Dinesh Kanabar

Dinesh Kanabar is an Indian tax consultant, and entrepreneur who serves as the chairman and CEO of Dhruva Advisors India Pvt. Ltd. (a Ryan LLC Affiliate). In June 2025, he was appointed as an Independent Director at Reliance Industries Ltd. He also serves on the boards of Adani Green Energy Ltd., PVR INOX Ltd., and Jio Platforms Ltd.

Early life & education

Dinesh Kanabar was born in 1958 in Gujarat, and raised in Mumbai. He completed his undergraduate studies at R. A. Podar College of Commerce & Economics, and undertook his articleship at M. M. Nissim & Co.. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1980, securing the 18th rank nationally in the Intermediate examinations.

Career

Kanabar began his professional career at Ratan S. Mama & Co., one of the early Indian chartered accountancy firms to establish operations in the United Arab Emirates, and Oman. He transitioned to partnership in 1984, and became Managing Partner in 1996.

In 1997, he led the restructuring of the firm, which was subsequently renamed RSM & Co.. In 2007, the firm merged with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) India, after which Kanabar was appointed Head of Tax, and served on the firm's Global Tax Board.

In 2009, he joined KPMG India as Deputy CEO and Chairman of the Tax practice. He went on in 2014 to establish Dhruva Advisors LLP (now Dhruva Advsiors India Pvt. Ltd.), which has since expanded across India, the Middle East, and Singapore. The firm received multiple recognitions from the International Tax Review, including “India Tax Firm of the Year” at the ITR Asia Tax Awards (2017–2021), and maintained Tier 1 rankings in the World Tax, and World Transfer Pricing guides (2022–2026).

In September 2025, Dhruva Advisors entered into a joint venture with Ryan LLC. Dinesh subsequently became a Vice Chairman at Ryan LLC, while continuing in his role as chairman and CEO at Dhruva Advisors. The partnership involved Ryan acquiring a majority stake in Dhruva Advsiors, and Dhruva's Partners receiving equity in Ryan.

Affiliations and board memberships

  • Kanabar is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI).
  • He serves as an Independent Director on the board of Reliance Industries Limited.
  • He serves as an Independent Director on the board of Adani Green Energy Limited.
  • He serves as an Independent Director on the board of PVR INOX Limited.
  • He serves as a Director on the board of Jio Platforms Limited.
  • He serves as a Director at the Finance Industry Development Council (FIDC).
  • He has served as a member of the National Executive Committee of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).
  • He has been associated with FICCI's Committee on Taxation in a mentoring capacity, contributing to representations made to the Ministry of Finance.
  • He was appointed as a member of the Board of Trade constituted by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.

Other activity

Kanabar has been active in philately, with a particular focus on Indian lithographs, and pre-Independence postage stamps. He is a Fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society London and is associated with various national and international philatelic organisations. In 2025, he authored A Compendium of Articles on the Half Anna Lithograph Stamps, a study of India’s 1854 lithographed stamp issues.

Awards

Kanabar was named “Asia Tax Practice Leader of the Year” in 2020 by the International Tax Review (ITR).