Morgan Stanley Private Equity is looking to make some noise in India and has hired Aluri Srinivasa Rao to run the group’s investments in the region.

Rao joins from ICICI Venture as a managing director where he led p.e. investments in the healthcare sector. Prior to joining ICICI Venture in 2002, Rao held various senior positions in a number of Indian pharmaceutical companies.

Chin Chou, Hong Kong-based managing director and CEO of MSPE Asia, said: “Building on our successful track record in China and Korea, and across other markets in Asia, we are excited to be entering the India market. We see significant investment opportunities and are delighted to have attracted a world-class professional such as Aluri to join the regional team and to run our private equity platform in India.”

MSPE Asia will invest in India through its third Asia-dedicated private equity fund, the US$1.5 billion Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia III Fund, which closed in the third quarter of 2007.