Platinum Partners has expanded with a second partner in Mumbai, hiring Thakker & Thakker partner Gautam Bhat.

Bhat has joined Platinum's sole Mumbai partner Nihar Mody and seven associates.

Mody said: "We are very excited about it because we've just completed a little over a year in this office."

"We are just now still focusing on corporate and M&A so it just helps that there are two of us now rather than having only one partner, he added and joked: "It is difficult to be in two or three places at the same time. Now we can hopefully not say no to so many clients."

Bhat said that he had known Mody for a long time, having worked opposite to him on many deals.

"I just thought I wanted to move to the kind of set up that Platinum has and try and look for something different and something new," explained Bhat, adding that he had enjoyed working at Thakker & Thakker and that wished managing partner Bijesh Thakker all the best.

Bhat noted that the strategy of what sectors and clients he would focus on was not yet finalised but would be agreed over the coming holiday season between him, Mody and the other Platinum partners Karam Daulet-Singh and Anuj Bhatia in Delhi.

Bhat added that Platinum would be looking to build up its associate team strength in Mumbai, although the firm would not be "hiring for the sake of hiring".

Platinum had ramped up its associate capacity in Delhi by 25 per cent in July with lateral hires from law school and London.

Following Bhat's departure Thakker & Thakker is left with four partners after promoting its one partner in June.

Bijesh Thakker was unavailable for comment.