Right? Right?
Hello everybody, greetings from Bangor
and also beginning with group with
big greetings from Andrew in Botswana.
So it's the two bees today.
What's Lana and Bangor?
Uh, it's great to have you joining us
and obviously great to have Andrew,
because otherwise we'd have
nothing to talk about,
but it's great to have you all
joining us so that we can hear
Andrew's experience and broadly,
it's around the topic.
You can see there a discussion
on attaining senior positions in
the financial services sector.
Uhm, what's on the next slide Schaunard?
Is it a little bit of history there?
Yes, a little bit of history
there about Andrew,
which you can read for yourselves.
But just to summarize,
he's got more than 25 years of
international banking experience.
We'll be exploring a little
of that with him today.
I've asked him to come prepared
to talk a little bit about what
he was doing before he joined the
Chartered Banker MBA program.
This webinar is arranged for
you by the Chartered Banker MBA,
which is delivered by Bangor University
with our professional institution
partner Chartered Bank Institute.
And the idea is to hear about Andrews.
Route to the top, so to speak,
and also how the CB MBA has helped
him and then to explore with you.
You have the opportunity to
ask some questions.
The best way to do those
rather than interrupt the flow.
The best way to handle those questions will
be if you pop them into the chat area.
That's where we've done them in the past.
You put them into the chat area
and then I'll pick.
The amount as appropriate at the right
time for Andrew to have an answer.
In his current role,
Andrew has been responsible for
shaping and leading the execution of
Latigos visionary transformation strategy.
Underpinned by digitalization
of systems and processes across
geographies and customer journeys.
Those few words that suggest
to me that what he's got to say
is relevant to all of us.
We are at various stages around
the world of coming out of
the COVID-19 situation.
Digitalization has grown around
the world phenomenally much more,
and accelerated faster than my
previously have been expected.
So it's across all geographies.
But it is very much about
the customer journey.
How?
Organisations, providers,
including educational institutions
like the university here in Bangor,
how we work and help our
customers along that journey.
So enough of me.
Meeting things you can see on
the slide there.
Let's get to Andrew.
The next slide says,
what's Shawna just have a quick look.
Yeah, it's just for you too.
Can you continue your discussion now?
Steven, I'll slides for a bit, right?
OK, right, so it would be better
to see a big picture of Andrew.
Although the words there would be useful.
Welcome again, there we go there
we are welcome again Andrew.
I particularly like the
image behind you in the top.
Well, it's my left right hand corner.
It's over your left hand shoulder is
the connections on a circuit board.
I imagine the digital dimension digital
power and it's in the shape of of Africa.
So if we could just talk a little bit
about before you started the CB MBA
at what you were doing and things and
and what was it that made you think
about taking the course, please?
OK, thank you very much Steven and
and thank you for having me on the
program and I must say first of all,
thank you also to the CB MBA
program for launching this series
and for bringing people to talk.
I think just from my own experience,
some of the most important and telling
experiences I had even was on the program
or some of the the presentations that we had.
Which may even have come from
the presenters and lectures,
even outside of the normal classroom work.
So I think this this is great and it's
fantastic to be able to participate.
I still have a.
A very soft spot for Bangor and
and the and the CB MBA program.
I'm not shy to talk about it, it's very it.
It made quite an impact for me and and it's
one of the the best programs I attended.
So very keen to be part and
and to keep going with it.
The So what was I doing before?
OK of course,
at some point I was a young man.
Then I started in Korea in the FMCG space,
the fast moving consumer goods business.
I started my career with Unilever.
I did a few years as a
management training there.
Obviously, that's where sort of I
would say I cut my teeth as a young
executive and then I moved into banking
and and I joined Standard Chartered.
It's quite a while ago I and I and I did,
and interestingly I stayed at
Standard Chartered for 22 years,
so it was a it was a it.
It was most of my working life outside and.
In the 22 years I worked
across five different markets,
two different continents
so that Africa and Asia.
So spend time in Hong Kong Singapore.
Then I was in Africa,
did 3/4 countries,
so multi country multiple countries and
I I did a host of things across the bank
in the corporate bank in the retail bank.
Did some work in transaction
banking and so on.
So over the 22 years I had about 7 jobs.
I know that was a good thing or not.
But yeah,
every sort of three years somebody
knocked on my door and said,
would you like to do this?
And invariably I said yes every
three years and and that's how my my
life troubled suggest at the point
when I decided to join the program,
I had just been made the Executive
Director for retail Banking in
Ghana for Standard Chartered Bank.
And so it was sort of my first
step into real senior management.
And.
It became clear that I wanted to be
able to offer more and and deliver more.
For Tricia's Lee,
I had the one of my team members who
was associated with the CD MBA program
who had done the program himself
and in conversations about well,
we good to now get the qualification and.
And here's the story.
If I if I can step back a little bit,
I joined banking from manufacturing from the.
So very much around sales,
marketing and in manufacturing.
Nothing at all.
No training in the bank, in banking at all.
And still the banks hired me.
So when I joined. I mean,
over the years a lot of what I learned
was very much a sort of on the job.
Right, I learned everything
that I knew up to that point,
which is 20 tender about.
So I was already what,
1314 years in the bank I had
learned everything in progress.
Very well. Like I said,
every three years or so,
some new offer came along.
What the program did for me,
why it was so helpful to me,
was it brought a lot of knowledge around.
I mean, it brought the theoretical basis
for a lot of the things that I had learned,
which means that it became more
grounded in the knowledge that I had.
Uhm, it was interesting.
Also from the perspective that.
It also added it in an angle to for
me to be able to learn new concepts
that some of which I mean you.
Many people would have seen it
when you go into a meeting and
those who are the experts talk and
sometimes talk about your head
during the CB MBA program allowed
me to sort of step back and study
concepts and see new things that I
hadn't thought about in the past.
So that's how I came into the program.
This friend of mine mentioned that.
There's a program I was looking for,
something that would be able to match my.
My my my schedule, which sort
of obviously had changed at that
point and becomes significantly
busier and but still be able to
participate and then the second
thing was I wanted something that
was quite practical and applicable.
