Astira Capital Partners Names Manoj Kothiyal Partner, Head of AI

Astira Capital Partners has appointed Manoj Kothiyal as Partner, Head of AI, creating a senior leadership role dedicated to integrating applied artificial intelligence into investment strategy and value creation across the private equity firm's portfolio. The Boston-based firm announced the move as a structural bet that applied AI will reshape how business and professional services companies deliver their expertise.

Kothiyal's mandate is hands-on. He will work directly with founders and management teams at Astira-backed companies to build AI capabilities designed to improve service quality, extend specialist expertise, and create additional customer value. He will also partner with portfolio company leadership to identify where AI can enhance service delivery while preserving the judgment and client relationships that remain important to professional services businesses.

Who is Manoj Kothiyal?

Kothiyal arrives with a track record spanning enterprise AI strategy, digital transformation, product development, and operational change.

Before joining Astira, he served as Chief Business Officer and Global Head of AI at LTM, formerly LTIMindtree. Earlier in his career, Kothiyal was a Managing Director and Partner at Boston Consulting Group, where he worked across the firm's Consumer and Operations practices and helped expand internal AI development capabilities at BCG X. His work there included proprietary AI products such as SNOW AI.

What does the appointment signal?

Azra Kanji, Founder and Managing Partner of Astira Capital Partners, framed the hire as a turning point for the sector. She said: "We are at an inflection point for specialist services. Applied AI is changing what customers can expect, how expertise can be delivered and where enduring value will be created."

Chris Ritchie, Partner at Astira Capital Partners, kept the framing similarly direct. He said: "Applied AI presents the opportunity to rethink service delivery."

Astira's thesis is that specialist services companies can use AI adoption to make deep subject-matter expertise available to customers with greater consistency, responsiveness, and reach. Kothiyal himself cast the shift in expansive terms. He said: "Applied AI is opening a new era for specialist services, one in which a firm's deepest expertise can be available in more of the moments that matter to customers."

The new role doesn't start from zero. The appointment builds on AI capabilities already in development across Astira's investment and portfolio operations teams, meaning Kothiyal inherits an existing internal effort rather than launching one from scratch.

Why it matters for portfolio companies

Astira Capital Partners focuses on business and professional services companies. The firm partners with founders and management teams, combining investment capital with operating support — including technology and applied AI capabilities — to drive growth.

For portfolio leadership teams, the practical implication is direct: expect a partner-level resource embedded in strategy discussions, pushing AI adoption where it can scale expertise without eroding the relationship-driven core of professional services delivery.

The appointment signals how mid-market private equity firms are beginning to treat AI capability not as a portfolio company side project, but as a dedicated investment function with its own senior leadership.