Mr. Manav Kathuria believes in the words, “Even if you walk slowly, keep walking, and never walk back.” And when you meet him, you come across an amazingly measured personality evenly balanced with words and actions. His business acumen can be measured by the precision of content in the conversations. He has had a sprawling career of more than ten years in areas such as Risk Management, Credit Appraisal, Analytics & Management Information Systems (MIS), Legal Collections, and Fraud Control. Mr. Kathuria has a widely acclaimed track record of establishing systems, processes, and procedures. He also has laudable communication, interpersonal, and organisational skills. His career has gone through milestones that embrace the intensive experience he has paved in with past profiles in organisations like SBI, GE, and ABN Amro. His colleagues speak highly of his dedication, focus, hard work, and helpful nature. Mr. Kathuria is a leader with exceptional people skills and a contagious positive attitude.
A post graduate with specialization in Finance & Marketing from IIPM, Mr. Kathuria was aiming for the BFSI industry, and, hence, joined SBI, where he worked in the Credit Cards division for three years. Up next was his five year stint with Dutch banking giants – ABN Amro. “I do not like switching jobs too frequently”, he affirms. He worked across several divisions within ABN which include Personal Loans and Frauds, other than Automobile Loans and Home Loans. After the rage of recession that took a toll on some massive names like Merryl Lynch, Lehmann Brothers, JP Morgan Chase, by 2008, Barclays has stopped issuing any fresh loans. At Braclays, Mr. Kathuria is the head for legal collections and the role demands actions being taken against customers who have defaulted in terms of repayment of loans that were sanctioned to him. He is not a lawyer by nature but works in tandem with a team of 7-8 lawyers in an operation that is process specific in terms of the drive. He explains, “One needs to draw a plan and a strategy to make the customer pay”. If the customers do not respond to collection follow-up, legal action is taken by the bank. In the Indian context, Barclays has shut down their retail operations and are planning to quit the Indian market in the next year and a half. “The retail operations for Barclays will not carry out for much long now”, reveals Mr. Kathuria. Speaking more about his experiences, he adds that when he was in Frauds Control at ABN Amro, he was looking after Cards and Loans segment. Explaining the characteristics of Frauds Control operations, he adds that application screening is an integral part where in the documents attached to the applications are matched with the profile of the customer. On the basis of this, a mapping is done using various sites from where validation and verification can be carried out about the details provided by the customer.
“BE APPROACHABLE, CONNECT WELL & GIVE YOUR TEAM MEMBERS POWER TO TAKE DECISIONS”
Mr. Kathuria has had the opportunity to work with two major European BFSI players – ABN Amro, and now, Barclays. “These are the kind of brands that are very process oriented, and are into systems that focus on maintaining an MIS”, he opines. He goes further stating that these organisations look for hard working individuals who can deliver the best. “They also invest a lot in technology, process, and their people”, says Mr. Kathuria and believes that the training they impart yield high returns on investment.
For the freshers of today, Mr. Kathuria aptly sums it all up by quoting that college life and corporate life hold a sea of difference. He himself was a fresher at one point of time, and during his very first job burnt the midnight oil quite frequently. He feels that these efforts in turn help a lot. “Follow the processes well and you can reach where you want to”. And he presents us with an example where during the early days of his career with SBI and GE, there were hardly any systems in store. With technology coming into the scenario with finesse, organisations decided to move to electronic systems and processes. “Companies learned how to use systems to build on their efficacy”, he adds. Mr. Kathuria points out that the BFSI as a sector has evolved tremendously in the past ten years. This includes revolutionary processes that changed the banking world forever. Internet has played the most crucial role in doing that. He adds, “All the banking processes are now done online. People now transfer funds, get demand drafts, purchase using cards, and do a so many other things online”. The concept of online banking has meant that fewer number of customers have to visit the banks nowadays. He adds with a confident smile, “All banking processes are now at your doorstep and you can do whatever you want from your home”. Getting back into Barclays PLC, he reminds us that he joined them in 2007 when they had aggressive plans for Indian customers but the recession has resulted in a change of plans. Considering the global businesses, Barclays has a very strong presence with a powerful client base. He adds, “They majorly focus on corporate and commercial lending”. Barclays Capital brand is much stronger than their retail operations in India. “Retail banking has not been a success story for Barclays”,he accepts. But he quickly discloses something that clearly depicts that Barclays is a phenomenal global name – “Barclays were the ones to launch the first ATM in the whole world”. And, for all brand management enthusiasts; that single innovation by Barclays has ensured that people all across the world know about the brand – Barclays. Add to that the fact that they are the sponsors of one of the most popular Football leagues in the world – The English Premier League (EPL), which has a huge fan base in India as well. Thus Barclays definitely has a very powerful “be approachable, connect well & give your team members power to take decisions” brand recall, brand resonance, and indeed awareness. Mr. Kathuria adds, “They are into a lot of CSR initiatives as well that include social awareness schemes, and I think Barclays is a remarkable brand to work”. With 6-7 branches pan India, Barclays have worked for the social sector through realms like Smile Foundation. When he is not working, he spends time at home with his six year old daughter Adya. Mr. Kathuria also loves listening to music, driving, and watching TV. His wife – Ms. Arushi Kathuria works with Tata Teleservices and is an IMT Ghaziabad pass out. Mr. Kathuria then reflects on his days spent at IIPM where he cherishes travelling to the campuses, bunking classes occasionally etc. As a person, he feels that his leadership style does not change but what actually changes is the work. At times one has to be authoritative but Mr. Kathuria is a firm believer in being with the team. He further adds, “Be approachable, connect well, and, give them the power to take decisions”.
Cult hopes that the power of his passion keeps taking him ahead and he rises through the tests of time – always.