In in the job that I was getting
into and the severe be offered that,
so he he introduced me to it and.
Bless him for doing that.
You can bless that person,
Underwood, so can we because, uh,
uh, in your time on the program,
and since of course it's been great
to to see how you've blossomed,
but you say you at some point
you were young at some point,
Andrew, I was also a young man,
but that's a long time ago.
We won't talk about that and there
could be an interesting conversation
that we won't have today necessarily,
but a conversation about the tools
many of them apply equally in.
Cost money,
money manufacturing as they do in services.
That's for another day.
But just to emphasize,
as you say,
it was training by doing in the
past and you wanted some concepts.
'cause in the world that's changing,
you never know where it's gonna take
you and and whether you'll need some new
concepts but something practical and
something that fitted into your schedule.
And I think that some a nice summary of all
that we've tried to do in in the program.
UM,
fitting around peoples work,
but giving them practical insights.
And although people have been able to
read your your bio on the previous slide,
we've heard why you came on the course.
And after the course.
Were you able to apply things
fairly quickly as you were in
the course just after it?
Which were the most useful parts?
Yes, Steven, I think the the the all of
them apply so they were I was able to.
And what what, what excited me the most?
And I probably hear me say
there's a couple of times.
Well, as we have this conversation,
what excited me the most
was the ability to take.
What I was learning in the program.
Directly into my workplace, right?
So I'll I'll share a couple
of examples with you.
So I mean we we just started the financial
institutions risk management I had become.
An executive director running the business.
So I had a responsibility to sit on
the access and Liabilities Committee.
What we call the alkaline banks.
Right, what it meant was that there
were there were people who obviously
had been doing this for a while.
They had more knowledge and expertise,
but once we land on the program,
certain things that I had only
very limited knowledge of became
much more apparent and more.
I was able to then grasp them.
More things like market risk
and so on and so forth.
What it meant was that it improved
my ability to contribute and also
understand how the business worked.
An interesting thing that
happened subsequently,
not immediately not doing the program
so that was during the program I
was able to now speak with a lot
more confidence in these meetings,
but after the product grown I became
a CEO for a country for the first
time down in Zambia I became the
the CEO for this business in Zambia,
which meant then that now I had
overall responsibility and I had to
have a lot more ability to be able
to guide some of these discussions.
But what happened?
Just before I became CEO or just at the
time when I became here was an interesting.
Saying that,
we went out to be trained so with
fresh all the new CEO's gathered
across the globe brought together in
one place and they were teaching us.
So one of the courses there was ALCO
training. And that's part of it.
You have to write a test.
So gladly with the knowledge that
I had gained from the program
I came up tops in the test.
I got a star. On my shoulder.
By the time I had started my job as a CEO,
that is a very,
very practical way which I remember
what I gained from the program.
Yeah, I mean uhm.
Even when you've finished the sibte,
you still have tests to go through.
None more so than when you
take up a new role.
You have new people who perhaps
are looking to you and watching
you to see how's he gonna perform.
Is he credible or not?
And of course, it's it's.
It's easily. It's easily lost.
What's the saying?
You don't have a second chance
to make a first impression,
but it sounded like like you
made a very good impression now
just looking down the list.
In a very and and I guess what what it does.
Also Steven is for a new chief executive.
Your confidence level goes up and confidence
in in that sort of role is everything so.
Now you feel like OK,
I have West wild knowledge.
I'm able to apply it.
I can speak with confidence.
I can guide my team and ultimately
it's it did guide and and and
they did speak to the performance
of the business that I run.
I, I'll give you another example if if if,
if you, which was quite interesting,
because that was a combination of
what I had learned and I I did.
I did make reference to the fact
that when we were running when I
came for the revision sessions.
And the very first one that I had at Bunco.
Though those I mean we wish it
was two only a few years.
This is 2012 there about so it's only a
few years after the financial crisis.
So there was a presentation that
was made on the financial crisis.
We had a great discussion around
the lessons from the financial
crisis or the things to do.
The fact that it's important to you know,
not panic in the in the face of a crisis,
it's how important it is to find a
way to continue to let the business.
Remain alive and understand what was
caught with oftentimes just the focus
on the customer the customer needs
'cause the customers will be going
through all these challenges, and so on.
And and just generally.
Been able to hold on and be a bit more
optimistic through the crisis period
and thinking about the fact that there
will always be an end to that cycle and.
It was something that I took
away as a huge and and uh,
sort of lesson and and and and
some of the things that I learned
in the philosophy of it.
I have applied a number of times,
but none more so than showing
the the COVID pandemic.
So here's my story I was made.
I became chief executive group chief
executive of myself and let's see how it is.
The business across 11 markets
in Sub Saharan Africa.
So they decent sized business.
It was a business also which had a few
challenges at the time that I joined.
But more importantly.
It was the business that had very
strong opportunities in the future.
But I joined in January and by March.
The countries are blocked down
all across Africa. And it was.
It was a very, and it was.
It was, it was tough.
But what helped me out during that
period was I remembered the lessons
right down from that particular
presentation and some of the things
that I have talked about in terms
of keeping an eye on the crisis,
maintaining optimism,
making sure that you don't.
You keep your eyes on the customer and
making sure that you can of course
also keep an eye on the regulator
because their actions and their
activities and so on make a difference.
We made a call.
At that time and about the program,
and I mean about the the pandemic
and the fact that we felt and
was it a lot of I mean the the
view was pulled back kept.
Hope you know sort of stay put,
watch what was going to happen.
We made a call with my team that
we will continue to look for
ways to get the business to run.
And it LED us into conversations
with our customers.
They said what we need from you
is for you to remain open to us,
so that when we are in a crisis moment,
we can reach you.
That finding meant that we have to build.
Immediately,
digital channels that we didn't
have at the time and within four
weeks or so we we launched WhatsApp
channels and so on and so forth
because we found out from the
customers that they could they they
preferred WhatsApp as a channel to
reach us and we started to deliver
our products through that Channel.
In the period during the lockdowns and in
the very difficult periods of the pandemic,
our business volumes dropped significantly.
