join MetLife’s Executive Training Program for MBA’s and JD’s. Upon achieving the company’s highest recognition in sales, “President’s Conference”; Kishan was promoted to Regional Training Director. Moving up the corporate ladder, he was promoted to Branch Manager and then General Manager in New York. During these years, his branch and region earned many prestigious “Management Leadership Awards”.
MetLife’s CEO, sponsored Kishan to The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated with Wharton’s Advanced Management Program. His excellence in management positions of increasing responsibilities, led to his appointment as the Managing Director of MetLife in San Francisco, overseeing the company’s operations in greater San Francisco and Northern California.
Kishan’s linguistic skills and international background led him to join American International Group (AIG) in New York. Subsequently, he went to work at AIG’s premier, wholly owned subsidiary at the time, American International Assurance (AIA) of Bermuda.
Working out of AIA’s Headquarters in Hong Kong as Vice President –Agency, Kishan worked directly under the Chairman of AIA and Co-Chief Operating Officer of AIG. Gaining broad based experience of various AIA businesses and AIG’s International operations in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Switzerland. This included his experience with various distributions channels throughout Asia, including the highly successful, ‘bank assurance’ distribution with AIG-LIPPO (largest bank) in Indonesia. Kishan was subsequently promoted as the Country Head of AIA –Agency, India, where he was instrumental in launching AIG’s Life Operations, collaborating in a Joint Venture with India’s venerable TATA Group. He served as Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing & Distribution Officer of TATA AIG in India. Generating more than eighty percent of the company’s revenues, he oversaw the company’s Life operations including Agency, Brokerage, Bank Assurance,Corporate,Group and Pensions divisions. Concurrently, Kishan was also appointed as The Chairman of the Life Insurance Market Committee, by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDA). The committee was represented by the CEOs of all foreign and domestic life insurance companies licensed in India. As such, the committee played a key role in the development of industry regulations and market reforms.
Returning to the U.S., Kishan acquired valuable experience with UBS, AG, The Mass Mutual Financial Group and Credit Suisse, where he created unique investment opportunities in the Private Placement Markets, bringing together, Hedge Funds, Insurance Companies and ‘Qualified Investors’ on a single investment platform.
In the aviation arena, Kishan applied for Part {121} Certification from the FAA, to form a start-up transcontinental passenger and cargo airline – Pegasus Airlines and holds a Private Pilot’s License. He recently formed Alpha K2 Marine & Aviation and is licensed as a global ship and yacht broker. Kishan served as an Advisor and Trustee, respectively to Governor Pete Wilson (R) and Governor Mario M. Cuomo, Sr. (D). He was a member of the President’s Circle and Member of the Encore Society of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. As an avid Polo player since his childhood, Kishan currently serves on the International Board of Governors of the “American Polo Association”. He also formed “Chukkars for Children”, a charitable foundation for the benefit of orphan children.