75. Pawan Varyani - Pushing Africa Forward with Academic City

Today's guest is Reza Jafer, who I met at one of my Toronto workshops. Reza defines what it means to hustle to break into competitive industries. He studied at York University and then turned every stone possible to break into investment banking. He started his career at RBS and then at MUFG in investment banking. After a while, Reza wanted to pursue a career where he could consistently wake up happier and still work in a fast-paced team. Reza then transitioned from investment banking to Lending Loop where he leads Wealth Management for the startup. Tune in, it's story time. For more information visit sherjan.com.

On today's episode I have my good friend Salmaan Javed. He's definitely one of the coolest kids I know, and lives a life that is instagram worthy, but more importantly, Salmaan has always pursued avenues that he is passionate about and has avoided chasing brands and validation. He started his career at Allen & Co. where he worked closely with rising early-stage companies and now recently he has transitioned to a stealth startup that is quite literally going to change how we live our daily lives. Salmaan's story is full of passion and excitement and he is the definition of work hard play harder type of character. Tune in, it's story time! For more information visit sherjan.com.

On today's episode I chat with Eliza, one of my closest friends and a rising start in the world of finance in Asia. I met Eliza in Singapore in 2013 and she has had one of the most impressive career paths I've ever seen She did multiple stints in investment banking at J.P. Morgan, Standard Chartered, and HSBC, and then transitioned to Temasek's hedge fund called SeaTown Holdings where she focuses on Global Internet and Oil & Gas investments. Tune in, it's story time! For more information visit sherjan.com. 

In today's episode I chat with Prarthana who is currently a Senior Analysts of Business Analytics at Vista Equity Partners, a leading software private equity firm. Prarthana studied at University of Texas Austin and graduated to pursue a career in consulting at Deloitte. Her passion for working with businesses and analyzing companies from a data perspective took her to joining one of the top private equity firms in the world where she analyzes various metrics of portfolio companies and helps with strategy. Tune in, it's story time! For more information visit sherjan.com. 

In today's episode I chat with Asad Malik, who I first met at my workshop in London. Asad started his journey at LSE and began his career at Goldman Sachs in the Emerging Markets Equity team in London. He then transitioned to Google where he helps the firm with Strategy, Investments and FP&A for the Technical Infrastructure team with a focus on machine supply chains, robotics and automation. Asad is a new father as well and on this episode we chat about his journey and some of the struggles he faced in making the transition from pure finance to the wonderful world of tech. Tune in, it's Story Time! For more information visit sherjan.com.

In today's episode I chat with Elizabeth Zhan, or as the homies call her, Bairu. Bairu started her career at Goldman Sachs in Singapore and then joined Morgan Stanley's tech group in Hong Kong. She then left the world of banking and joined TPG Capital and is now back in Singapore investing in late-stage companies. Tune in and listen to Bairu and her journey through the crazy world of finance.  For more information visit sherjan.com.

In today's episode I have my good friend Christina Nguyen. Christina studied at USC (some say the 2nd best school in LA) and always had the love and passion for pursuing a career in consulting. She joined PwC as an intern but found LEK to be a better fit for herself and what she wanted to do long-term. After a few years at LEK, Christina left to join industry and help companies with their overall strategy and operations. Tune in and listen to Christina's story.  For more information visit sherjan.com.

Pawan leads strategy at Academic City, a state-of-the-art STEM focused University across Africa, pushing the boundaries on practical and skills based learning. Prior to leading strategy, Pawan worked at Nio and Faraday Futures in California. In this episode we talk about Pawan's early childhood in South Africa, he path to the U.S., and how even though he grew up in an affluent family, how he always kept focused on working on projects that he felt most passionate about. Tune in! For more information visit sherjan.com. 

I've known Imtisal all of my life, literally. He was my first ever best-friend when I grew up in Pakistan. Imtisal is the Founder of Verve Management, Pakistan's top event management company and one that is pushing the boundaries for events and entertainment in Pakistan and in broader Asia. In this episode I chat with Imtisal about his journey, how he has expanded what it means to be Pakistani and brought the Pakistani culture outside of its shell and into a global scale. Imtisal is a self-started and has travelled to more countries in the world than anyone else I know and his journey is inspiring and uplifting to thousands. Hope you enjoy this episode with my OG best friend. For more information visit sherjan.com. 

In this episode I chat with my close friend Augi. Augi began his journey in Southeast Asia and then went to Stanford to study economics. He then interned at Citi and Bain & Co. and then joined McKinsey & Co. for full time. Augi's passions and deep interest led him back to Southeast Asia where he helped McKinsey with multiple projects across the region. He then got into Harvard Business School but decided to postpone that to pursue a career in venture capital at Sequoia in Singapore. Tune in! For more information visit sherjan.com.