But that's exactly how Jamie McCarry, president and chief executive officer of AXA-Minmetals Assurance Co, spends his life in the city.

The head of a joint venture between France's financial giant AXA and China's biggest metals trader Minmetals is leading his team into China's growing insurance market, with headquarters in Shanghai.

The 48-year-old has previously lived in London and Hong Kong .

McCarry is one of 51,000-plus expatriates living and working in Shanghai, which is well on the way to becoming an international hub for economics , finance, trade and shipping.

McCarry never thought the idea of "singing a song to boost morale" conflicted with the image of the financial industry, often assumed to be staffed by sober and boring people in dark suits.

"I want people come here not only for work but also for fun, as part of a professional company," said McCarry, originally from Scotland. "Attracting and retaining talent is not an easy job."

He's not the only employer who has tried every means to keep employees in the fast-expanding financial industry. The city itself is going all out to offer a better infrastructure to woo top talents in the sector.

"Shanghai enjoys a sound basis to further boost its insurance market with lots of experience," said Wu Dingfu, chairman of China Insurance Regulatory Commission . "The city is expected to lead the industry nationwide as a pilot for innovation and reforms, and become a training base for insurance talents and professionals."

AXA, MetLife, Manulife, and AIA are just some of the big overseas insurers who have set up headquarters with Chinese affiliates in Shanghai.

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