Member story: Sachin Varshney, Executive Director, Regional Sales, Global Transaction Services, DBS Bank

1. Tell us about your career journey.

I am a career transaction banker with over 21 years of experience. I have taken on multiple roles within transaction banking spanning IT, implementation, product management, product commercialisation, advisory and sales. My focus has always been on building or providing solutions to address the challenges faced by corporate treasurers.

2. Please tell us about your current role.

I currently lead the Transaction Banking Sales team for Telecom, Media and Technology Industry at DBS Bank. I am based in Singapore.

3. What do you like about working with treasurers?

The partnership approach to problem solving! Most of the treasurers I have worked with are passionate about their work and have a great understanding of both ground level challenges as well as their companies’ strategic priorities. They treat bankers as their partners and openly challenge them to find better solutions. This makes for a very interesting and often intellectually appealing journey. 

4. What project have you most enjoyed being involved in and why?

I am very passionate about liquidity management and have spent a number of years advising corporate treasurers on optimising their group liquidity. While there have been numerous such projects that I have really enjoyed, a most recent one that was particularly exciting was using treasury tokens to improve liquidity management for ANT International. As a leading player in global payments, ANT Treasury faced growing demand for real-time, 24/7 value transfers. However, traditional infrastructures posed significant limitations to meet this demand. This was solved by using DBS permissioned blockchain to hold treasury tokens in wallets for each group entity. Treasury tokens can be transferred between wallets on a 24x7 basis, representing value movements without being constrained by cut-off times. This was a very satisfying project as it included developing a completely new approach to solving an old problem.

5. What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?

Be RED – ‘Respectful’, ‘Easy to Deal With’ and ‘Dependable’. 

6. You have completed two qualifications with the ACT. How have you used this learning in your role?

My main motivation for completing CertICM and CertITM was to build a deep understanding of my clients’ (corporate treasurers) day-to-day work and their challenges so that I could, as a banker, find ways to solve them. There have been multiple occasions when I have had to fall back on the knowledge gained through these courses to solve my clients’ problems.

7. What advice would you give to someone thinking about a career in treasury?

While I have not worked directly in a treasury role, my only advice to someone starting to career in treasury is to build a good understanding of the business, it’s priorities and challenges. Sometimes we all get too busy with the day-to-day work but it’s important to have an understanding of the big picture so that we know how we fit into the grander scheme of things. 

8. What business or behavioural skills do you use the most?

Since I am in a sales role, I end up using my presentation, negotiation and problem solving skills a lot. 

9. What book are you reading at the moment?

“The 5 Levels of Leadership” by John C. Maxwell. The book provides strategies and insights for progressing through 5 levels of leadership, emphasizing the importance of relational leadership and personal growth. It has made me introspect on my personal brand of leadership and has motivated me to improve my leadership skills.

10. What three words would colleagues use to describe you?

Diligent, joyful and dependable.