I mean that, as with most businesses
across the world, I mean, we were probably
running at about 20% of our run rate.
But the good thing was, was still running.
We're still running and the business
was building itself up and we used the
opportunity to build a bit of capability.
The good thing was once that passed.
We saw a significant rebound and an
uplift in the second half of 2020, so.
I would say look a lot of the lessons have
stayed with me from my days and from the the,
the the learnings and Bango and
and on the city and the program.
But significantly because it
was very practical.
It was applicable and I was
able to use them as I work.
Then like you see living up to today I
still remember and use some of that.
Yeah, that's fantastic.
Fantastic Andrew. UM, the uh.
The issue of responding to crises, of course.
When in.
March, 2020 the University decided for
its conventional on campus programs.
We would not meet face to face.
I said to my wife,
I think it'll be 2 weeks.
OK, well,
two years later,
you know it just goes to show
how difficult because in the
situation you describe if you sit
there frozen like a rabbit in the
headlines waiting for it to finish,
you'd be out of business because you could
not have predicted how long it would take.
But interesting that you say that building.
Immediately, digital channels
that you didn't have have before,
uh, including WhatsApp etc.
And let me just pick up on
that and ask you because, uh,
another aspect in your bio talks
about precept, human capital,
a consulting firm which you had founded.
How important is it?
Is it the regulator and,
UM,
the forces of compliance that
get you to change?
Or is it listening to customers and
then having the right people in your
team who are able to change that?
You can motivate your thoughts
on that please.
Steven, maybe if you can repeat that,
you're you're talking about precept
and what I how I came to it.
No.
Well it well, yes we could hear about that.
That would certainly be interesting,
but I think the question is with regard
to a crisis and responding quickly,
which is, as you say,
building immediately digital
channels you didn't have before.
Is it the regulator that tells you to do
it as so every every competitor does it?
Or is it the role of leadership and then
motivating teams but listening to customers?
Which is the most important in that in
responding and surviving as you say?
Look, I think for me it's it's
quite straightforward,
it's leadership.
Its leadership that makes the
difference in a crisis because
you you have to make the call and
as you said you made your call.
You said it would take two weeks. Yes,
it's still going on for for for two years.
But the point is in the two weeks your
mindset and your the way you configure it
and how you approach things would be very
different from if you had said this thing
is never going to go away and we are stuck.
Nothing is going to happen.
And so for me, that leadership,
thought and the sense of direction it
brings is what makes the difference.
I mean, in our team we made a call.
We said that the lockdowns
will probably last the month,
but the after effects of it we
made a call on three months.
We said that in three months time,
the world will probably start
opening up again.
It did open up in three months,
but of course they were in the
closed again in a few times,
and so on and so forth.
But the the critical piece was, it did not.
It made it put us in a position
where we did not stop working.
I mean, some of the hardest
work we've done in our company.
We did during the pandemic
we did during the the end.
Do some basic things also that we
made decisions on so one of the
things was remember today the world
is used to working remotely when we,
when the pandemic hit we were not clear
what what remote working could be.
Some organizations have tried it out,
but it wasn't as pervasive as it is today.
So one of the things that we did
was we said we needed to make sure
that we're in touch with our teams.
So my team and I.
Believe it or not, met every single day.
For an hour or an hour and a
half every single morning.
Throughout that lockdown period.
I mean,
I think it continued even for
almost six months before we started,
then disengage a little bit and
reduce the number up to today.
We still apply that because it it's
amazing how quickly it allowed us
to be able to one learn about each
other and learn about their business.
To make sure that we were sharing
the experiences in a much faster
way than you would normally do.
Because when you're not working remotely,
it's about traveling,
so there were so many benefits
that arose from it.
But I will say that the first step
was that leadership call that we made
as a team to say we will stay open.
Yeah, I'm sure that's right.
And uhm, of course we talk a lot about.
Taking ideas and listening to our customers,
our external customers.
They pay the UM,
they pay the the bills ultimately,
but equally we need to take care
and listen to and our colleagues,
our staff, our employees,
whatever we call them so that we can
move forward as a team in terms of
moving on from a legacy approach as
it's described in your in your biopic,
you refer to the 625 execution.
Road map. Now that sounds like it
might almost be a song. The 625, no,
but anyway, enough of the singing.
What can you tell us about the, uh,
you talk about leadership that's clear.
Then you talk in your bio about
a well articulated plan.
I presume that so that everybody
knows what we're doing.
What, what sheet are we singing from?
Could you share a little bit
about this 625 execution Rd map?
Right so.
I think, uh, it's it's an interesting one.
It was.
It was coined by us as a team just
before the pandemic we had when I joined
in our very first sort of off site,
we had to discuss how we're gonna run
and work together around the business,
work together, and so on.
That's when it came up.
We're discussing the plan
and then we talked about.
How do we break down the plan
and and so on and so forth.
And that's how the six to five came about,
so it it actually is representative of
the phases in our five year strategy.
So six or six months.
So we call that plan 622 years.
So that's plan 2,
which is really 2021 and 2022.
So this year we are in the
second year of Plan 2.
Then we have plan 5,
which is really the full five
year period from 2020 2025.
So that's what it is.
But I think what was at the core of it.
Was that we all agreed that we
needed to transform our business.
And at the heart had to be digitalization.
So we have just started that conversation
and then we went into lockdown,
which then you know,
enabled us to be on the same page.
When we decided that look we were
going to stay open and continue to
provide access for the customers.
So that's that's the story behind 625.
What happened though was because
we are listed company we do.
And share results with the public a
twice a year and when we talked about it,
we used the technology and the
analysts picked it up and it's
become a standard language.
So anybody who talks to us today
refers to the 625 strategic Rd map,
but that's that's really.
It's just about the faces of our
strategy where we have clarity
around what are the things
we are doing at each stage.
So the first six months we said it's
about creating and strengthening
the foundations of the business.
We had a traditional business.
Which needed to be diversified,
but we were clear that that business
had was still profitable was too strong.
We needed to just make sure that it was
stronger and we could still do it well.
Then in the second phase,
which is the plan two we talk
about being coming customer lead.
