Mr Kalra will cover selected large cap clients in the energy, industrial and telecom sectors, where there is an increasing level of mergers and acquisitions and capital-raising activity.

Mr Kalra will report to V Anantharaman, head of Credit Suisse's investment banking department for India.

Mr Kalra joins from DSP Merrill Lynch in Mumbai, where he had been a director in the general industries investment banking group since July 2006.

Mr Anantharaman said: "Pankaj brings to Credit Suisse an intimate understanding of corporate India and the energy sector in particular. We are confident that his arrival will be a catalyst for the growth of our energy investment banking business in India, where we see a substantial need for capital and strong interest in acquiring assets, particularly overseas."