Abhishek Sachdev is the founder of Vedanta Hedging, the UK’s largest FCA authorised derivative consultancy. The Vedanta team are regulated derivative experts for types of UK corporate.
Abhishek has provided evidence and advice to the Treasury Select Committee, the Prime Minister, several Ministers and was paid to advise the FCA itself. Vedanta Hedging is a successful and trustworthy firm.
Mr Sachdev has been an Expert Witness and Advisor in more than 450 derivative disputes; including Interest Rate derivatives, LIBOR, Securitisation, Structured Products and FX derivatives. Popular in the media, he has also been a guest on top British TV and radio channels such as Sky TV, BBC TV, BBC Radio 4, to say nothing about newspapers such as The Telegraph and The Times. All of these wouldn’t have been possible without the influence of Abhishek Sachdev on the growth of the company.
In 2014, Abhishek was also elected as the first ever British Indian Councillor in Hertsmere. He further increased his majority in his (Conservative) Potters Bar Parkfield constituency in the 2015 election.
Early childhood
Born in Barnet, North London, Abhishek is the son of newsagent shop owners. As a youngster, Abhishek used to help his parents in their shops. He spent some summers working in a small newsagent kiosk just opposite the McDonalds in Liverpool Street.
Dreaming of something more, the young Sachdev saw himself as a banker just like those affluent UBS gentleman he used to serve cigarettes and sweets to. Talking about his job today, Abhishek says: “It is with great pride that my derivative consultancy is now based in premium offices in New Broad Street, just 100yds from this very same kiosk!”
How he chose his career
As Abhishek has always been interested in Economics, he was headhunted to join a fast-track scheme to Senior Management at a global bank. Every experience is valuable, and after working for nearly 10 years in the bank, Sachdev felt as though he could achieve something more with the knowledge he gained.
When mentioning his departure from the Bank in 2011, he conveys: “I have always enjoyed financial services, and in particular explaining complex concepts in simple terms. This is what led to me leaving the Bank in 2011 to set up Vedanta Hedging.”
When Sachdev saw business owners being taken advantage of by banks, he decided to provide them with a helping hand. His idea was to create an independent firm that would help business owners protect themselves against possible losses regarding interest rate and currency risk.
Abhishek’s aim was to improve financial services to benefit hard working businesses. Abhishek was surprised that even some of the largest hoteliers and care home owners in the UK (including listed PLC’s) did not use independent hedging advice.
Turning point
At the age of 15 Abhishek was lucky enough to meet his Guru, Morari Bapu. It happened one day when he came back from school and received his first blessings from Bapu. The teachings of Bapu were not new to his parents, but this was the first time that Abhishek had got to know the spiritual leader himself. Guru also blessed him with a new name when Abhishek was just 16.
Describing this miraculous experience, Sachdev conveys: “From this point, my life took a new path and in fact my Guru has shown me (via the teachings of the ancient Hindu poem the Ramayana) how to act as an ideal student, son, husband, father and how one should serve their community. I believe that all aspects of my life have immensely benefited from striving to be a better Hindu.”
Biggest challenge
Abhishek recalls that one of the biggest failures of his life was missing by 0.2% the grades he needed to go to my first choice of university. But later on he joined Durham University, which introduced him to a whole new world of people, cultures and new incredible achievements that perhaps wouldn’t be there at his first choice of university. All that is done is for the better.
Sachdev confesses: “I genuinely believe that I would not be where I am today if I had not read Economics at Durham. I worked hard and achieved the highest First Class Honours from the entire Economics course.”
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I genuinely believe that I would not be where I am today if I had not read Economics at Durham. I worked hard and achieved the highest First Class Honours from the entire Economics course
