Working in: Sales and FX Dealing

Sasaki Tsuyoshi joined OCBC Securities in October 2018, in the Futures & Leveraged FX department. Hear him speak about his job in business development.

“I graduated from Airplane Technical School in the Miyagi prefecture, Japan. From my name, I’m sure you can guess I’m Japanese. I came to Singapore in 2011 and worked in equities and cash trading before joining OCBC Bank. In my current role within the Sales and FX Dealing teams, I focus on working with private and corporate customers.”

On joining OCBC Bank

“I joined OCBC for its reputation in the industry and the opportunity to maximise my career potential, and I was offered a role that I was very keen on. I wanted to be in a front desk, customer-facing role, so this role was perfect for me. My manager works closely with the banking arm to create new business opportunities and competitive products. So, we’re always on the go, delivering to customers and taking responsibility! This suits me fine. I like to move fast and make deals happen.”

Independence and autonomy

“In this role, being independent is key. We don’t have the luxury of time for long meetings and many consultations. But I work within clear guidelines and strict risk management policies to ensure risk is under control. This gives me the freedom to do my job and at the same time, to create as much value for our customers as possible. I fly to Japan every three months to meet with customers and develop new ones. Sometimes, this involves cold calling, so I have to be prepared and not let rejection affect me.

“I get to the office early before hours to review the market conditions for the day. For example, if there is a market crash, I will have to ensure the customer’s position and communicate accordingly with the internal risk department. I’ll contact my customers to apprise them of the situation and discuss what the best course of action should be.”

On being given responsibility

“I have been given the responsibility of dealing with large corporate clients, many of them Japanese. I deal face-to-face with senior members of client organisations, which is something I’ve not experience to such an extent.

“Governance is particularly important. It’s not about making as much money as possible by any means but making much money doing things the right way. So, I too, have learned the importance of taking responsibility to do things right.”

Being customer focused

“We are very customer focused. While we deploy the best technology, the way we differentiate ourselves from our competitors is really understanding what the customers want and exceeding their expectations. There are naturally low periods when markets are challenging but we never take our focus off our customers, even during these periods. Because of this, they trust us, and our brand image is strong. And that makes my work easier and more fulfilling.”

Being part of a global family

“As a foreigner in Singapore, I felt very welcome from the first day I joined OCBC. The company really values diversity, and everyone can learn from everyone. And the more different we are, the more we can learn.

“There are areas I’d like to explore like in different customer segments or marketing other products. Opportunities are available if you’re willing to learn and grow, and I’ve learned the importance of speaking with my manager about my career goals and aspirations and take the steps to achieve them.

“It doesn’t matter where you’re from. At OCBC, everyone is a part of the team–one Bank, one world.”