Education:
MBA, Harvard Business School (2006)
BA (Hons) Engineering, Cambridge University

My first role in the Bank was in Origination and Client Coverage (OCC) in the Energy segment in the United Kingdom. I recently joined the team in Qatar, again focusing on the Energy segment--having spent a year in between these placements working as Business Planning Manager to the Head of Wholesale Banking West. OCC arguably offers new recruits the best ‘all-round' experience in the Bank, because it interfaces with so many functions and products.

As a client-centric relationship bank, Standard Chartered offers a wide range of products and seeks to meet the full spectrum of our clients' needs. During my time with OCC, the Energy team undertook a range of corporate finance transactions, including: Structured Export Finance, Project Finance and Acquisition Finance.

We complement these large deals with ongoing support of our clients' trade and cash management needs.  We provide tailored hedging solutions - a critical issue for clients who are exposed to commodity price volatility.

Many of the deals were affected by complex political, economic, and environmental factors associated with the oil and gas sector. As a result, the role brought me into regular contact with the risk teams.  The client analysts, the country risk managers, and the credit approvers, are all important stakeholders in our client relationships.
Standard Chartered has also embedded a sustainability approach in  its  financing decisions and risk management processes. Our Oil and Gas franchise adheres to the Bank's Environmental and Social Risk policy, which requires all lending and investment due diligence to include an assessment of key sustainability risks.
As a relationship manager, I was closely involved in assessing the environmental impact of our financing activities - and the safeguards in place to monitor the impact throughout the life of the transactions.

I learned that successful relationship management depends on maintaining many external and internal relationships, and building trust that can be relied upon when responding to the challenges that inevitably arise in the execution of complex transactions.

In my role as Business Planning Manager to the Head of Wholesale Banking West, I had the opportunity to witness how the Bank develops and executes strategies at a senior level. The Bank has delivered record performance during a period of unprecedented turbulence - and our employees, geographic coverage, assets and liabilities have grown accordingly. I helped to develop strategies to manage this growth and to ensure the Bank can continue to pursue it in a sustainable manner. My main area of focus was developing geographic strategies for Africa and the Middle East - reviewing our geographic coverage, in order to better serve our clients.

I have now returned to OCC-- applying these experiences to new and challenging opportunities in Qatar, one of the world's fastest-growing economies. Standard Chartered recognises that international mobility is key to professional growth in a global bank, and has supported me and my family to take advantage of this opportunity.
The Management Associate Programme provided me with critical advice and sponsorship during the transition between roles.  The Programme offered access to senior management to discuss the move and  advice on career planning.  It provides exposure and profile within the Bank-- an important factor in identifying and securing career opportunities. These opportunities stretch and develop the Management Associates, preparing them for leadership roles in the future. As a successful and growing business, Standard Chartered offers a wide range of opportunities for aspiring MBAs, and a challenging and rewarding career trajectory.