Lessons in managing futures: Julius Baer's investment in learning and development

Candy Leung, Head of Julius Baer Academy Asia Pacific, believes the comprehensive and impactful L&D opportunities that the organisation builds are an important factor, “Creating and sustaining a learning culture is absolutely a competitive advantage. Learning is so fundamental to us, that the Julius Baer Academy is a key focus in our bank’s strategy. This is a very different approach to what you’ll see from many industry players and this sets us apart.”

Given the prevailing digital landscape, the organisation emphases ‘digital fluency’ as a core competency for its employees, and are committed to following through with plans to equip their people with these skills.

Embarking on an L&D journey with NUS
Julius Baer works with several training and education institutions to accomplish their L&D objectives, and the National University of Singapore (NUS) is a key partner in this journey. Working closely together, Julius Baer and NUS co-created an ‘introductory path to digital fluency’ for Julius Baer’s staff in both technical and non-technical roles.

How successful has this partnership been?

The numbers speak for themselves. Since March 2022, more than 450 Julius Baer staff members have participated in corporate L&D programmes curated by the university. These include courses and Executive Masterclasses on technologies like cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI), where staff gain the foundation and knowledge to understand new technology and tools, without being overwhelmed by convoluted technical jargon.

Dominic Chua, a Relationship Manager at Julius Baer who enrolled in the NUS course ‘Fintech for Real: AI in Banking & Finance’ shares his experience, “I joined with the goal of getting a macro-level perspective on AI and its potential implications on my role in future. After the course, I gained a greater appreciation for what’s happening with AI, how it’s being used, what it could mean for my future, and how I can remain valuable and employable.”

Bala Venkata Ranga, Head of Applications Management APAC, talks about his team members’ experience with the NUS course ‘Cloud Begins with Me’. “Most of our applications are moving to the cloud, so it was good that my staff attended the training session and developed a wider understanding of the growing number of cloud technologies available – and the improvements they could bring us. Next, I’m looking forward to sending my staff to advanced sessions that are catered to developers, so they can dive deeper into details and learn even more.”

 

Qualifying investments in L&D
Good investments benefit both the investor and the asset, and this is no less true for Julius Baer investing in its human capital. In addition to gaining a reputation as an employer of choice for talents who value professional growth, Julius Baer has also seen improvement in the performance of their relationship managers (measured in the growth of their net new money and prospects) and non-sales staff (measured in engagement and effectiveness).

For other organisations looking to invest in L&D, Candy shares some insight, “Do know that training isn’t a magic pill. It’s one enabler that should be used in an ecosystem of enablers. At Julius Baer, this includes designing training opportunities along touch points in the employee cycle, together with businesses and functions to create the most impactful learning outcomes. For example, sales coaching, digital learning, and learning communities, all designed and implemented in an ecosystem of enablers to create a learning culture and improve performance.”

Julius Baer Academy focuses on creating opportunities for learning. Puneesh Nayar, Team Head and Senior Relationship Manager, says, “Relationship managers make up a sizeable portion of our organisation, and generally, these individuals are naturally highly motivated and genuinely interested in developing themselves. Rarely do I need to push anyone into training, my role as a manager is simply to channel them in the right direction.”

Taking learning further
Borja Garcia Haendler, Head of Market Risk and Product Control Asia, captures the essence of Julius Baer’s approach to L&D - his team dedicates one day each week to training, and he strongly believes in ‘learning by doing’. Borja explains further that, “L&D is a cycle of learning, implementing, failing (in some way), and repeating this cycle over and over – continually improving every time.”

As teams across the organisation are enjoying the rewards of Julius Baer’s L&D investments, Julius Baer Academy is already planning the next stage for its upskilling training courses. Clarissa Goh, Learning and Development Manager of Julius Baer Academy Asia Pacific, is keen to continue Julius Baer’s plans with NUS, “We will keep collaborating in the digital space. So far, we’ve done a beginner level ‘Begins with you’ training series. Next, we’re planning on diving deeper into specific topics, while also developing other future skills in our staff.” 

Stay ahead of the curve: Invest in your team’s success
Interested in exploring L&D opportunities that could benefit your staff and organisation? Learn about the corporate training courses offered by NUS, and identify the ones which could impact your company most here.