Junior bankers to hold congress

MANILA, Philippines - The Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines Research and Development Foundation Inc. (FINEX Foundation) together with Citi Philippines successfully launched the 11th Citi Junior Bankers program, with trainings held in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Funded by Citi Foundation, the program hosted 259 students from 32 universities across the country. The participants represented the top 20 percent of graduating finance students from the country’s top state universities.

According to FINEX Institute director Ronaldo Goseco: “The Citi Junior Bankers’ was launched with a vision of training the leaders of tomorrow, may it be in the field of banking and finance or not. To excel in this highly competitive environment, one must learn the fundamentals first, and that is exactly why we’re here.”

For the Metro Manila leg, the congress featured senior officers of Citi Philippines led by CEO Batara Sianturi as speakers and moderators.  They were joined by Goseco and FINEX Foundation chair Judith Lopez.

Fifty graduating students from 10 state universities based in Metro Manila and nearby provinces came together at the training rooms of Citi in its consumer banking headquarters in Quezon City. The congress provided an opportunity for the students to learn from the senior banking executives about the banking and finance sector. The students who have high potentials will be linked for possible employment with FINEX member companies. 

Gearing up the students for the greater challenges ahead of them, senior officers of Citi Philippines shared insights and knowledge in various banking and finance topics to help gear the students to a fulfilling career in the corporate world. 

Learning and development head Agnes Mondonedo covered the discussion on the importance of selecting the right job that befits one’s interest and personality.  Her talk stirred the students into looking at the wide opportunities that the finance industry has to offer. 

A comprehensive engagement on consumer and retail banking and corporate and investment banking facilitated by consumer business manager Bea Tan and public sector group head Dino Siason made the students realize their businesses’ significant contributions to fulfilling the economic needs of individual consumers and corporations. 

Other relevant topics include Citi Service Center’s Gautam Abroal’s insights on technologies and opportunities surrounding the rise of shared service centers and the critical contribution of ethics and governance in leading a corporation to success as shared by compliance testing head Betty Atienza.

To inspire the participants to reach for the sky, Sianturi took the discussion to a higher level through a remarkable talk on global financial markets and leadership. “With globalization, urbanization, and digitization, we can truly say that excelling in the corporate world is getting tougher and tougher each year. People are more aggressive and wiser in this fast-paced environment, but with dedication, knowledge, and skills, it is never impossible to become a leader.”

Batara emphasized the keys to success in working for a global organization like Citi, and how this success is driven by passion and unrelenting fervor to learn. “Leaders are always learners. They should always possess the eagerness to learn for the benefit of their people and the community. Remember, a leader is recognized for his achievements and his legacy,” he shared.

The whole day discussion had a very positive impact on the students. Kevin Ong from the University of the Philippines Diliman said, “After all the presentations, I’ve come to realize that there’s so much more to consumer banking and investment banking. Now, I am more certain that the finance sector is where my true calling lies.”

Also expressing how the congress has helped her explore more opportunities in business industry is Jaha Ziel Martinez from the University of the Philippines-Los Baños who shared: “Through this congress, I’ve learned that there are financial institutions like Citi that can support small businesses. With the opportunities that they give to entrepreneurs, I am now more motivated and fervent to start up my own business.”

Maria Jella Añada from Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila enthused: “The Citi Junior Bankers’ Congress helped us understand the corporate world better. The topics are more engaging and it was great that the speakers also interacted with us.”

After attending the congress, the students will continue to receive support with on-the-job training placements and mentoring sessions with senior finance executives, with the end goal of helping them secure better employment with the country’s top corporations.