Mahendra gursahani biography of albert

This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on May 1, 2017 - May 7, 2017

THE rapid pace at which change is taking place in the banking landscape requires banks to be more nimble and agile than they have ever been, says Mahendra Gursahani, managing director and CEO of Malaysia’s oldest bank, Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia Bhd (StanChart).

StanChart, which set up its first branch in Penang in 1875 during the tin and rubber boom, has gone through peaks and troughs and various economic cycles over its 142-year history in Malaysia.

“The challenge that I think is unique to this period is the pace at which change is happening.

In terms of innovation and technology, what might have in the past taken 10 years from concept to full implementation, is probably now being done in half that time. And in the future, maybe even half of that.

“So, you have to remain very, very nimble and agile [to stay relevant].

You have to have systems and architectures that allow you to