How Sarosh Zaiwalla broke the mould in the City

When Sarosh Zaiwalla was told he'd never make the top brass of the City firm he worked for due to his ethnicity, he decided to strike out on his own.

Sarosh Zaiwalla was studying maritime law and working part-time at a prestigious City firm when one of the grandees pulled him to one side. "He told me that, as an Asian, I'd never make it to the top of the firm and that I'd be better to start out on my own."

It was 1981 and "times were much different back then. All the top City maritime firms were headed up by Britons or Europeans. Asian and black lawyers' firms stuck to practising immigrant law in the suburbs." So Zaiwalla came up with a plan for an Asian-headed maritime law firm that could deal with Asian firms doing shipping business in the City.

Subscribe to MoneyWeek

Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Get 6 issues free
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/mw70aro6gl1676370748.jpg

Sign up to Money Morning

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Sign up
James McKeigue

James graduated from Keele University with a BA (Hons) in English literature and history, and has a certificate in journalism from the NCTJ. James has worked as a freelance journalist in various Latin American countries.He also had a spell at ITV, as welll as wring for Television Business International and covering the European equity markets for the Forbes.com London bureau. James has travelled extensively in emerging markets, reporting for international energy magazines such as Oil and Gas Investor, and institutional publications such as the Commonwealth Business Environment Report. He is currently the managing editor of LatAm INVESTOR, the UK's only Latin American finance magazine.