Practice Areas
Employees are the human face of any organization and its most valuable
resources. In a world of short engagements and ever-changing motivations,
the need for well thought-out employee training programs cannot be
overemphasized. The banking sector the world over, and in India
especially, is in the throes of a massive overhaul. There has been massive
consolidation in the public sector with the private sector soon to
follow suit. Moreover, the advent of on-tap banking licenses means
that a new challenger is born everyday, to chip away at the business
and resources of the prevailing goliaths.
Further, a radical increase in regulatory scrutiny and the
pervasive gaze of social media has made it more critical that the right
operational and compliance practices are hard-wired into each employee
in the banking industry. To add to the sector’s woes, the prevailing
global pandemic has rewritten the basics of customer interaction
and metamorphosed the training scenario. An urgent need for soft
skills, customer interaction, domain knowledge and data analysis
has challenged pre-existing control mechanisms and accountability
and responsibility metrics. To put it succinctly, the industry has
been confronted with a “known unknown” which it never imagined
facing.
Our combined experience of over 65 years in the best-in-class banks
in the multi-national, public and private sectors across multiple
verticals has convinced us of the soundness of two key imperatives.
Firstly, in a highly regulated industry like banking, training
programs must incorporate soft skills, data appreciation, sales
orientation, risk and compliance awareness and ethics around acore
of domain knowledge. Secondly, any modern-day training program cannot
ignore the all-pervasive digital wave disrupting the banking industry.
We at Azrayaa have incorporated our personal experiences and innumerable
actual instances across 11 banking verticals into relatable management
case studies.
Sourcing of talent remains a pain point for HR departments in banks
across the sector. Our approach towards placement remains the same
as our approach towards training. The vast amount of work experience
our team has cumulatively earned across multiple verticals ranging
from the branch banking to specialized corporate functions places
us in a position to identify the various skills, attitude and
aptitude required for a diverse array of banking functions. That
is to say, we know what a bank seeks in an Operations Head, and
what it looks for in its Head of Retail Collections.
Having worked for some of the best brands in industry, we
are sensitive to the employees' roles as brand ambassadors as well.
This understanding is inbuilt into our recommendation process.
When you get a recommendation from Azrayaa, you can rest assured
that we have not only assessed the candidate's suitability in
terms of experience, skills, attitude and aptitude, but that
he has also been evaluated for “cultural fit’ within the
organization. Should the organization so desire, we also help
in developing detailed job profiles for the selection process.
MSME :-
In the last 35 years, we have interacted with numerous MSMEs; each
dealing in diverse products, having different production processes
with various distribution models. All seem to face a single challenge:
an acute shortage of finance. However, our experience tells us that frequently,
funds were mis- managed rather than short. There are no easy answers to resolve
this problem, but it is our endeavour to simplify each domain to make it
comprehendible to the lowest common denominator. Azrayaa’s emphasis lies in
creating records, documentation, customized Standard Operating Procedures,
and manpower training manuals to ensure controls with clear audit trails.
We believe this is the foundation for the formalization of a unit which
allows for clean succession planning, which is the aim of every prosperous entrepreneur.
Banking :-
Given our pedigree, we have seen a transformation of the industry from
the archaic pen-and-paper bank to a point where one can hold an entire
bank in the palm of a hand. The founders have worked in 6 banks,
differing in origin, ownership, structure, technology and business
strategies and have led 11 domains in these banks, covering all aspects
of modern commercial banking. Azrayaa extends advisory on retail banking
products and processes, transaction banking, payments systems, strengthening
Content Management Systems, generation of government business, risk management
and reinforcing internal controls.
Start-ups :-
Venture capitalists believe that the primary reason for start-up failure is
inexperienced leadership. There are many points where a decision may become
a turning point for a start-up in the unforgiving commercial world. In our view,
mentors come in handy here, acting as sounding boards that can guide you as
they really know how Rome was built and how many days it took! Mentors are also
important sources of network effects. We recognize that a start-up is often on
thin ice both financial and personnel. We guide the founders avoid extinction level
mistakes. Azrayaa helps start-ups with financial planning, business development,
preparation of detailed project reports and preparation of pitches.
Because all other topics are more important than ethics, ethics is more
important than any other topic, according to Dennis Thompson, founder
of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University. We are
inclined to agree, as in our view, ethics is the foundation on which
the edifice of a sustainable organization is built.
This is an unshakable article of faith at Azrayaa and training
in ethics is a passion for us. A quick look at the remains of several
formerly dominant firms reveals that institutional collapse frequently
occurs due to a lack of ethics at the personal, professional and
institutional levels. The only remedy is to build a culture of ethics.
Azrayaa’s training program on ethics for employees helps in convergence
of the employee with the organization's ethical vision through a mindful
orientation of their choices and deeds.