About Backwater
Backwater was established in 2009 in Kochi, Kerala, as a mid-market focused financial and strategic advisory firm with key focus on providing customized services to midcap companies in the areas of Investment Banking & Corporate Finance, Business Advisory Services and Business Process Management Services.
Our high-performance team comprises of Chartered Accountants, Cost Accountants, Company Secretaries, Management Accountants, Management Graduates and Associates and our core management team has a combined experience of 65+ years across the Big 4 audit and advisory firms as well as IT & ITES companies.
We rely on the vast experience of our team and provide insightful feedback to our customers that help them in managing their businesses better and provide them with custom made solutions that aid them to accelerate their growth.
Our experience covers multiple industry verticals like Trading & Retail, IT & ITES, Hospitality & Healthcare, Transportation & Logistics, Learning & Education, Construction & Real Estate, Mining & Quarrying – to name a few.
Our Core Team
Jose Joseph Mekkalath
Jose is a Fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, with 22 years of experience in assurance, M&A, strategy, and investment banking. Before founding Backwater in 2009, Jose worked with Deloitte, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, KPMG, and EY in India and in the Middle East. Jose heads the Investment Banking and Corporate Finance practices at Backwater.
Sreeram S
Sreeram is a Fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, and an Associate member of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India and has 22 years of experience in the fields of assurance, outsourcing, and corporate governance. Before joining Backwater as its head of operations in 2018, Sreeram worked with Deloitte, Wipro, EY, and EXL in India, the Middle East, North America, and Europe.
Smita Leslie
Smita is a Fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and has 22 years of experience in Assurance, advisory and outsourcing. Before joining Backwater in 2012, Smita worked with Deloitte and the Reserve Bank of India. Smita heads the Corporate Taxation, Legal, and Corporate Governance practices at Backwater.
Vikas Suresh Kumar
Vikas is a Senior Advisor to Backwater, and the founder of Unithos, a boutique advisory firm specialising in Deal Advisory and Valuations. An associate member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and CIMA, the UK, Vikas headed the valuations practice of KPMG for over a decade in South India. Vikas advises us on areas relating to valuations across our engagements.
Our core team is supported by a 20-member multi-disciplinary team spread across Kochi and Bangalore locations.
