The Asset Triple A Treasury, Trade and Risk Management Awards, the longest-running recognition for excellence in treasury and finance in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East, is proud to announce the transaction bankers of the year. Every year, we celebrate the achievements of these individuals with The Asset’s annual Triple A Special Achievement Awards for outstanding contribution to treasury, trade and risk management.
View the winners of the Industry Achievement and Leadership Awards by clicking here.
Transaction Banker of the Year, International Bank
Amol Gupte
Regional Head, Asia
Treasury and Trade Solutions
Citi
Change is to be expected, related Amol Gupte, in his first meeting with The Asset nearly three years ago, when asked what the first thing he would do as the new head of Citi Transaction Services (CTS). Those were prophetic words. Within a year, the division was no more and Gupte became head of what is now known as Treasury and Trade Solutions, which parted with Securities Services that formed the former CTS. Coming into the new job and then having to manage that transition could not have been easy. Yet, Citi’s treasury and trade activity stayed the course overcoming headwinds. Gupte led from the front and ensured that the bank remains a force to be reckoned with in this region.
Transaction Banker of the Year, Asian Bank
John Wong
Global Head, Transaction Banking
Maybank
For years, the tiger that is the symbol of Maybank never really growled in transaction banking. When John Wong decided to take on the challenge nearly five years ago to lead the business, he knew that it can’t just prowl inside the cage. Rather, he had to get the bank focussed on the value of transaction banking, leveraging on Maybank’s already extensive franchise and to build an electronic platform comparable to the international banks. Injecting energy, reworking the structure and hiring new people, Wong has transformed Maybank -- winning new business not just at home but in Asean and Greater China. The work is not complete for sure. But the tiger is awake, hungry and ready to pounce.
Transaction Banker of the Year, Greater China and Northeast Asia
Sridhar Kanthadai
Managing Director and Regional Head Transaction Banking
Greater China and Northeast Asia
Standard Chartered
It is not difficult to sense that Sridhar Kanthadai enjoys the nitty-gritty of the business. He speaks with great excitement about the technological innovation driving change in transaction banking. Having started his career as a software engineer, Sridhar is at home especially as technology increasingly becomes a must-have to be a successful transaction bank. Along the way, he became a banker. Equipped with both, he is uniquely positioned to understand his clients and has been able to help Standard Chartered to further innovate and improve its wide range of customized solutions in cash management, trade finance and renminbi settlement services.
Transaction Banker of the Year, Asean
Melvyn Low
Managing Director and Head, Asean and Singapore
Treasury and Trade Solutions
Citi
With all the action sometimes concentrated in North Asia, especially China, it is easy to forget that one of Citi’s biggest operations outside of the US in terms of employees is in Singapore. The city-state also hosts Citi’s Innovation Lab, the test bed for many of the bank’s global technology initiatives. Given the scale of the bank’s activity, it is a wonder that Melvyn Low never loses his cool demeanor. His unassuming ways contradict his success in helping to build Citi in Singapore and Asean. The bank has scored multiple wins even with the largest multinationals operating regional treasury centres in Singapore. As Asean comes together with the launch of the Asean Economic Community later this year, Low can be expected to go on a new high in helping to solidify the bank's position in the region.
Cash Management Banker of the Year
Navinder Duggal
Head, Cash Product Management
Global Transaction Services
DBS
DBS was among the earliest Asian banks to discover the value of cash management as a source of stable revenue. To gain headway, attention to detail is critical. Enter Navinder Duggal who relishes the fine points of how an electronic banking platform should work. His knowledge of all aspects of cash management – payments, receivables to liquidity management – was instrumental in the bank’s development of the next generation IDEAL banking platform, which won The Asset’s Editors’ Triple Star in 2013. It helped drive DBS’ strong transaction banking revenue year-on-year. Technological innovation continues under his watch as the bank launches other initiatives such as virtual accounts in four more markets and becoming the first Singapore bank to set up partnership with Guangzhou Union Merchant Solutions to offer pan-China cross-bank direct debit services.
The Asset will host an awards dinner on April 30 2015 at the Four Seasons in Hong Kong to honour these individuals.
Overview of The Asset Triple A Treasury, Trade and Risk Management Awards 2015