And which is about delivering
the diversified product set,
delivering the the basic infrastructure
and the platforms for digitalization.
Then there's plan 5 which is really
towards the a little bit of the
future being more futuristic,
innovative ecosystems and that sort
of thing bringing it all together so
that by plan five we anticipate that
we will have a very different kind of
business and much more powerful business
delivering more for the customer and.
Hopefully also delivering
more for the shareholder.
So that's 65. Thanks for that.
And it's not like you're off,
sorry, it's not in our blood 625.
Yes, now in our blood, but let's say.
A little earlier on you said that.
Your current organization operates
across 11 markets in Sub Saharan Africa,
and I guess the question there is a digital
power over your left hand shoulder there.
You've explained about the need to
move quickly into digital channels
that you didn't have before and in
your bio you talk about a legacy
approach of doing things.
How easy has it been to understand if
there are any differences across those
eleven markets in the enthusiasm?
The willingness of customers in those
eleven markets to to change or has
COVID forced them to change perhaps
faster than they normally would have done,
and therefore it's been beneficial
all around.
Yeah, so it's. It's a very.
It's a great question.
An interesting question
that you asked Stephen.
And I think a couple of parts to it, right?
So what is? One of the things that we
laid as a foundation was a principle
when we started the discussions around,
digitalization was that that whole
transformation journey will be built.
Ask the people transformation judge.
Because one of the line.
Sort of, shall I say,
thought and understanding that we we
brought to this was the fact that.
Transforming merely by
putting technology in place.
Would not lead to the right result.
You can have all the technology you want,
but you will not become a digital company.
And we were clear that we wanted to be
what we call a digital first company,
which means that 80% of our
transactions are fully digitalized.
They keep from end to end.
It delivers for the customer convenient
solution and speed and that sort of thing.
Our competition is not just with the
traditional financial institutions and banks,
but our competition is also with
the Fintechs who are very quick,
who are nimble and who are able to operate
in an environment where the traditional.
They have not struggled,
so we want to be a finished office
company and for that to happen clearly.
The bottle was going to be with the
mindset because we had a we had a company
which was 22 years old at the time.
Minutes the number of the people there
had been in the company all as well.
The one thing, though,
which was a benefit I would say was.
I would say the large majority.
The overwhelmingly large majority of
the people in the company when I came
on board were very keen and ready to
make the journey. So you had that.
However they understanding.
Also differed from country to country,
from person to person.
So some people needed a slightly
longer journey than others,
but it was more important was most
important that we ensure that we
had the right conversations going
all the time and we kept the focus
on making this about people rather
than just about the technology.
What that meant was it allowed us
to make sure that we were training
people in the last year we put in
place a digital learning solution.
We had 27,000 landing hours.
In our company.
In 2021 some massive step up from
where it was before and a lot of the
programs that people are learning
are around digital solutions,
agile ways of working analytics,
learning about data.
So all the things that bring to
come together to make a digital
transformation successful.
So yes,
there was a difference in understanding
and appreciation in readiness across
different markets across different people.
I would say they were it.
It came down to individuals.
But we try to even them out
with consistent training,
consistent conversations and just
making sure that people were more
engaged in the whole process.
I mean, that's really,
really impressive 27,000.
I think you said 27,000
learning hours in 2021.
You know of your of your colleagues and of
course what we've been discussing there,
and you've been making quite clear
it isn't technology push you can
keep pushing all the technology you
want at employees and customers.
If you haven't established why it benefits,
well the customer 1st and also your
employees, but they may not pick it up.
Let me just as we draw this.
To a close and then solicit some questions,
let me ask you about competition.
You said that at the time you
you joined and COVID came along,
the company had been going for,
I think, 2020 years,
22 years or something you said.
And then you have to introduce
these digital channels.
How you've clearly established
and identified for us how you
were able to do it so promptly.
But what about the competition that
not the the fintechs of this world?
'cause you say they're very nimble?
They don't have the the physical
infrastructure that is attached to
many financial services providers
that slows people down.
All your competitors catching up.
How do you keep ahead?
How do you keep ahead in technology when
some technology is available to everybody?
OK,
thank you very much Steven for
that question I think.
When I think about it and let me
use the example of what actually
happened during the pandemic, right?
And if you go back and read a lot of what
people talked about during that period,
I think the first inclination
from financial institutions,
some of them scarred a little bit from
the financial crisis in 2000 and eight,
2009, and so on.
The first thing that people wanted
to do was to protect their cash.
And there there was quite
a big drive towards.
Pulling back and you know,
being very tight with and and and you
know sort of closing out on there.
Risk appetite, so reduce risk appetite.
Generally across many financial institutions.
With much greater levels of caution in
terms of being able to do business at the
normal business and so on and so forth.
I think that for the and the
I use the word advisedly.
I'm very careful about, but they shall.
I say the the traditional older banks and
the the larger institutions as they were,
were more prone.
Slightly true that particular approach.
I think the Fintechs and the
startups had not much.
With a choice because they
needed to stay alive.
Quite a few of them actually did not make it,
but what happened was
for those who stayed on.
I think they struggled quite
a bit for a few months,
but they were open minded at with
respect to continuing to do business,
even though there was quite a sense
of where is this going to all end.
I think there were those few, and, uh,
we were not because we were super about it.
But I think we made a choice and our choice,
I think,
worked for us that we made a choice to
be in that middle ground where we said yes,
we will be cautious and will pay attention
to what is happening in the environment.
But there were two things
that were driving us.
I,
as I had mentioned before,
our business was at the point of inflection,
where it needed to change and it
needed to transition in terms of the
business model that we're running.
What a better time to do this than when
there's a bit of a forced change as well,
so that also happened the then
we also felt and I said,
and This is why I make the reference
to the conversations that during my my
period at that time that in a crisis.
It is you the risk always.
It's a difficult times stuff times,
however.
The best thing you can do is to turn
the crisis into a productive period,
particularly post the crisis so
that focus helped us.
I think that the larger proportion
of the financial institutions.
The closed up a little bit and
only opened up probably a lot later
after the the world the economies
started to return to normal.
I think we we chose to work through
it and and some of different
text also did the same.
