Morgan Stanley's India co-head Aisha de Sequeira dies at 51

MUMBAI: Top dealmaker and Morgan Stanley's co-head in India, Aisha de Sequeira died after a prolonged illness in New York, her family announced on Friday. She was 51.

Sequeira, who was head of investment banking for the American institution in India, is survived by three children and husband, who announced her death on social media platforms. After graduating in engineering from a college in her home state of Goa, Sequeira went to Yale for further studies and later joined the investment banking major Morgan Stanley.

She rose through the ranks at the bank and came to India as the co-head in 2013. Since taking over, she ensured that Morgan Stanley stayed at top of the table for multiple years. She was involved in many marquee transactions, including investments by Facebook and Google into Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio.

She also played an active role in other deals, including Japanese financial services major Nippon's investment into Reliance Life and Reliance Asset Management, as per reports. "Sadly my wife Aisha de Sequeira passed away early this morning in New York. She was a great person who was warm and loving," her husband Roy de Souza, who is the founder of internet advertising compant Zedo, said in a post.

Sequeira's family was active in public life in Goa, with her grandfather Jack de Sequeira being president of the United Goans Party and her father being a Member of Parliament. "Saddened by the demise of Sequeira. She was ranked as the most powerful women in business by Fortune India. My heartfelt condolences to her family," Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said.

Her fight against cancer lasted nearly five years before she breathed her last at a hospital in New York.