Shashank Jhawar

“When I got the chance to dive into a new, international experience in the Netherlands a few years ago, I seized the opportunity with both hands. It was exciting to move to another part of the world and to start working in a field that I was not entirely familiar with. I’d already worked in trade finance in India but that had been in relationship management, whereas my first role at ING was as a business analyst.”

“Right from the beginning, it was clear that my knowledge and experience of trade finance were very much appreciated, which gave me the confidence to express my views. When ING asked me to become a Product Owner (PO) a few years later, I didn’t hesitate for a second. The next opportunity came along quickly, when I was asked to fulfil the Customer Journey Expert (CJE) role in the team as well.”

Supporting Operations and Sales

“This team consists of CJEs and Dev & Ops engineers who are working out of the Philippines, India, Singapore and Amsterdam. We support and facilitate our trade finance colleagues in Operations and Sales. We are responsible for the development and maintenance of the trade finance product suite and the back-office system. For Operations we make their work easier and simpler, and we help Sales to achieve business growth by providing insights and product support.”

The linking pin

“As a Product Owner - and recently promoted to Chief Product Owner - I am the linking pin with the business and the functional team lead. Planning and organising, setting priorities, defining the roadmap, keeping the workflow running, facilitating and guiding the team are all tasks that come with this role. As a CJE, my main focus is on continuously improving the customer experience. One of the most interesting aspects in this job is working closely together with sales and clients to understand their needs and expectations and to figure out how best we can fulfil them.”

Delivering the goods

“Combining my two roles can be challenging but I’m a well-organised person and nothing makes me happier then ‘delivering the goods’. I even like deadlines and the pressure that comes with them; that keeps me on my toes. I also love the rapid pace with which we are now moving towards digitalisation in the world of trade finance. I wouldn’t want to miss the big shift we’re heading for!”

Lifelong learning

“I am very happy in my role and grateful for the confidence and freedom ING has given me from day one. This really helped me grow as a person and a professional. Development is important for me anyway – I’m a strong believer in lifelong learning. I’m always striving to be better – both for myself and for the team.”

Interested?

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