Learning never gets old: Peggy’s story
Peggy Kang, Client Services Manager, Singapore
I joined Standard Chartered in 1972 when it was still known as Chartered Bank, and I’ve never looked anywhere else since. I was inspired by my uncle’s descriptions of the Bank’s culture – how it cares for employee welfare and how much he enjoyed his work. He spent over 35 years (from 1952 to 1987) with the Bank so it must run in the family!
Now in my 47 th year of service, I am a Client Services Manager, and I continue to be inspired by my work.
As a junior employee, my first few roles were in front-line positions. That means I had to face customers and, basically, talk a lot. As a child, I was a painfully shy girl. My school report cards always had comments like “Peggy is very shy. She needs to learn to speak out more in class”. So, when I started working at the Bank, of course I was nervous. But with encouragement from my boss and on-the-job training, I began to build confidence, and became more vocal.
“Being vocal gave me courage to ask for more challenges and learn new things.”
Being vocal gave me courage to ask for more challenges and learn new things. So, transferring to different departments made sense. One particular line manager, many years ago, was dismissive of my application to take on an accounting role, which was all the motivation I needed. I thought to myself: “Well, challenge accepted!” To prove him wrong, I took up a six month course with the Institute of Banking and Finance, achieved a Certification in Banking and Finance, and eventually took over his job. Pushing myself further, I continued studying part-time and graduated with a Diploma in Banking and Finance. All of this gave me a huge sense of satisfaction.
Throughout my time at Standard Chartered, there have been many occasions where I know the work I have done has made a big impact, from working through the financial crisis in 1997 to recover debt, to implementing new ideas to make us simpler, faster, better. I believe we should always be zealous and have a positive attitude towards change. My advice to others would be to keep an open mind and be courageous, come what may. There are boundless opportunities to learn and grow, no matter how long you’ve been in the organisation. Learning never gets old!
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