Standard Chartered Bank

Joining this year’s CPA Australia Career Expo is part of Standard Chartered Bank’s campaign to build a pipeline of future leaders. As an international group, the bank searches globally for bright and promising talents, and the expo is an ideal channel to meet this objective in this region.

The qualities Standard Chartered looks for in potential hires are linked to its corporate values. “We are looking for people who are courageous, responsive, internationally minded, creative and trustworthy,” says Andy Li, regional head, talent acquisition – Northeast Asia, Standard Chartered Bank. “Our international reach and diversity agenda also require candidates who can collaborate and consistently perform at a high standard in a dynamic environment.”

The bank’s staff are entitled not only to competitive, performance-related compensation, but also to health and medical coverage, insurance, retirement plans, and a host of benefits, including preferred rates on varied banking products. One of the bank’s key differentiators is its strong encouragement of “volunteer leave”, with all employees granted up to three calendar days of paid leave a year to participate in community activities.

Li says working in global teams is normal at the bank, which can mean overseas posts. “Cross-border collaboration, exposure to different cultures and developing an international perspective – our staff are inevitably exposed to new ways of working and creative thinking and naturally open up doors for international assignments.”

Standard Chartered has a comprehensive suite of programmes to ensure that staff members are adequately trained and equipped in their current and future positions.

For instance, people managers at different levels can avail themselves of the bank’s range of leadership and management development programmes, while all staff can enrol in various professional development programmes that are delivered by internal trainers or external consultants, or both, to sharpen specific skills.

Fresh graduates who are serious about growing a career in one of Standard Chartered’s major lines of business could join any of the graduate or fast-track programmes. The bank’s international graduate programme, for example, has several streams to choose from, covering wholesale banking, consumer banking and other specialist functions.