Samir Gadio
Renaissance is undertaking a significant push into Sub-Saharan Africa and aims to contribute to the continent’s rapid economic expansion. I was attracted by this energetic environment and the belief that nothing is impossible – even if this sometimes means swimming against the tide. Having focused on frontier markets during most of my academic programme, Renaissance was the most obvious organisation to join.
I’m a financial economist and my working day starts at 7.30am or earlier with a morning meeting involving analysts from the London, Lagos, Nairobi and Harare offices. We discuss the most recent developments on the continent and topics can vary from the latest inflation report released in Nigeria to the specifics of an equity deal on the Nairobi Stock Exchange.
Later, I’ll screen the news and identify selected topics of interest for the Africa Morning Monitor (AMM), our daily publication covering Sub-Saharan Africa. I’m also working on thematic or country reports which other business divisions use to make investment decisions and develop our franchise. I’ll usually talk with internal and external clients daily, updating them on economic and political events through conference calls or meetings. Being an economist covering such a cosmopolitan and vibrant region as Africa is often an event-driven task, and every day is different with a unique set of events to investigate.
My role requires a combination of macroeconomic and quantitative skills, as well as a broad knowledge of the political environment in core countries. You also need to be time sensitive as every day brings new complex situations that have to be assessed rapidly. Being multilingual is also useful.
Working at Renaissance gives me the opportunity to get exposure to the dynamics of complex and exciting emerging markets, notably Sub-Saharan African countries which have been off the radar of international investors for several decades.
Renaissance has attracted the best talent and has one of the world’s best emerging market research teams. There is always someone to guide and advise you, but the nature of the business means that you’ll learn new things every day. The group also organises specific courses in financial modelling, derivatives and many other diverse areas.
The atmosphere is competitive in the sense that we need to maintain our lead in the industry. Our clients are used to high quality research products and we have to work hard not to disappoint them. It’s also a very supportive atmosphere as analysts tend to collaborate and share information regularly.
As a truly international bank, one of the best things about working here is that you can travel extensively, visiting different continents and countries, and meeting people from diverse backgrounds. Since I joined, I’ve been to Russia, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, the UK, Nigeria, and Ghana, and many more trips are coming! Probably the most unusual situation I’ve been in is having to speak three different languages in less than three minutes.
When I’m not working I spend my time at the gym, always keeping an eye on the TV to catch any breaking news. And of course London, Moscow and Lagos are exciting cities where there is always something to do on a Saturday night!