OK, that's interesting.
And of course one of the reasons why.
Perhaps the traditional providers?
They've got a lot invested in
their physical infrastructure
in a time of concern about it.
I can always go and look at my bank branch,
and that's where my money is.
Well, no, of course it isn't.
But when money is just moving
around by technology, people go.
Where exactly is my money?
Well, it's somewhere in the cloud,
but I want to pick up now
on the point that you made.
A couple of times in the beginning,
just in the last few sentences
you gave there about the power of
conversations and picking things up.
This is not just a conversation
between Andrew and Steven.
It's not the Andrew and Steven show.
It's time now for questions in the chat area,
so everybody time to put
your questions in chat.
I'll go through and pick them out.
Let me have a look at some of them here.
OK Lisa, who is, uh, actually come
in the management of this program.
She says she remembers you,
or well, we won't go into that,
Andrew, but she also says.
Uh, how would you describe
your leadership style?
To what do you think that this style of
leadership has helped excel in your career?
Time to blow your own trumpet now,
Andrew, what about your leadership style?
How would you summarize it and is easy,
easy for others to adopt, for example.
The quickest and easiest way I tend
to describe my leadership style is.
Is really to be an inspiration to people so
that they can think about achieving more.
Or believe in achieving more than
what they may have thought before.
My my interest the the the my favorite
definition of leadership is that good
leaders take people where they want to go.
Great leaders take people where they may not
want to go but ought to go, or ought to be.
Wow, as a result of that,
that's that's the philosophy
that drives my leadership style,
and we try to really work with
people to to reach goals that
may be audacious to begin with,
but quite well achievable.
And is it easy to copy?
I believe there's an element of a.
They will be having the willingness
to make the necessary sacrifices,
because if it,
it means you are very dependent
on people and their ability to
come along the journey with you.
And that means that you need to find
a time to connect with people and
be present and that makes it bigger.
A big difference.
So I think it's called this, is it?
It's. It's easy, it can be copied.
You just have to be prepared to do
what it takes to to match it up, yeah.
Yeah, and many of us would say Andrew,
that's easy for you to say
as a successful leader,
but of course it is about inspiration.
And that's why I'm hoping that some
people who are listening in today
will have picked up your story.
The idea is to inspire people.
Now come on people.
Let's have some questions in the chat area,
leadership style.
When you're a great leader, it.
Yeah, it's it's easy to say.
Other people can pick it up, but it's not.
Andrew used the phrase earlier
on about mindset.
It's not just the mindset of the
customers willing to use technology.
It's not just the mindset of the
staff willing to go on a journey,
it's the mindset and the willingness of
the leaders to put themselves out there.
Because yeah, potentially,
if you can't carry people with you,
it's lonely and and may have a serious
impact on your career hasn't had for Andrew.
Of course he's gone higher and higher.
Let's have a look here.
What else is there?
Oh yeah, some of these asking, UM.
First of all,
commenting from marketing and
manufacturing to banking.
Very impressive indeed.
Says tunnel.
And now that you don't have to read Andrew,
'cause you've got all this spare
time since you completed the program,
I often ask people who say who's been
hard work on the program and what
will you do with all that time and they go.
I'm not sure what I'll do,
so perhaps you have time for reading.
Well, what kind of things do you read?
Are you still reading ideas and concepts?
Or if you said?
Enough of that I'm going to read novels,
what, what?
What were you reading at the moment?
OK, so I think that's a very
interesting the the the idea.
Do we ever have enough time?
Steve and I I don't know.
I mean you doing the program,
you you, you build yourself up,
you,
you sort of exercise your muscles
and learning the knowledge that you
carry away makes a huge difference.
And it it,
I think it spares you on into
a lifelong learning,
sort of. A journey,
but yeah, what do I read?
I think I'm spending a lot of time
these days reading about trends
in the financial services and
particularly in the digital world.
Understanding what is new and being very
open to ideas from anywhere in the world.
In fact, we do work with
some of our partners,
and one of the things that we've
established as a team when we deal
with our partners is we tell them.
When we want to launch anything
or we want to build anything,
what we want to understand is what
is the gold standard for that
particular capability across the world.
We may be able to afford it,
not afford it.
However,
we want to be able to know so that
we can benchmark ourselves and build
capabilities that lead us to sometimes,
because what one of the biggest challenges
you find as you make transitions
from legacy systems into new is.
Legacy systems,
most of them were built.
Sort of to last.
And then suddenly you find that the world
has moved on and you have to change then.
Most of the time you're thinking,
how do I check it away or it costs a
fortune to be able to recast them.
So we we try to build with an eye
on the future and understanding
the trends make a big difference.
The other thing that I like to
read is always read on leadership.
One of our team members talked to me
about the is it the Purple Horse?
I haven't seen the the book yet.
I think, yeah, I think that's what he calls.
They said the title is I'm going
to look out for that.
That would be my next one.
Great and there are some more questions
that coming in so they can fast.
I'll pick those in in just a moment,
but let me ask you dumb.
As I mentioned at the outset,
our professional institution partner,
the Chartered Banker Institute
awards chartered banker status
as the university awards,
the MBA has this concept of
a responsible banker.
Over responsible banker,
whether or not you've studied a an MBA,
whether or not you've you remember of
the of the Chartered Banking Institute,
they talk about a responsible
banker who's confident and familiar
with technology that's clearly
been very important for you and
that talks about sustainability.
The sustainability of not just
what the bank itself does,
but of what it does with its
clients and what it.
Supports its clients to do.
How useful do you think that there
are a couple of questions in the?
In the chat area,
they say as a young and upcoming
talent and leader one.
How do I make sure I don't become
a threat to my line manager who
then squeezes me out feeling that
wow there goes my job but also this
idea of a responsible bank app.
How do you create that ethos
in the mind of
a banker? Is it something
that can be taught solely?
I think the the my first point
on that one is the organization's
purpose is the starting point.
And then you would see a number of
organizations that have made that shift.
Uh, I think in the past
it was very much around.
OK, yes, a vision for the
organization and the mission.
And so on and so forth.
