Experience

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  Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank

  • United Arab Emirates
  • Banking
  • 700 & Above Employee

  • Head Commercial Banking

    • Sep 2015 - Present

    Business Head for the high growth SME and Mid Corporate customer segments in the UAE.Managing a professional team of Relationship Managers & Product Managers to deliver a superior experience to Small & Medium Enterprises in the UAE, while remaining compliant with internal and external regulations.Key responsibilities include Profitability, Balance Sheet growth, enhancing Cross sell across segments and delivering a superior customer experience by eliciting the support of multiple Physical & Online delivery channels in the bank.Additional responsibilities include driving the Wholesale Banking agenda within the Bank’s Digital Transformation Program as member of the Core group set up to execute the project.Key achievements include scoring high on Customer NPS & Employee Engagement index while achieving budgeted KPIs on both Balance Sheet & Income Statement growth.Successfully migrated over 90% of SME Transactions to non-branch, alternate channels. Until 3 years ago, over 85% of transactions were performed at branches and SME Service Centers,

  • EVP, Head Retail Products & Distribution, Consumer Banking Group

    • Jan 2014 - Aug 2015

    Responsibility for growth and development of the entire range of Retail products in addition to existing responsibility for the Branch network. Responsibilities included growing existing product lines, innovating on product design and processes with a view to tapping new market segments.

  • EVP - Head Branch & Wealth Distribution

    • Sep 2010 - Dec 2013

    Promoted to EVP with additional responsibility for Wealth Management Distribution.Led a team of highly motivated Relationship Managers and service delivery staff. Tripled the Affluent customer base and quadrupled client AUMs over the 3 year period, while enhancing service quality in this customer segment.Significantly improved penetration of Wealth Products in a customer base that essentially viewed ADCB just as a safe bank for plain Deposits and Checking facilities.Improved penetration of Asset products in an otherwise Liability heavy portfolio.From being an insignificant player, ADCB emerged as one of the top 3 distributors of mutual funds and insurance products in the UAE market during this period.Emphasis on granularity and customer focus led to stable AUMs and sustained growth in revenues.Strict monitoring of RM activity has also ensured superior quality of business as evidenced by lower than industry claw-back levels, superior service scores & higher Net Promoter Scores (NPS) in the Affluent customer segment.Participated in the successful launch of ADCB Offshore Jersey branch by actively promoting the facility to the existing customer base.Played a key role in re-designing jobs and smoothly integrating people from the newly acquired Retail Business of RBS. The acquisition was one of the biggest in the UAE market and involved integrating over 150 people across the Branch & Wealth Distribution networks.Held responsibility for Compliance for 1 year during this tenure, until the function was transferred to the newly formed Group Compliance unit.Appointed member of the Bank's Senior Management Committee, Group Compliance Committee and Steering Committees of ongoing projects.

  • SVP - Head of Branch Distribution & Retail Sales

    • Jan 2008 - Sep 2010

    Led a network of 45 branches (one of the largest in the UAE), growing it to 48.Transformed the branch network from a reactive service delivery channel to a proactive sales & service focused outfit. Improved the team work between Branch, Direct Sales & Other customer facing channels and succeeded in minimizing channel conflict.Enhanced internal controls and compliance resulting in improved Audit Ratings in annual reviews.Achieved superior Customer Satisfaction Scores in annual surveys.Achieved significant sales improvements in a depressed market environment by developing clear KPIs and implementing accurate performance monitoring systems. Grew retail customer base in a granular manner resulting in sustained growth and profitability.ADCB consistently won Industry Awards for excellence in Retail Banking during this period.

  • Vice President - Head of Direct Sales

    • Jul 2005 - Jan 2008

    Led the newly formed Direct Sales function. Successfully consolidated and grew Direct Sales into a formidable contributor of Retail Business. The sales force had been structured along product lines. My mandate was to integrate these teams, exploit synergies and strengthen focus on the customer.Worked with Outsourced man-power providers, re-negotiated contracts and improved recruitment processes resulting in growth of the sales team from about 200 to over 600.Provided outsourcing support for other units like Collections, Contact Center and SME Sales by being the central point of contact with external outsourced vendors.Worked with Credit, Operations, Product Development and other businesses within the Bank to achieve multi-fold increases in Sales volumes across products.Coached and mentored sales personnel while developing them for leadership roles.Instilled the philosophies of Need-Based selling, upfront Cross sell and Quality sourcing without diluting the emphasis on sales productivity.Provided inputs to Policy units for proactive revision of policies to suit the dynamic market environment.

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  Emirates Bank

  • Dubai

  • Head of Sales - Retail Banking

    • Mar 2001 - Jul 2005
    • Dubai

    Set up and grew the Direct sales network in Emirates Bank. Handled pan-UAE sales for all Retail products including Cards, Personal loans and Auto Loans.Lead a team of over 500 sales professionals reporting to Head of Branches & Distribution.

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  Standard Chartered Bank

  • Head Sales & Marketing - Unsecured Loans

    • 1996 - 2001

    Set up and grew a Direct Sales team for Credit Cards & Personal loans. Introduced clear KPIs and monitoring systems to constantly improve sales performance. Promoted thrice in 5 years.

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  ANZ Grindlays Bank

  • Credit Officer - Cards

    • Feb 1994 - Feb 1996

    Handled Credit initiation for Cards at the Central Headquarters for ANZGB's India Cards Business. Processed card applications manually in the pre-credit scoring days. Responsible for processing of card applications coming in from across the 56 branches of ANZ in India. Improved processing times and approval rates while maintaining accuracy of processing - at a time when ANZ witnessed a significant growth in Card acquisition volumes.Additional responsibilities included soft collections on Over Limit accounts, identifying high spenders & proactively granting Credit line increases for deserving clients.

  • Sales Officer - Merchant Acquiring

    • Apr 1992 - Feb 1994

    Signed up merchants in Retail, Hospitality, Travel industries for acceptance of Credit Cards in a nascent market for plastic money. Job involved selling the concept of credit cards to merchants and growing the market for its acceptance in cash-intensive economy. Achieved significant growth in both market share and volumes for ANZ Grindlays by shifting accounts from market leaders like Citi, BoA & Bank of Baroda.

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  American Express

  • Mumbai, India

  • Operations Officer

    • Sep 1990 - Mar 1992
    • Mumbai, India

    Worked in the FX operations unit of the Travel Related Services arm of AmEx. Responsible for error free processing and recording of Sales & Purchase transactions on Travelers Checks, Credit Card transactions. Forex was a highly regulated commodity in India during the early 90s and transaction processing involved adherence to various Central Bank guidelines and rules.