Independent credit rating advisory
Behind Leapfrog Advisory is 18+ years of credit rating agency experience, brought directly to help you understand how your business is assessed and prepare for critical credit decisions.
The credit decisions behind the numbers
Every important financial or business decision can influence how rating agencies view your company's credit profile. Drawing on an understanding of how these assessments are made, Leapfrog helps you anticipate potential credit implications, evaluate the trade-offs and make better-informed decisions.
Questions worth asking early.
How I can help
Principal-led advisory for companies and financial institutions navigating credit ratings, strategic financial decisions and credit risk.
Navigate the rating process with greater clarity.
Advisory support spanning first-time rating readiness, rating-agency engagement and the effective presentation of a company's credit strengths and key considerations.
Know more →Understand the credit implications before decisions are made.
Independent analysis of how capex, acquisitions, refinancing, mergers and funding choices may affect leverage, liquidity, debt-servicing capacity and the overall credit profile—helping management evaluate alternatives before committing to a course of action.
Make more informed decisions about credit exposure.
Independent assessment of counterparties and credit exposures, including offtaker risk and internal credit opinions, to support lending, investment and credit-risk management decisions.
Selected Leapfrog Clients
Sector experience
Engagements are sector-agnostic, drawing on exposure across manufacturing, infrastructure and BFSI.
Founder & Principal Consultant
Experience that understands the rating process
Sudhir Kumar brings over 21 years of experience across credit rating, credit assessment, corporate advisory and entrepreneurship. He began his career at CARE in June 2005 in its corporate advisory vertical after completing his MBA from IBS Hyderabad, before moving to ratings analytics in 2008.
Over the next 15 years in ratings analytics, Sudhir progressed through increasingly senior roles, including Group Head, Sector Head and ultimately Rating Head. In his final role, he oversaw Group Heads responsible for portfolios of rating assignments, supported by teams of analysts. Alongside his leadership responsibilities, he served as a rating committee member and chaired rating committees for CARE's India operations. He also served on rating committees of CARE's overseas subsidiaries.
His experience spans more than 1,000 rating assignments across diverse sectors, including conventional and renewable power, steel, roads, hotels, hospitals, logistics, oil and gas, real estate, construction, retail and other industries. He contributed to the development of rating methodologies for sectors including power, gas and sub-sovereign entities, and led CARE's pan-India team for the Ministry of Power's Integrated Rating of State Power Distribution Utilities assignment for seven years.
This breadth of experience gives him a perspective on both sides of the credit assessment process: how companies prepare and present their credit case, and how rating professionals evaluate it. At Leapfrog, he brings that perspective to helping companies understand credit considerations, anticipate potential concerns and communicate their credit story more effectively.
He is also an honorary member of the Indian Federation of Green Energy.
Credit advisory across key business situations
Before pursuing your company’s first credit rating.
Assess rating readiness, identify potential credit concerns and organise the company’s credit narrative and supporting information before approaching a rating agency.
When your existing rating does not adequately reflect your business strengths.
Examine key rating constraints, understand credit sensitivities and help management prepare for rating reviews and discussions with rating agencies.
Before a significant capex, acquisition, merger, borrowing or refinancing decision.
Evaluate potential implications for leverage, liquidity, debt-servicing capacity and the overall credit profile before committing to a course of action.
When assessing a counterparty, borrower or significant credit exposure.
Provide independent credit assessments, internal credit opinions and offtaker risk analysis to support informed credit-risk decisions.
Better-informed decisions start with an independent view of the credit implications—before plans become commitments.
A founder-led advisory practice
At Leapfrog, Sudhir Kumar brings his experience and judgement directly to client engagements. Drawing on 21+ years across the credit risk domain, including 18+ years at a credit rating agency, he brings a practitioner’s understanding of how credit profiles are evaluated, where concerns can arise and how companies can present their credit story more effectively.
Whether navigating a rating assessment, evaluating the credit implications of a strategic decision or assessing a significant credit exposure, Leapfrog combines experienced judgement with focused, personalised attention to the issues that matter.
Client feedback
Partnering with Leapfrog Advisory Solutions helped us immensely. Sudhir and his team’s sharp insights and hands-on guidance helped us reposition our case with the agencies. Within eight months, we were upgraded from A- to AA-, significantly reducing our borrowing costs and opening up new funding avenues.
Sudhir’s understanding of rating dynamics and risk perception is exceptional. Our project is exposed to the merchant market, and most saw it as a limitation. But his nuanced approach helped us showcase our financial resilience and governance strength. Thanks to their support, we became the first merchant-based small hydro project in India to secure an AA- rating.
Start a conversation
Let's discuss your credit objectives, funding plans and the factors that could influence your company's credit profile.
Founder & Principal Consultant · Leapfrog Advisory Solutions LLP