OUR TEAM
Nihar Dharod
Founder & Principal
Nihar is a Chartered Accountant and holds an LLB Degree.
Nihar has more than a decade of experience in the field of Indirect Taxes.
Before founding ExcelQuest Consulting, he was a Partner and Indirect Tax Head at Shah & Savla LLP. Nihar has also worked in the Indirect Tax verticals of organizations such as PwC India and BDO India.
Prior to focusing on Indirect Taxes, he was an intern at UKG & Associates, where he has worked in the areas of Audits and Direct Tax - compliances as well as advisory.
Nihar has been advising multi-national as well as domestic clients in the areas of GST, Service Tax, VAT, Excise Duty, Customs Duty and Foreign Trade Policy.
He handles assignments on multi-state tax assessments and litigations, indirect tax compliances and refund applications, health-check reviews, due diligence reviews, Govt. representation services, and tax planning and structuring. He has also undertaken GST impact assessment studies and GST transition for his clients.
Nihar was a Special Invitee Member of the GST and IDT Committee and Maharashtra Study Group of the ICAI for the Council Year 2023-24. He is a Managing Committee Member of CVO Chartered and Cost Accountants Association.
Nihar has regularly contributed thought leadership to various publications and is a regular speaker at professional forums.
Manan Bilakhia
Co-Founder & Principal
Manan Bilakhia is a seasoned Chartered Accountant with over 10 years of Big-4 experience at KPMG, specializing in Indirect Taxation.
As a well-groomed professional, he delivers strategic advisory and hands-on execution to conglomerates, MNCs, and high-growth enterprises across diverse sectors including Financial Services, IT-ITeS, Media, FMCG, Pharmaceuticals, and E-commerce.
His expertise lies in navigating complex indirect tax landscapes, including GST, VAT, Customs, Service Tax, and Foreign Trade Policies.
Manan excels in advising clients through assessment proceedings, preparing precise submissions, and securing optimal resolutions. He is skilled in drafting replies to show-cause notices, audit objections, and spot memos, as well as managing departmental audits (EA, CERA, DGCEI).
His experience includes drafting advance-ruling applications and engaging with the GST Council’s Law/Fitment Committees to seek interpretative guidance through advocacy assignments.
A key strength is his ability to develop end-to-end dispute-resolution roadmaps, guiding clients from pre-litigation negotiations to appellate and judicial forums. Manan has extensive expertise in GST impact assessments, compliance, tax position reviews, health checks, litigation, refunds, Foreign Trade Policy, and HSN classification.
Manan fosters a culture of learning and development, leading a team of 12 talented professionals to deliver exceptional, outcome-oriented tax solutions.
Jinesh Savla
Manager
Jinesh is a Chartered Accountant and is pursuing law.
He has about 2 years of post-qualification experience in providing a wide gamut of services in the areas of direct tax, indirect tax, audits, ROC compliances, etc.
He has a keen interest in leveraging technology in the field of consulting. He has been assisting Nihar in handling indirect tax assignments including litigations, advisory and health-checks.
He also looks after the direct tax and regulatory compliance services at Excelquest.
He contributes write-ups at CVOCA News & Views and has been a speaker at professional forums.