Explore how Royston’s purpose-driven approach, transferable investigative skills, and building of soft skills have shaped his career trajectory and upheld cross-sector anti-scam initiatives.

After years investigating fraud in law enforcement and the private sector, Royston, Group Legal & Compliance, OCBC Singapore, transitioned to banking despite limited finance knowledge, driven by his passion to protect the vulnerable. Facing a steep learning curve, Royston overcame challenges through extensive self-learning, supportive managers, and collaboration. 

A Passion for Protecting the Vulnerable

Having always had a passion for uncovering mysteries, Royston considers himself an investigator at heart. When he discovered that the role at Group Fraud Risk Management was very much like a ‘strategic advisor and guardian’ for everyone across the group, he knew it was the perfect fit for him.

Royston’s deep sense of responsibility to protect the vulnerable—an ethos he continues today at OCBC by safeguarding customers from fraud and scams – was apparent from the very beginning, when he started his career at 18 with the Singapore Police Force. He still remembers the feeling of responding to urgent 999 calls, and the strong drive to keep the people safe. After 8 years as a patrol officer, he transitioned to the Commercial Affairs Department, investigating complex maritime and investment fraud cases. The challenge of piecing together evidence to serve justice fuelled his passion for investigation. After 12 years in law enforcement, he moved to the private sector, focusing on internal fraud and whistleblowing cases across the Asia Pacific. He was then headhunted to join OCBC Group Financial Crime Compliance Anti-Fraud where he has thrived for over 11 years, growing both professionally and personally.

Navigating Steep Terrain

Having no prior domain knowledge in finance, Royston found the initial learning curve steep. To navigate a new environment filled with unfamiliar fraud risk management concepts and banking acronyms, he immersed himself in reading, training courses, webinars and seminars to build my knowledge in banking products and risk management processes. He counts himself very fortunate then to have two supportive managers and a welcoming culture at OCBC, which encouraged him to ask questions and connect across teams. While he did stumble and make mistakes early on, the emphasis on learning and moving forward helped Royston grow and adopt a forward-thinking mindset.

Learning from Everyone

Royston truly believes that learning can come from anyone we interact with, regardless of their age or position. Viewing all his colleagues as mentors in their own right, opens Royston to their unique insights, values and advice. Their willingness to spare their time and share their knowledge generously is something he deeply appreciates.

For Royston, soft skills like communication and adaptability have become even more critical than technical expertise. Building trust and strong relationships enables swift collaboration, especially now when working closely with peers from other banks, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), and the Singapore Police Force (SPF) on anti-scam initiatives.  He believes that communication, adaptability, and the investigative skills that he has learnt over the years are highly transferable.

In addition to that, what truly matters to Royston is still a genuine passion for the work he does, a commitment towards continuous learning, and an openness to embracing change.