I think now I would say having a
clear purpose and A and a purpose
that speaks to what you do on the
different aspects of what you do.
It's very important.
I mean, I, I'm I'm.
I'm particularly proud of the
purpose that we've said that.
Let's hope for our business.
We are very much.
In the microphone in space we
are into financial inclusion.
We're doing a lot of work with,
shall I say,
the mass market,
the lower end of the spectrum in that sense.
But what I think drives us and drives
us as an organization is our purpose,
which is to improve lives.
We've said that as an agenda.
It fits in all the areas and
the things that we build,
the capabilities that we bring to them,
to to, to bear.
And what we we do so purpose for me
is really where it sits in terms of
how do you get that message across?
Because that's when when you
have the right purpose,
people start to think and do things
that are aligned to that purpose,
and often it leads you to that
kind of responsible banker.
That conversation that you're talking about.
If if if if you are in,
for instance,
if you take our approach or
our case if you are into.
If you if you agree with the purpose
and you want to align to the purpose,
then you want to improve lives.
The likelihood is the way you treat
a customer will be first focused
on what is best for the customer.
How do you create?
Capabilities that support the customers
business and helps them to grow up.
We we.
We are into things like affordable housing.
We are launching a digital affordable
health across all the different markets.
All of these are driven by that
purpose of improving lives,
but the underlying thing that
happens is in terms of how we act as
individuals and as a group or as a cohort.
It really then drives us towards
being responsible in our actions.
I must also say Steven.
I do remember Professor sister when
when he he. Taught US ethics in banking.
I tell you what, uh,
some of the terminology was difficult.
The lessons we took away was very much
around ensuring that we remembered
the lessons of what had happened and
like I said it was post the financial
crisis so some of the lessons that
could happen and what regulators had
looked out for in the impact that had
both on individuals and businesses.
So I do remember that and I
do remember him from my.
And Bob's ouster was earlier in there saying,
hi Andrew, great to see you again.
I think the, UM, the purpose of
improving lives is a fantastic tagline,
inasmuch as improving you said you're a
listed company improving dividends and
share value and things to to shareholders.
But you achieve that only by satisfying
a much broader set of stakeholders.
And I just want to pick up
on something you talk about.
Microfinance, financial inclusion.
Affordable housing digital health.
Now the the question of course is, are these,
UM, customers who have those requirements?
Are they able to access things digitally?
'cause historically would have said Oh well,
you know, no.
It's it's about having bank
branches in convenient locations.
But of course,
mobile mobile banking has taken a leap
forward way over ahead of the normal,
traditional, slowly plodding forward
way in terms of distribution channels.
Do you find that?
The customer sets for those
affordable housing, digital health,
well, financial inclusion.
First of all,
they've got to have technological inclusion,
presumably to be able to to access things or
or or these people who go to bank branches.
And how does it work?
No, it's a you you rightly point out Steven.
The mobile phone has revolutionized the way
we do things and I'll give you the start.
The late the.
At least that's the latest I have.
I I think it may have changed since the
last couple of months that I read this, but.
Smartphone penetration in Africa?
Is increasing exponentially.
Right,
so I think we are somewhere around 5960% at
the moment it is projected to get to 75%.
By 2025 that is a significant proportion
of the 1.3 billion people in Africa who
would have access to smartphone technology?
That lays a completely different field
for how you can launch digital products
and we are finding that in what we do.
The other thing we we've also
done as part of how we build is.
We've also maintained the USD a link so
you you can access most of our services
actually through the USSD channel.
But fundamentally I think the world is
going to a smart phones with smartphones.
The access to the web and so on
and so forth becomes much easier.
And then they they,
they they the technology then.
So the accessibility is there.
Well,
if I talk about one or two
of the quick products,
I mean so far for traditionally we
would do a housing, as in you go in.
People will sit in the house and
we signed up with a partner.
I think that company and this
is about the ecosystems I was
talking about earlier as well.
We've signed up with a partner
who has actually done a lot of
the background work to scope.
Was in deficit.
So we we've started the program
in Namibia with the funding from
the IFC with the World Bank and
we working together with them to
try and close that
housing deficit and they they they have
actually done a lot of groundwork.
One to map out where the opportunities
are and where people where they need is.
But most importantly they've created
a platform which we are now working
with them to integrate with,
which allows us to make the
processes all digital.
So traditionally today it would take you,
let's say, to go through all the
the the forms and so on and get all
through the processes maybe 90 days
as we speak through the digitization
of the processes in conjunction with
the authorities that are supposed
to be doing all this work,
we've got it down to 30 days,
so actually in some of the
traditional ways that.
So when we go now to say somebody
should buy a house or buy.
The house that is a low low cost house.
The person doesn't have to now go round
and do all the trips and so on and so forth.
They can actually do it digitally.
So what we're doing is we're going
to be able to upload the concepts
on our digital platform.
You can actually go there,
click and say I want the house and.
In a in a in a in days you can
actually wreck realize that house
so that piece of work is ongoing.
Yeah,
I mean that's that's absolutely amazing.
One thing I I want to ask about is some.
With the increasing use of
technology in many countries comes
the increasing risk of fraud.
People posing on both sides of
of the supply relationship,
both as providers or as customers.
Fraud certainly is increased in
the UK during the lockdown period.
Have you seen anything like that yourself?
I'm.
It's it's a. It's a.
It's a it's a it's it's a
question that I I would say.
We haven't suddenly seen a surge
within the hour business yet.
But we expect it.
We expect it come because as you be,
but what what we expect more of is.
Because it's digital,
you expect to see a more digital approach
through cyberattacks and various means.
Also that the impact can be much wider,
broader, and much more.
It's more significant than
when one person trying to use
manual means to try and reach
accounts and so on and so forth.
So you are absolutely right.
I think fraud is one of the
biggest risks that we face.
So it is something that we we we
pay attention to and and today that
number of tools that we can be
applied and a number of partnerships
that bring us the fraud protection.
So it's an ongoing conversation.
And it's something that we're focused on.
OK, thanks.
Well Kathy from Lesotho but
currently studying in the UK asks
about your company's plans in.
