Journey of a decade

Anurag: I’ve got a master’s degree in Business Administration (Finance) from ICFAI, Hyderabad, and joined a leading Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) firm a decade ago. I was as part of the market data services team that worked with UBS. In my seven years with the vendor partner, I worked with different teams at UBS, responsible for topics like reconciliations, cost allocation and process change projects. I was working very closely with colleagues at UBS and experienced their ways of working and culture very closely. In 2017, I was offered the chance to join UBS as a reviewer for cost allocation, and the rest is history as they say.

Harpreet: I have been associated with UBS since 2006, when I joined the credit research team. In 2010, I joined a leading ITES provider where I became part of a team that supported the UBS valuations team. In 2016, UBS offered me an internal role to lead the valuations team, that was being set up in Mumbai and Pune, and I must say, it has been a wonderful journey with UBS.

Q2. You’ve spent over a decade working with UBS. What’s the secret to sustaining a long career, connected to a single organization?

Anurag: The opportunity to explore different roles in different teams has gone a long way in keeping work interesting. I have been part of five different teams in the last decade, which has helped me build deeper business knowledge and expand my professional network. It has also presented a platform for me to share my work and what I’ve learned in global forums and with senior management.

Harpreet: I agree with Anurag. I have a 14-year-long career, and UBS has been part of almost all of it. Having worked in four different teams, each change brought new learning opportunities and more responsibilities. Getting out of my comfort zone has helped me grow as a professional and a person.

The advantage of moving teams within the same organization offers more flexibility with additional time to adapt and deliver. It’s also an opportunity to use organizational knowledge in a different scenario, while having a safe space to make mistakes.

Q3. Do you have some tips to share that can ease the transition between teams?

Anurag: Learning to adapt quickly and taking up opportunities as they come is important to grow in your career. Asking questions and accepting guidance from seniors has helped me move roles. At UBS, taking on new challenges within the firm is encouraged.

Harpreet: Trust your team members and ask for help. It’s very important to be patient and understand your role and responsibility fully. There are many instances where individuals jump into it headlong and start developing solutions, without understanding the context of a problem and the processes built around it.

Keep an open mind to learn the new way of working and how to succeed as a team. Being flexible and finding ways to adapt to different working styles is key.

And most importantly, a new role requires learning new things, but it also requires unlearning things. We’re usually good with the former, but the latter can pose a bit of a challenge.

Q4. The finance team in India is growing. What opportunities are you excited about?

Anurag: I’m eager to work in the new UBS office in Hyderabad and am looking forward to working with new talent coming in as part of the expansion. I’m now keen on exploring verticals that work on reengineering activities to make processes more efficient. I’m also looking forward to running risk awareness sessions for our new colleagues.

Harpreet: Our focus in finance is changing; it’s not just about delivering something, but it has to be efficient and of high quality. I’m excited to be part of this transformation. As we become increasingly digitized, there will be a chance to learn new skills and tools as we keep evolving.