Mathan Anto Marshine P, Summer Intern at Saudi National Commercial bank, Bahrain - PMO of Implementation project with top consultants and business heads to redesign the back and middle office operations, Shortlist of applications, business and IT strategy, audit and governance.
I possess 5+ years of work experience in Oracle, India & TCS Global consulting Practice before joining IIM Indore's two year PGP program in Mumbai. Though I had worked in 7 international locations for various consulting assignments as part of my job, this two month internship at Bahrain is truly memorable and provided me a rich experience and learning in terms of executing a consulting assignment at multi cultural work location involving consultants from top consulting, technology and audit firms.
Due to Non-Disclosure agreement, I wouldn’t be able to discuss the project in detail, but I’ll try to provide the overview of my internship:
Bank is located in country's iconic 42 storey Bahrain world trade center (BWTC), near popular landmarks like Bahrain financial harbor(BFC) and National bank of Bahrain. Bank's proximity to financial hub, enabled me in getting updated about all major financial activities in the country. Apart from that, it also opened up the door for attending various conferences organized by financial houses and universities in Bahrain.
On day 1, to my surprise, starting from my physical access in BWTC to my email access, everything was ready before I had even reached there. I was introduced to all business heads and placed in PMO to be part of CRP1 (Conference room pilot) from day1. That made me realize the criticality of project and expectations from me. I understood bank will never compromise on compliance and delivery quality in this project.
We implemented efficient control mechanism and processes in treasury middle and back office operations. Treasury deal flow mechanism from front office to back office streamlined and automated to reduce manual activity and time. Entire process map was developed and demonstrated about increase in performance, which was highly appreciated.
Complex central bank financial structures like Statistical returns and prudential information were re-modeled and demonstrated to financial controller. I also standardized reconciliation process reporting for all accounts and assisted financial controller and auditors from top audit firms in the smooth audit of all treasury and finance reports.
I was part of the team which worked on the roadmap for transformation of treasury IT system. Critical activities like treasury cash flow generation, portfolio income generation and equity net reserve were automated to increase the efficiency of back office operations. Treasury front office - Nostro projection analysis and calculations were restructured to meet current norms and requirements. Existing business process in asset transfer pricing was studied and changes suggested to make the flow simpler.
Three key learning's from this internships I would love to share with my peers and juniors: 1) As and when you learn any framework or model, try applying to practical problem. Practical business scenario is often challenging and different from what we learn in academics. 2) Have a global mind set and be quick in adapting to changes and new environments.
Last but not least, I realized, I was able to add lot of value to work with different thought process and practical approach. On the last day, My guide appreciated me saying "you were more pragmatic and matured in analysis and providing solution, which is unusual from campus interns". I guess the credit goes to IIM Indore Mumbai community. Being in Mumbai, I got opportunity to work in live projects with leading financial houses, experience I earned in terms of consulting and analysis helped a lot during my internship. I discovered SNCB, Bahrain is one of the great places to work, Insha Allah ("God Willing"), I will get opportunity to visit Bahrain again.