We'll get it.
I suspect that's confidential,
and therefore we're unlikely to have it.
I can say this though it's
pocket watch this space.
Yeah, well, there we are.
Otherwise everybody would be rushing
in to follow the same strategy.
UM, picking up on some of the things
Beecham says there could we hear
more about the 625 plan? I'm afraid?
Beat him in the time we have available
I I think we've already heard.
What can we achieve in six months to
change what we're doing now two years.
You know, becoming customer level
as what Andrew was saying and
then a slightly longer period.
I'll just in passing, make a note about.
What might be called the six two 5-10 plan?
UM, but actually it wasn't even 6/2 and five.
I heard of an organization we're
going to plan for the next 10
years and I said to them,
you really think you know what's
gonna happen in 10 years time?
You know if you'd have
said that in February 2020,
where would you have been?
You wouldn't have predicted to space,
yeah?
Thing is to be open and and flexible
and and that's why we implemented
enterprise agility because I think
agile ways of working allows you
to be able to pivot when things
change in the environment in a
much faster and smoother way.
So absolutely yes.
I'm sure some people may still feel
they can plan for much that much longer,
but the important thing is to be able to
stay attuned to what the environment is,
what your customers are saying,
and what they they really want to see.
And and I think that makes the difference.
That's right, and I think making
making the appropriate adjustment
as Andrews just said and and, uh,
and agile enterprise, UM Charles Darwin.
It was in the field of natural biology,
talked about, you know,
it's not necessarily the
biggest animal that survives.
Its the one who recognized
changes and can evolve.
And so it is in the kind of ecosystems
that Andrew has been talking
about the business ecosystems.
It's about recognising change,
not jumping too quickly.
But looking at things and then in a way
that carries the whole organization forward,
focused on customers being an child,
enough to change.
Come up says oh, actually happens to
have the same surname as as you, Andrew.
I'm OK now if this is a.
If this is a planted question from
a family member we'll never know,
but well,
it it is, Steven,
that's my daughter.
So, uh, and and uh, yeah.
It's it's a conversation we
have very often. She's a.
She's a JD PhD student in the US, right?
And she she she she she's very much
about values and what people do and
what think and how they live up to
expectations and so on so forth.
It's a colleague, so I'm not
surprised that that's her question.
Greetings to you in the US where
whichever part of the whichever
part of the US where which part
of the US is she in the US now?
Andrew, she's in Chicago.
Yes, alright, OK, and you already have
a great insight to that, and so do we.
Because Andrew has been able to share
quite a lot of his philosophy with us,
Oliver Grant asks. Hi, Andrew,
oh, this is an awkward question.
What was your most enjoyable elective module?
And why?
Without naming names he says I'm a Andrew.
Oliver says I'm considering
studying the banker CB MBA.
He enjoys the presentation.
Anything you can stay there without
falling out with anybody, yes.
OK, uhm. They I, I don't let me
see what the elective module.
Without without without,
without falling out with anyone,
I must say maybe it was my first module,
but I think if I took up if I think
about the program as a whole. The.
Financial institutions risk management uh?
Course was very very useful for me
and I think all like I've said before,
all the courses were great.
I learned a lot and I always attended the
the revision sessions for all of them.
So it tells you that I was very much into
it and participated strongly, but it was.
It was, I think,
the financial institutions risk
management cause was was probably
the one that was the 1st and it was
the one that I think could be going.
OK, let me let me just uhm,
present a perspective from from
our side as providers.
I think when you return to
learning in this kind of a program,
which is perhaps very different to
things that you have learned before,
utter a qualification at a degree level,
you're balancing work,
you're balancing social life
and family responsibilities.
And you go wow studying.
What's it gonna be like?
Is it gonna be full of theory
and of no relevance to me?
I'm not gonna be managed.
I'm not going to be able
to achieve the balance,
and therefore regardless of the
topic that Andrew as mentioned,
and he's said that a couple of
times because of course the time
that he was studying was reasonably
shortly after the financial crisis.
How do you manage risk there?
But I think many students say to
me in my role as academic director
when I come on the program.
My first semester modules give
me a feeling of confidence.
Yes, I can learn from this.
It isn't true theoretical.
There's elements of application and you know,
I think I can do this.
Last year was the Seabob's 10th anniversary.
The tagline we used.
It's always good to have A tag
line just like over Andrews
left shoulder digital power.
Our tagline was one program.
10 years self explanatory.
100 countries,
1000 students.
So many of those will have been
quite nervous coming on the program.
Is it for me we like oak.
Will I get to the end of a module?
Will I get to the end of a program
and picking up on some other things
that Andrew has said that he said
he found the not just the firm but
other firm financial institution
risk management,
but the program he could apply
it pretty quickly in whilst he
was still studying and.
There afterwards, uhm? Now then.
I know you're a busy person.
I mean, I just add to that.
Yes, congratulations to you,
the team and to all of us who've
studied in the CBFC program.
I think we we're very proud of the program.
It's it's been a an outstanding program,
uh,
for for for many of us in terms of
having studied it and and and gained from it,
I think it's important to
also say couple of things.
Number one. I think the team at.
Bangor the CB MBA program Lisa and and and
and the rest of the team are absolutely
outstanding in terms of being available.
Answering any questions you have
and making life easy for you.
This there's a. There's a.
There's a very strong recognition,
and I sensed it all along the the strong
recognition of the fact that it's not
easy on you to study in the program.
And I and I think that they go
out of their way to make it.
Possible for you to have the best
experience and and for me I think
that's that's with you and as we
celebrate the 10th year, I think.
Congratulations to them and and and well
done how far they've come with the program.
Great, well thanks for that,
but of course a program is only
successful based on its students as well.
So it requires content it requires lecturers.
It requires the admin team, uh,
the IT team because we we're
offering this program blended.
It requires students who pick up the
ball and run with it who are committed?
Who tell others about it.
I was about to say now being busy people.
I was going to close with a question that
asked about how you usually plan your day.
But before you answer that one, I'm drew.
A question sneaked in that said, Uhm, uh,
I hope I pronounce the name correctly.
