Prominent Chartered Accountant Anant Jivan Shah passes away |13 June 2015

A financial wizard but always a humble man, Anant Jivan Shah better known as A.J. Shah, passed away suddenly at the Seychelles Hospital yesterday morning.

Mr Shah was a very prominent Chartered Accountant, Auditor and Financial Advisor, auditing and advising some of the largest private companies and parastatals as well as international firms.

He was born in Victoria in a family house which was once the Hotel Equator in May 1933, his father Jivan Jetha Shah being a very successful business man and well known philanthropist.

He graduated from Seychelles College and among his friends were well known personalities like France Albert Rene, Ralph Adam, Guy Morel to name a few. He went to India in 1952 for further studies and earned university degrees in business and in law.

He qualified as Chartered Accountant and Auditor and worked for the large multinational oil company Caltex.

He moved to Hyderabad in South India and married Jayshree with whom he had three children -- twins Anil and Sunil and Monisha. Unfortunately Anil died when he was just six months old. The tragedy didn’t deter him and with the assistance of his brothers in Seychelles he began developing various businesses including a textile printing factory, a grape farm, steel works and a textile retail outlet.

In the late 70s, his brother Kantilal Jivan Shah informed him that the need for professional accounting and auditing services were needed in Seychelles. He came back to Seychelles in 1980 and set up his accounting  firm. The business grew from strength to strength and garnered many large clients. He was loved by his clients and respected by the tax authorities, the Registrar of companies, the Central Bank, and various government agencies.  

His son, Sunil, joined the practice in 1988 and it became a “Father and Son team”. More recently recognising the fast changing world of business and accounting and stringent new complex financial regulations being brought in globally, they decided to corporatise the practice and the practice then became BDO Associates, bringing in partners and professionals from the leading practice in Mauritius, the erstwhile De Chazal Du Mee.

Recently the father and son team got into property development building  and constructed the Creole Spirit commercial complex on Quincy Street and Enchanted Island  Resort on Round Island followed as a bespoke, Creole heritage-style hotel and spa.

Mr Shah was active till the end involved in the practice and assisting his son on large water front residential development and advising prominent clients on their own projects.
He leaves behind his wife Jayshree, his son Sunil, daughter Monisha and grandchildren Vishal, Sanjana, Divya, Param and Varun.
Yet another well-known Son of the Seychelles has moved on…

“Mr Shah was a true and genuine professional, a brilliant mind, a relentless hard worker and an inspiration to us all. He was most of all a human being with admirable qualities. This Nation has lost a great Son. We will do our best to keep up with his legacy at BDO.  We will all miss him and May God Bless his Soul,” Narah Ramdin, managing partner, BDO Associates, said yesterday afternoon.
Mr Shah’s body will be laid to rest at Surya Memorial hall today as from 1pm where people can pay their respect and this will be followed by cremation at 3pm.