With more than 20 years in the banking industry, Deniz has dedicated his career to creating exciting new products and services. Mox is actually the second bank he’s built! With an aim to make Mox the bank with the highest heart share, it’s clear that innovation, growth and perseverance have shaped his journey and his mindset. To keep us inspired as we step into The Year of The Ox, Deniz is sharing his personal and professional advice for the new generation of leaders.
I’m pretty optimistic about 2021 and beyond. We’ve seen how the pandemic has shifted behaviours. The “new normal” is looking more like “it’ll never be normal”. But Hong Kong is known for resilience and I know we’ll persevere and adapt to overcome challenges.
Adaptability, communication and understanding. The past 12 months have shown us how important these qualities are. The ability to adapt can make or break an idea. On a business level, effective communication has the potential to inspire others, motivate a team and lead to results. On a personal level, it enables us to stay connected with our community, through hardships and success.
As we navigate through 2021, we need to find ways to help the people around us. It’s been a difficult time globally, and we could all be a little more communicative and empathetic. I'm constantly working to understand people’s mental states and their individual needs, especially through these challenging times. In business and in life, there’s no reason why we can’t help people along the way.
Hong Kong is an amazing place. It’s cosmopolitan and diverse on every level. People from all over the globe come together here. It’s the financial center of Asia and it welcomes us with many opportunities. I also love how convenient it is. You can be on a beach or on top of a mountain in 30 minutes. And without a doubt, a big part of Hong Kong is the food. I’ve tried as many cuisines as I can to get a sense of each different culture.
No matter where you are in the world, it’s always important to try new things and step outside your comfort zone. It doesn’t matter if you’re working for a startup or a longstanding company, every opportunity is a chance to learn. Think of each organisation as a library – there’s an infinite amount to explore. And when you believe that learning has reached its peak, don’t be afraid to go out and try something new. Experiencing different markets, cultures and working models is how we become better team players and leaders.
There was a time where one of the projects I worked on didn’t end well. We had high expectations, but in the end, the technology didn’t speak to the customer and we had to shut it down. It was a really difficult journey, but it taught me lessons that are still true today. If you’re going through a difficult time, it can help to think about what the challenge may be teaching you. You can overcome anything if you focus on the end goal.
Remarks: The views expressed by individuals featured in this interview are the personal views of such individuals and do not necessarily reflect, and, should not be taken as the views of Mox Bank Limited.