Majed Al Mesmari,

Senior country officer and head of investment banking for UAE at JP Morgan

Majed Al Mesmari is a prime example of how hard work and perseverance can take you to the top.

“I was born and schooled in Fujairah,” he said. In the early days, people in the rest of the Emirates, were, for lack of a better word, less fortunate compared to their counterparts in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. There were not those many opportunities then,” said Al Mesmari.

The elder son of highly-educated parents, Al Mesmari, completed most of his formal education in the UAE. He pursued a higher diploma in business administration and finance at the Higher Colleges of Technology in Al Ain.

After a six-month internship he joined Dubai Financial Market (DFM). After a few years, he moved to Etisalat, where he helped design residential internet services in the UAE.

After five years with Etisalat, he moved to Dubai International Financial Markets and in 2006, he formally forayed into the private sector by joining HSBC. He was one of the first Emiratis to work in an advisory capacity at the bank. In 2008, he joined Rothschild, a financial advisory boutique firm and moved to JP Morgan in September 2014.

Al Mesmari believes the Nafis initiative is much-needed. “There has been some form of hesitancy among UAE nationals to work in the private sector,” he said. “However, it’s the only way to get the best of your intellectual capabilities,” said Al Mesmari. He says Emiratis can fit into the international culture. “We are 10 per cent of the indigenous population in the UAE. If we can easily coexist with 90 per cent of foreigners, then we can easily work in private companies,” Al Mesmari said. “Now you have several Emiratis working in global brands like Cisco and Microsoft.” His word of advice to young Emiratis: “Don’t be afraid or hesitant to explore something different.”