Goni Maswabi,
who says I live in Gaborone,
and I've seen the companies.
The word used in the question is
aggression into the digital space.
It's what we call ruthless execution.
But then he goes on to congratulate
congratulations,
and that admirable leadership.
Uh, only actually participated in the
testing of the online application.
And enjoyed the experience.
Now we may look at some of those words
about aggression in the digital space.
There's nothing wrong in my personal view,
uh, in inappropriate competitiveness
and aggression.
Otherwise, we all are just very much me too.
We become complacent as some
people in the UK said,
you know,
we've got four or five very large banks
and we only make very small changes
'cause we don't want to threaten each other.
We've all got big market share and you
need people to come in and shake up the tree.
And when it comes to execution.
Execution the best laid plans don't come
to fruition unless you execute them.
And yeah,
you have to be focused very focused,
so I won't ask Andrew to comment on
aggression and ruthless execution,
but thanks for that at that point
and then the final thing,
because we've ranged far and wide.
Andrew,
thanks to your introduction and
the answers you've given.
With technology, the world for customers,
the world for companies effectively
becomes 24/7.
We now have students who send
dumb questions and expect answers,
even if there's different time zones.
Like you know, well, you know there is.
We all need a little bit of a rest sometimes,
and there is time to collect information.
How do you usually plan
your day be seeker Jessie?
Jessie J Beseke asks,
how do you usually plan your day
to ensure you're productive and.
Efficient you're you've said
that one of your key, UM?
Strength as an organization
is digital platforms.
I think you said earlier 80% of
your customers are our our digital
now just trying to build some
links from the earlier things.
But how do you?
How can you be there all the time?
I know technology it's often
said can run itself,
but we need to switch off
all of us as humans.
Any thoughts that you can share about
being so focused on technology and yet
being productive and efficient and effective?
Right?
Yeah, first of all Steven.
If if I may just to slip
in the fact that too.
Thanks to honey.
Or participating in in the
testing of the application in
that it was a number of people.
Did that and we want to say thank
you to them on on the issue of.
Look, the two things,
the the fact of the matter
is this whole journey for us.
The whole transformation journey
that company has has has really
bound really sucked in and I and
I will be honest about the fact
that we barely want to switch off
because it's so exciting for us.
It's it's absolutely the truth.
But what I have learned,
and yesterday we're having some
discussions with one of our external
facilitators and we talked about pulses.
And it is quite important
that we find the moments.
What I have found is happened
to me is I have shorten the
number of hours I sleep at night.
But I I'm finding ways to create
short pauses during the day.
Typically my day is made up of a
lot of meetings in the daytime and
then a lot of conversations after
a certain time in the evenings.
When I go a little bit into late to
the late hours, but between the two,
either at lunchtime or just after the
the end of the the day late afternoon,
I will spend some time just being alone
by myself talking to something else
somebody else or going to sit by my.
My my lovely wife just you know,
talk about something else that just
moves me away from what I have to do.
That's one of the advantages
sometimes of working from home.
If I'm in the office then I'll
take a walk or have a conversation
about something with somebody else.
For those of you who may be pained by this,
but I'm an Arsenal fan and we're having a
great year so I can talk about somebody.
I can talk about Arsenal before too.
It gives me a lot of joy,
but the the the the the.
I think the key thing is to be able
to find those moments where you
can actually get within yourself.
Refresh and video and I think that is
for me a powerful way of doing this.
As my daughter does I I have also in my time
being a bit of a preacher so I get some time
to reflect and meditate on those things.
Right, and we we we were doing so well
until you brought football into it, Andrew.
No, no no no. Don't worry,
I knew the risk but I I decided that
there's a calculated one, so I'll take it.
Oh oh, you learn that from the from the
institutional risk management as well.
We won't go into that one and it's been.
It's been great talking to you.
It's been good also to to
hear your enthusiasm.
It's so exciting we barely want to switch
off that you said a minute or or two ago.
That's great and but you need to have
these pauses to refresh and renew.
There are lots of questions
that we've tackled.
There are comments like
come great discussion.
I'm excited to start the
CB MB A says 10 oh great.
So we Gilbert says I like the
linkage of the CBMA with industry.
UM somebody laughing there and and
presumably a chest is a Chelsea fan.
Oh well,
never mind and UM and plays the tenor
saxophone and Oliver says there we are great.
Thank you very much indeed.
There's some other endorsements from
other people who've been on the program,
but as we draw this to a close Andrew,
I want to thank you very much
for your time for your insight.
For your humor and for your enthusiasm,
not only today,
and communicating your experience
and enthusiasm.
Troops infusing people who are
thinking about coming on the program,
and some very practical examples
from your side.
So thank you very much, Andrew.
All the best.
We'll speak again soon.
Thank you and thank you everyone for
joining and we look forward to seeing you.
I'm sure I understand there's a couple
of events coming up with Mango.
One of the things Steven.
If you don't mind me for taking 30 seconds,
one of the things that I have regretted
the most has been that my inability
to return to Bangor since I finished.
I hear the two events coming up.
I'm definitely so.
I'll say I'll be back.
Great, OK,
so that that requires me that I
respond 'cause everyone is going.
What two events is Andrew speaking about?
Well, Andrew is speaking about graduation,
which is something we haven't
been able to do for two years.
So people who have graduated,
completed studies and graduated in the
last two years have not been able to come,
but they they will have an opportunity
to come to Bangor to graduate.
And also we are putting together a
conference probably in September,
but.
Will be an opportunity for people
to come to Bangor,
but if you can't come to Bangor
you can still participate using
technology and there's a plug.
It's on the left hand side of my screen.
I don't know which side it's
on yours and our
next conversation.
The next conversation I'll be having is
with Joseph Hilo Healy of Judo bank,
and I'll just have to check out whether
or not I have to be an expert in jujitsu,
judo, or any other form of martial art.
I'm sure I want there.
We are great, Andrew.
Thank you so much,
best wishes for the rest of the day.
See you soon. All the best. Cheers now.
Bye bye bye bye and bye bye everybody.
Thanks for coming and thanks
to the team for organizing it.
I think that's probably it with regard to.