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Amol Gupte: Keeping people motivated and focused good for business
(Courtesy of Citi Indonesia)Dealing with a large and complicated business across multiple countries must be a challenging job, especially when a leader is unable to meet with his or her staff on a regular basis
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(Courtesy of Citi Indonesia) (Courtesy of Citi Indonesia)
(Courtesy of Citi Indonesia)
Dealing with a large and complicated business across multiple countries must be a challenging job, especially when a leader is unable to meet with his or her staff on a regular basis.
But Citi veteran Amol Goupte has found the secret to growing that business despite his limited presence in a country where the bank operates.
Of Indian descent but born in the UK, the 49-year-old who loves 'challenges' and 'changes' said, 'I always put customer's lens in every decision we make. We delegate our decision making to the team that is close to our clients on the ground. I have very hands-on staff.'
Gupte is the Hong Kong-based Citi's managing director and region head of treasury and trade solutions. He is responsible for the strategic direction and development of Citi's comprehensive suite of treasury and trade solutions in the Asia-Pacific, including payments, receivables, liquidity management, investment services and working capital solutions.
The banker visited Indonesia recently to witness the introduction of Citi Indonesia's newest digital banking solutions for institutional clients ' CitiDirect BE. In his brief visit, he also provided an update of business progress and held a talk with the bank's staff.
According to him, given the large and complicated business a team has to deal with, the team from each country must be filled with the right people because 'if you have a good, solid and strong team, then it will make a difference in competition,' he remarked.
Therefore, he said, a manager should be able to keep people highly motivated and focused by having consistency in vision and managing properly.
'When I work with a team from Indonesia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, India, Australia, for example, I always ask my manager the three most important things they are focused on and the five important goals that they want to achieve for the year. I assure them that 'we must win the battle',' he said.
'Once you identify what goals are, then back to the natural way to get focused,' he said, adding that it is also important to keep people disciplined and 'that's how they drive execution on the day-to-day basis.'
'I like high level of energy, a level of high motivation. Energy and motivation help people approach situation in a different and positive way. I like to create an environment which is vibrant, full of energy, a lot of motivation, but with a lot of accountability,' he noted.
Gupte made a decision to pursue a career in banking sector in India because he had a passion for challenges and changes. Initially, he focused on consumer banking but then shifted to corporate banking due to his hungry for learning new things and challenges. Hard work, consistency and highly motivation have led him to climb up his career in the bank.
He served the organization in a variety of capacities with leadership roles in product management, relationship management and sales. He oversaw business in North America for around six years, prior to further leadership postings in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia.
Throughout his 25 years of experience in working in the organization, he said that he has learned a lot, especially in regard to many issues, including different economic cycle, which has enriched his managerial experience.
The experience that he got, he said, was irreplaceable and could not be found in a book.
'The challenge is when you are trying to create a solution ' putting together complex jigsaw puzzle and making that meaningful solution for a client. If you can solve or find solutions for a client, I would say on the one hand it is very challenging and on the other hand also satisfying,' he said, referring to challenge from a managerial perspective.
Gupte acknowledged that there were always obstacles to executing the vision but this would depend on 'the way you look at it'.
'If you look at an obstacle as a problem then it is very negative cycle and you'll never win. But if you think that an obstacle that has to be solved, then you'll think that, as a human being, we are a problem solver, we'd like to solve the problem. So the obstacle is just another problem. If you solve it, then you can get another one. So it is like a race.
'My job as a manager is to move the obstacle so that the business can run. But I no longer run the business in the level of details that my manager does. So what I do is to move the obstacle by providing and developing resources when they need, provide them remunerability and expenses, technology and infrastructure to build capability and solution and then they can execute on their agenda,' he said.
Describing his management style, he said, 'I am easygoing, very approachable, do not have hieratical matter. I talk to people two or three people below me so that I know what's really going on. I delegate a lot and on the flip side, I also want people to be accountable and I am tolerant for mistake. But not the same mistake again and again,' he said.
'I am tough on the one hand but I give my managers a lot of freedoms to think like an entrepreneur, to think like their own business. Every decision should be tested, such as 'if it is your own business, would you do it this way?',' he remarked.
Diversity of thought
Gupte said that his job requires him not only to travel a lot but also have increased familiarity with cultural diversity and enhanced adaptability to local working environment.
'When you live in a country for a long time, then you start behaving similar to that culture. I was in the United States for six years and used to that working environment. And when I am in Asia, I've found that Asia's culture is different. In Asia, there are local customs and typical ways in which people react to situation,' he said.
For him, diversity is more on the diversity of thoughts instead of gender diversity as many people think.
'Diversity in management team is very important and so is openness,' he said.
'That's why we create a working environment that allows people to speak, to have courage to oppose views, and to disagree. We set up a team that has a unity in the fact that together they are more powerful than working alone, individually.'
'Corporate life is not about individual, it is a combination (of different people). None of us would be successful if we work just ourselves.'
Amol Gupte
Place and Date of Birth
Rugby, UK, Oct. 22, 1964
Experience
Has more than 25 years of experience in banking industry, mostly in Citi. Currently, he holds a position as managing director and region head of treasury and trade solutions in Asia Pacific. The Citi veteran held a position as regional head of treasury and trade solutions in North America prior to assuming that role in April 2008. Previously he held numerous positions in transaction services, including head of cash management for Western Europe, and head of transaction services for sub-continent in India. Before joining transaction services, he was with Citi's consumer bank in India and held roles in sales, product management and treasury.
Education
1987 ' Masters of Business Administration in Mumbai, India
At Ease
Avid soccer fan
When I am away from work, I spend a lot of time with my wife and my two boys. We spend weekends away from home with family as well. We are avid soccer fans. Once in a while, I watch a soccer match outdoor with my boys.
Learning from differences
I like reading and traveling. We spend leisure time traveling. We learn a lot from different cultures. We live in a global village and we really appreciate different cultures. In Indonesia, I have been to Borobudur Temple, Bali and, of course, Jakarta. Way back, 20 years back, I was in Indonesia doing a four-month project.
Good things
The one thing that I consciously try to do whether it is my colleagues, people who work for me or different managers that I work for, there are a lot of good things that you see in everyone. I try to keep learning from different people.
Tips for young bankers
Don't get comfortable in a small world but challenge the status quo. Explore the possibilities and do different things and as you do different things, you become a well-rounded banker.
