Though Jaysen Nundoosingh didn’t necessarily know what he wanted to do in life, he knew that going to university would provide him with an essential start to build a career. 

TVU was one of the schools back then that gave me a chance. I felt this would give me a base to build from, and ended up on the Economics course, which isn’t something I had planned. I just wanted to be on a course, and it was later that I grew to understand it, and to love it.” 

Jaysen had a great time at university, while he was discovering his interests and having fun, he also knew how important it was to knuckle down and study. His hard work paid off and Jaysen graduated in 1997 with a 2:1, at which point he started looking for work in the finance sector. 

Things lined up from there. I ended up as a research associate for a huge US brokerage form. I remember going to Liverpool Street and sitting in this long board room, asking me questions. I never expected to get the job, but I got the job.” 

Very quickly, Jaysen made his way from a research associate to the trading desk, which he eventually co-ran. 

That was an amazing experience, I was trading US markets out of London selling into the Middle East. Working hours were crazy, like 7am to 9pm, but it was great fun. A great energy. I also got the chance to start travelling in the Middle East.” 

In time, Jaysen realised he wanted to study an MBA, convincing his boss at the time to fund it through the bank. His boss agreed, and Jaysen started studying at City, University of London, all while continuing to hold down his job at the bank. 

That was very hard work. I was working and studying at the same time. I spent a couple of nights sleeping at the office. If I was up working until 4am, I may as well just sleep on the couch. And that was fine, I had energy and passion.” 

After he got married, Jaysen found himself struggling with the cold of a London winter and decided to return home to his native Mauritius. Quitting his job that very day, Jaysen quickly found work at the second largest Mauritian bank. This served as his initiation to banking in the African continent, kickstarting a long career with several banks in that part of the world. 

My focus changed from running a national business to an Africa-centric business. So, the complexity and the scope of the job changed dramatically. I was constantly upskilling, and when things like this happen, you have to learn and be willing to ask questions. You have to be humble all the way.” 

In 2013, Jaysen moved to Madagascar to oversee the transition of a family business into a corporate entity, helping a chairman pass the company over to his son. Jaysen sees this as the biggest and most complicated job he’s ever done. 

Being involved with a family that’s working across different sectors, there’s a lot of challenges. You’ve not only got those sectors, but you have to work alongside the family and understand how each member sees life. 

We were turning it from a family run business to a corporate business, it was a big job and it took three years.” 

Once this was complete, Jaysen returned to Mauritius with Barclays Bank. At the same time, he undertook an Advanced Management Program at the University of Chicago Booth Business School. 

At different stages in your life, there’s different moments which pivot you. My 2:1 was a big moment, then my MBA and my AMP. All of these moments were to do with education, and education really puts you in a space where positive changes can happen.” 

When Absa Bank took over from Barclays Africa Operations, Jaysen stayed with them, running their wealth hub out of Mauritius serving clients across the African continent and beyond. 

Now, Jaysen is looking to the future: 

I’m ready to retire from banking in a few years, not because I’m bored. There’s still a lot of passion for what I do, but I want to do multiple things. I want to add value differently to society, so hopefully I’ll move away and start working with young people. I’m not sure what shape or what form, but I want to work with young minds.” 

Finally, Jaysen had this advice to offer: 

I work with young people, I recruit a lot of them, and they’re all very impatient. They want it all and they want it now, but sometimes you have to learn the hard way. There’s wisdom in listening to others, in observing others, in asking questions. What I’m trying to say is, be patient, be curious and have a plan.”