Ajay Mathur of DBS to share the secret to the bank's success

Beyond unique digital offerings, Ajay is also focusing his efforts on improving culture.

Ajay Mathur is Managing Director and Head of Consumer Banking Group & Wealth Management at DBS Bank (Hong Kong) Limited.

Ajay has more than 20 years of extensive retail and wealth exposure in Indonesia, Singapore and India. Prior to joining DBS in December 2017, he was ANZ’s Deputy CEO and Director for Retail & Private Banking, in Indonesia, where he successfully built the ANZ business into the second largest foreign bank in the country. He first started his banking career with Bank of America and thereafter with ABN AMRO in India. In 2008, Ajay joined the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) in Singapore as Executive Director, Head of Retail and Wealth, and subsequently moved to ANZ in 2011, after its acquisition of RBS’s retail and wealth business.

Ajay holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and earned the Master of Business Administration from the University of Mumbai in India.

In an interview with Asian Banking & Finance, Mathur walked us through his career and business philosophy.

What were the previous experiences and positions you've held that contributed to who you are as an expert banker today?

Firstly, as a management trainee, I started my career in a branch in relationship management sales. That stint gave me a rich understanding of the value that financial wellbeing plays in the mind of consumers and the importance of good service. As I developed my career through product management, digital build and leading businesses, I learned to rely on the voice of the consumer and a continuously innovative mindset to stand at the front in terms of consumer choice. Secondly, I have worked across four geographies over the past 10 years, ranging from emerging to developed markets. These experiences have made me richer in developing myself to appreciate diversity, understand cultures and risk perspectives and, most importantly, connect trends and data to what the future will likely be.

What are your key business philosophies?

These three aspects drive my approach to business, and everywhere I have worked, I have relied on them to consistently deliver success:

• Do right with people and they will give their best for you.
• Be focused on the consumer and be fearless about being innovative.
• Be focused on delivering your game plan, yet be humble about your competition.

Can you give us a glimpse of what you will share at the ABF Digital Payments Summit 2019?

Driving wholesome digital and innovative delivery requires much more than smart products. Culture, leadership that allows for experimentation, and a relentless focus on improving the consumer journey are unseen, but these are the most vital pivots to success in today’s world. I shall share how at DBS we have incorporated all these throughout the organisation.

The 2019 ABF Digital Payments Summit will take place on 28 August in Hong Kong. To learn more about the event, click here. To register, click here. For inquiries, you may contact Andrea at [email protected] or at +65 3158 1386 ext 212.