Sashen Naidoo

It was his love and passion for fast cars that made him study mechanical engineering. His insatiable drive to find out how things work, took him to factory floors, assembly lines and even iron smelters. The last thing on Sashen’s mind when he was assisting with the development of sports car components for his Masters degree, was that he was going to work for RMB one day – that was until he discovered the RMB Class Of Programme and he was completely sold.

Sashen is the eternal student because he believes there is always something new to learn. This drive made him the perfect Reliability Engineer – his first job at ArcelorMittal in Vanderbijlpark where his main task was to predict ‘what was going to fail next’ on the plant. He loved getting his hands dirty and gained invaluable knowledge during the three years he spent in the trenches of one of the largest steel manufacturers in the world.

Life in the fast lane

It was when he did his Masters on a part-time basis at Wits, that he realised he could combine his passion for fast cars with his knowledge of mechanical engineering. Sashen was one of three post-graduate students who assisted with the development of a locally manufactured Le Mans race vehicle. The local race team designed and built the prototype vehicle from scratch and spent many months and hours to put the vehicle through rigorous testing.

During this time Sashen was offered the opportunity to lecture at Wits – an experience that he, much to his surprise, loved every minute of. He continued teaching for four more years, along with providing engineering consulting services.

By being exposed to many industries and learning more about the operational side of businesses, Sashen realised that he could offer more to society than just his engineering skills, and so the seed was planted to learn more about the world of corporate and investment banking.

A risk worth taking

While the option of studying an MBA could fit the bill to further his financial skills, the unique prospects on offer by the RMB Class Of Programme was exactly what Sashen had in mind. In fact, he is still in awe that RMB is willing to take the risk by employing people like himself with no prior financial knowledge and to give them the freedom to try their hand at so many opportunities – not to mention the highly skilled people you meet. It has been almost three years since Sashen joined RMB and he has had the privilege of meeting the founding members of the bank, Laurie Dippenaar, Paul Harris and GT Ferreira.

While the bank may be seemingly different from his world, Sashen can see the similarities and opportunities where he can learn, but also add value. Sashen is currently working in the Real Estate Investment Banking division of RMB where he is assisting the Listed Sector by providing structured solutions and unlocking value for clients.

“The Class Of Programme gives you a unique perspective and view of the bank. You actually have more freedom than you realise – and while you are guided on your first rotation, where you go next and for how long is entirely up to you – a case of careful what you ask for, you might just get it,” he adds.

Making a difference

So what’s next on the radar of this young go-getter? While he wants to be involved in a few ‘cool’ deals, he would love to continue to learn as much as he can so that he is in a position to make a difference in this world. He hopes to be the second Adrian Gore, who he believes has a very noble vision for the greater good. Exploring better ways of doing things and that is exactly what he sets out to do – and he could not be in a better place than right here at RMB.