Title: Director
Firm: RBC Capital Markets
Age: 36
Early in his senior year at Villanova University, Safi Najdawi knew he wanted to pursue a career in finance.
Healthcare in particular interested him. It was in the news a lot, with debate percolating over what would become the Affordable Care Act.
“The tangibility appealed to me as opposed to something vague like shareholder value,” said Safi, who is based in Philadelphia.
Since joining RBC as a director and senior banker, along with four colleagues from Wells Fargo Securities, Safi has become the linchpin of RBC’s healthcare team, quadrupling its market share in less than three years.
“We thought we had the engine and the chassis, and we said, ‘let’s do this,’” he said.
Safi has senior managed some of the nation’s marquee healthcare systems, including Stanford Health Care, NYU Langone Health, Bon Secours Mercy Health and Lifespan.
The hospital sector, he said, is beginning to stabilize after a chaotic first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In our business, it was a struggle not being out on the road. Face time is important," he said. Video meetings, though, enabled him to reach out to more people. “In a weird way, it helped us. We got more touches.”
Since starting his career in 2007, Safi has been a banker on public and private market transactions totaling more than $20 billion.
Safi, with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, played for four years on the Villanova Wildcats men’s lacrosse team. He said sports, while fun, taught him how to manage time and “push through discomfort.”
Outside of work, he has been an active supporter of the Big Brothers & Big Sisters program, while coaching several youth lacrosse teams
He lives in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Katie, and their daughter, Elizabeth.
