Leadership Skills for Compliance Professionals

Ras, a seasoned banking professional with a remarkable 37-year tenure in the financial services sector, brings a wealth of experience in relationship management to her distinguished career. Her journey encompasses leadership roles in commercial banking, strategy, credit, and risk management, as well as financial crime and compliance, emphasising the significance of soft skills in fostering connections.

Equipped with certifications from the Lumina Training Programmes, focusing on behavioural interaction and leadership skills, Ras’s expertise extends beyond her own company. During her four years at Moody’s Analytics, she directed the development and delivery of tailored training programs across various domains, underscoring the importance of soft skills at all levels, especially in today’s intricate and customer-centric business landscape. These programs spanned credit and risk management, financial crime compliance, regulatory compliance, commercial due diligence, sales, and service, showcasing Ras’s commitment to holistic relationship management. Her professional footprint extends across the UK, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, and the Americas.

Before her tenure at Moody’s, Ras contributed her skills at RBS, where she dedicated a year to a special project evaluating small-to-medium-sized businesses, aligning them with the regulatory requirements of the Financial Conduct Authority—a testament to her dedication to regulatory compliance in relationship management.

The majority of Ras’s illustrious career unfolded at HSBC, where she held senior management positions within retail, commercial, and corporate banking in London. Recognised as a commercially astute leader, she consistently fostered substantial income growth through extensive internal and external networks. Ras played a pivotal role in enhancing and maintaining credit and compliance risk frameworks, setting regional best practices, and underlining her commitment to sustainable and ethical relationship management. 

Ras’s distinctive strength lies in her ability to unlock strategic value, coupled with her meticulous nature, which facilitates seamless implementation across organisational tiers. Given her diverse range of experiences and eloquent communication skills, she ventured into the field of development and learning, aiming to drive industry-wide best practices. While Ras’s training methods were traditionally classroom-based, she has seamlessly transitioned into the virtual training arena and is proficient in various virtual training platforms, including Adobe Connect, Webex, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Tencent 

Beyond her professional endeavours, Ras serves as the Chairperson for a sports and leisure organisation that hosted the training for the London 2012 Olympics. Ras is also the Corporate Partnerships Manager, Head of Mentoring and Head of Mentor Curriculum with the Women in Banking and Finance Organisation. She actively participates as a committee member in various charitable organisations, including speaking engagements for the global Water Aid Charity. Additionally, Ras was selected for UN UK Women Delegation CSW68 and is a project lead for an offshoot group involved with educating women to be financially astute and to operate autonomously. As a dedicated mentor and coach across all professional levels, Ras remains a staunch advocate for gender and ethnic diversity in the workplace, embodying the essence of inclusive relationship management.