ONCE again our CEO Outlook 2004 for today focuses on the bankers, people who are best positioned to feel the pulse of the economy.
They are Dr Rozali Mohamed Ali of Bumiputra-Commerce Bank Bhd (BCB), Zarir J. Cama of HSBC Bank Malaysia Bhd, and Shayne Nelson of Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia Bhd.
Unassuming to the point of being slightly self-deprecating, Rozali, a professional banker, has steered the BCB group to greater heights and respectability. The group made a shrewd move by buying majority control of a medium-sized Indonesian bank, PT Bank Niaga, giving it a strategic foothold in a neighbouring country whose economic potential is hardly realised.
Rozali wants to remove the general perception of BCB being a Malay bank. Getting away from stereotypes is what the current BCB TV ads are all about. He wants the bank to be a leader in consumer and SMI lending.
Easy-going, but at times impatient for results, Cama is a lover of heritage, arts and culture. He is strong into conservation and books. He is a strong promoter of Islamic banking.
Nelson, a West Australian, has been in banking for the past 25 years and comes to StanChart Malaysia from Hong Kong where he was chief risk officer for wholesale banking, a job which involved travelling to over 50 countries. He is a strong believer in feng shui.
Cama and Nelson represent the two largest foreign banks in the country and both are bullish about the economic outlook.
“The Malaysian economy is in good hands and things have started to look up,'' says Cama.
Adds Nelson: “I believe Malaysia has the potential to be one of South-East Asia's star performers in the coming decade.”
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