The Chartered Institute of Bankers, Ghana – represented by its CEO, Robert Dzato, has participated in a panel discussion at the 24th World Conference of Banking Institutes. This event took place in Kular Lumpur, Malaysia.
Sang Hoe Chow, Consulting Managing Partner, Ernst & Young Consulting-Malaysia, moderated the panel discussion, 21st Century Future Skills — Minding the Skills Gap, on the future skills and jobs in banking and finance; with a special focus on financial skills frameworks used in the various countries.
Panellists consisted of experts from the World Bank, Chartered Institute of Bankers, Ghana; Institute of Banking and Finance, Singapore; and Asia-Pacific Risk Professionals Association, Hong Kong.
Dr. Aija Rinkinen, Senior Education Specialist-World Bank Education Global Practice, East Asia and Pacific, shared her views on what is needed by learning and development professionals to deliver on their roles effectively. These include resilience, flexibility and adaptability – stepping out of your comfort zone – innovation, and continuous professional education.
Robert Dzato ACIB, Chief Executive Officer-Chartered Institute of Bankers Ghana (CIB Ghana), was of the view that although it is important to be equipped with necessary technical and digital skills, it is even more important to have personal skills – the ability to show empathy beyond technology, and to manage people and provide ethical leadership.
He also emphasised the importance of lifelong learning. In his own words, “Learning is to the brain as exercise is to the body”. To strengthen his viewpoint, he shared a key formula – L > C² – which conveys the message that one’s rate of Learning must be faster than the rate of Change and the speed of one’s Competitors.
To build the workforce of the future, Dr. Justin Xu, Chief Executive Officer Asia-Pacific Risk Professionals Association-Hong Kong, encouraged bankers to embrace new technologies; meanwhile Siew Lie Hee, Senior Deputy Director of Standards, Accreditation and Certification, IBFSG – The Institute of Banking & Finance Singapore, stressed the importance of keeping up with trends and continuously upskilling to remain relevant and employable.
