Aisha de Sequeira
Julia Maria Aisha de Sequeira | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 22, 1969 Goa, India |
| Died | December 10, 2020 (aged 51) New York City, United States |
| Occupation | Banker |
| Years active | 1994–2020 |
| Known for | Co-head of Morgan Stanley India, leader of Investment Banking division |
Julia Maria Aisha de Sequeira (22 November 1969 – 10 December 2020) was a prominent Indian banker who served as co-head of Morgan Stanley India between 2013 and 2020. She established and led the investment banking division of Morgan Stanley India from its inception in 2007 until her passing in 2020.
From 2012 through 2020, she was regularly featured in Fortune India's list of the 50 Most Powerful Women.
Early life
Born and brought up in Goa, India, De Sequeira completed her schooling at Our Lady of the Rosary High School and pursued higher education at Dhempe College of Science & Arts. She earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree specializing in Electronics and Telecommunications from Goa Engineering College. In 1995, she obtained a master's degree in public and private management from the Yale School of Management. Her family had a notable political background: her grandfather, Jack de Sequeira, led the United Goans Party, while her father, Erasmo de Sequeira, represented Goa as a Member of Parliament from 1967 to 1977.
Career
De Sequeira embarked on her professional journey at Morgan Stanley in 1994 during an internship in business school. After graduating, she joined the firm full-time in New York City as an associate within the Investment Banking division, quickly transitioning to the Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) team where she worked until 2007.
In 2007, following Morgan Stanley's termination of its joint venture with JM Financial Group in India and acquisition of a merchant banking license from the SEBI, De Sequeira relocated to Mumbai to lead Investment Banking for the newly established wholly owned subsidiary. Despite the challenges posed by the financial crisis of 2008, her team cultivated significant client relationships, enabling Morgan Stanley to spearhead India's capital markets resurgence in 2009 by advising on seventeen transactions within nine months. By 2011, under her guidance in M&A, Morgan Stanley topped three Indian banking deal league tables, securing close to a 30% market share with deals valued at $11.2 billion.
Elevated to co-head of Morgan Stanley India in 2013 while maintaining her leadership over Investment Banking, De Sequeira held these roles until December 2020. During her tenure, Morgan Stanley India reaffirmed its position as a leading M&A advisory firm, contributing to over $70 billion worth of transactions. Notable deals included investments by Facebook, Inc. and Google into Jio, Ford’s divestiture of Jaguar Land Rover to the Tata Group, and the merger between Idea Cellular and Vodafone India.
She was consistently recognized among Fortune India's 50 Most Powerful Women from 2012 to 2020 and participated on the selection panel for the Economic Times Prime Women Leadership Awards in both 2019 and 2020. Additionally, De Sequeira was affiliated with the Young Presidents' Organization and received mentorship from fellow Yale SOM graduate Indra Nooyi.
Personal life
De Sequeira was proficient in Konkani. In 2008, she married Roy de Souza, founder of Zedo. The couple had three sons: Erasmo, Nathan, and Alexander. Her father-in-law, Fitz de Souza, passed away in March 2020.
Death
After being diagnosed with colon cancer in 2017, De Sequeira passed away on 10 December 2020 in New York City. Her family received condolences via Twitter from both the Chief Minister of Goa Pramod Sawant and former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat.