Financial Services (Risk)

Finding the Ideal Fit for Demanding Parameters
Chief Commercial Credit Officer for a National Bank

The Client Need
A leading provider of consumer financial services entered the commercial banking business on a large scale, acquiring two local banks and merging them into a new institution. The new Chief Commercial Credit Officer for the bank would face several challenges. First, the two culturally and operationally distinct banks would have to be combined successfully into a single, unified bank. As a national bank, the new entity would now come under supervision by the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), calling for deep regulatory expertise. The new executive would also need to build trust and collaboration with the parent company—which had no prior experience in commercial banking.

The SEBA Solution
We knew it would be important to find a candidate who had been through at least one successful merger, as well as bringing strong expertise in commercial banking risk. The right person would bring the leadership to bring together the new organization and navigate the vast complexity of its new business operations.

The Result
SEBA presented the client with an accomplished credit risk professional who had proven her skill with Chemical Bank, Chase, and JP Morgan, participating in several mergers along the way. Her personality was equally striking: her positive energy and directness enhanced her credibility, helping her bring the parties together to build trust and collaboration. Since her arrival, she has transformed the organization. The OCC is pleased with the bank’s progress in meeting their requirements, the bank is performing well, and she has since been promoted to Chief Risk Officer for Commercial.

Matchmaking in Kazakhstan
Head of Risk Management for Consumer Loans in Kazakhstan for a Global Banking Leader

The Client Need
When Kazakhstan became an independent nation, our client was the first outside bank to enter the market. Now, the client needed to increase its executive strength in the region with a new head of risk management for its consumer loan business. With the nation’s financial services industry still in its infancy, local expertise was limited; at the same time, our client needed to find someone with an intuitive understanding of Eastern European culture and business practices, as well as the technical skills needed for peak performance.

The SEBA Solution
SEBA’s extensive global network played a vital role in the search. Although obvious choices in the local market were few and far between, we did identify and present several such candidates, along with others from the Middle East and across Europe, all with the requisite expertise in risk management.

The Result
Our networking led to the ideal candidate for our client’s needs, a native of Eastern Europe who had proven his skill with a global financial services organization, then managed consumer credit risk within a global bank. His combination of cultural affinity and risk management acumen have proved invaluable in helping our client enhance and extend their leadership in the fast-growing Kazakh market.

Personal Relationships Deliver the Industry’s Best-Suited Candidate
Chief Risk Officer, Real Estate Lending for a Major U.S.-Based Financial Services Company

The Client Need
A client needed a Chief Risk Officer for its real estate business. In addition to strong analytical skills and sophisticated expertise with large-scale mortgage and home equity lending, the role demanded an individual with the leadership skills to provide guidance and vision for this challenging market sector.

The SEBA Solution
To find the right candidate for this high-profile job, SEBA leveraged not only our extensive network within the U.S. risk community, but also our deep familiarity with the executives themselves: their backgrounds, personalities, and affinities.

The Result
As our client affirmed, SEBA quickly found the best person for the job. Based on our five-year personal relationship with the executive, we knew he had both the intellect (as a PhD) and the industry experience (as a veteran of several of the world’s largest lenders and market-makers) needed to thrive in this demanding position. His performance on the job has proven us right.