Q: Can you walk us through your career journey, highlighting some key moments and challenges you faced along the way?
A: I began my banking career in 2010 as a graduate trainee at a local commercial bank. During those early days, I developed a strong work ethic while working as a Relationship Manager Assistant, a role that also involved credit analysis. A key turning point in my career was moving to the credit department, where I discovered my latent writing ability. One career highlight was participating in a Culture Transformation Journey at the former BancABC, which propelled me into a new level of leadership as I collaborated with staff across the country.
Leading during the COVID-19 era presented significant challenges. Balancing the restrictions, ensuring my team’s safety, and maintaining productivity required me to be empathetic and prioritise humanity above all else.
Q: Why did you choose a career in credit? Was it something you were passionate about from an early age, or did your interest develop later?
A: I started my career in the sales department. Transitioning to the credit department was a natural progression, as I was recommended for the role due to my success in handling credit aspects within my sales position. Embracing the opportunity, I found that my natural analytical skills helped me excel in the credit field, and I ultimately fell in love with the work.
Q: What motivates you to seek new challenges instead of staying in a comfortable, dominant position in your current role?
A: I have continuously impressed myself with difficult ventures that I have completed successfully, and this has backed my belief that I’m more capable than I realise. This healthy sense of self-belief and self-worth has been the catalyst behind my decisions. I have always avoided prolonged comfort as it tends to eat away at one’s work ethic. While we may become efficient at performing the same tasks, it’s only a portion of what defines growth.
Q: As someone who has assumed various managerial positions, how do you approach team leadership, and what strategies do you use to motivate and inspire your team?
A: A fundamental step is understanding each team member as best as I can; their motivators, personal vision, and mindset/life philosophy. Having knowledge of these allows for an almost tailor-made approach to each team member and demonstrates that you care about the people you are leading. Which in turn draws the best out of each person.
As a leader, a team needs me to be an embodiment of ambition, growth and a spirit of being relentless. Beyond that, I believe in publicly acknowledging team members who are doing well while coaching others in private. The way you make people feel is a memory they will keep for a long time and will either weigh them down or serve as a launch pad to propel them to new heights of productivity and innovation. Lastly, I believe in rolling up my sleeves especially when the unit is facing turbulent waters. The value of a leader is revealed in their posture during challenges. A team will always take note of such instances.
Q: What is your take on professionally managing work relationships? Is this something you are intentional about?
A: It’s something that ranks high on my list of areas that require extra tact in the workplace. When there is a group of people working towards a common goal, a difference in opinion is sure to arise. I believe the solution is three-fold. The primary point is developing one’s emotional intelligence, to avoid instances of outbursts, exchanging harsh words and other potentially regrettable actions that arise out of heated discussions. The second thing to note is the need to carry a sense of humility. This minimises the chances of taking offense or being triggered when one misconstrues a comment made in jest for example. Lastly, the level of outside-the-office interaction should be within reasonable bounds. An inability to manage such gives rise to familiarity, which has the potential to affect the effectiveness of lines of authority in the workplace.
Q: What is your take on work-life balance, and how do you ensure you maintain it, even when taking on more responsibilities at the workplace?
A: My obsession with diligence in all that I do has become quite the weakness. I have taken solace in working out and listening to music. My childhood dream was to become a musician, appreciating live music has become the next best thing. One technique I employ is ensuring I celebrate myself regularly. It is something I put time aside for.
Q: How do you stay updated with the latest trends and developments in the credit industry? Your profile seems highly sought after by many companies, and this has been evident for some years now.
A: Reading newspapers, watching the news and interacting with fellow credit professionals. I believe in sharing my insights on LinkedIn and so a by-product of that has been heightened attention from those in my field as well as in related ones.
Q: What is something about the credit industry or your role that you think people should know but often don’t?
A: It is analysis-based due to the data and information that one must assess and make a judgment call on. This also requires one to be great at paying attention to detail as not all risks are pronounced. Some risks have to be unearthed.
Q: As someone with a reserved or introverted personality, how have you managed to use this to your advantage in your career?
A: Growing up as an introvert allowed me to hone my observational and analytical skills, which have been pivotal in my career. I joined the Credit department because my line manager recognised my writing skills and recommended me for a Credit Origination role. Despite my introversion, I possess a natural talent for public speaking. I have leveraged this skill by intentionally taking on tasks such as serving as Master of Ceremonies for work events, volunteering to speak at conferences, and making presentations to senior management. This combination of skills has helped me stay visible and be top of mind when new opportunities arise.
Q: You are actively involved in working with young professionals and students. What motivates you to engage in initiatives that develop young professionals, and what advice do you give them during events or when they seek your guidance?
A: I have a passion for developing the youth, which I believe is a God-given calling. I am motivated by the tangible difference I see in the lives of the young people I have mentored, given talks to, or addressed through my various social media platforms. My advice is distilled into three key themes: be intentional about how you present yourself to the world, become valuable by increasing your knowledge and skills, and surround yourself with people who challenge you to be ambitious.
Q: What are your plans and vision for your new role as Head of Credit at BBS Bank?
A: My primary goal is to make a positive change to both the internal corporate and social environment. This entails sharing my experience and knowledge of best practices along with developing and upskilling my team. Success in my role would be establishing a high-performance culture, team members that are able to draw the best out of themselves, grooming leaders and achieving quantifiable contribution towards the bank’s strategy.
Q: Is there anything you would like to add that you feel could benefit the corporate world and other professionals?
A: Diligence in your written work and reports is great. However your colleagues, including management need to appreciate face-to-face interactions with you. An excel sheet or research paper can only communicate so much. What will profile and position you for opportunities/promotions is exposing your mindset, how you carry yourself in group discussions and the quality of your conversations. Don’t find comfort in being seated in the corner and only engaging with your immediate colleagues. Reach out and be seen.
