CFI.co puts the important questions to Walter Mejia, CEO of Banco Ficensa, Honduras…
Banco Ficensa, based in Tegucigalpa, started operations in 1974. It provides commercial banking services to individual consumers, small and middle market businesses and large corporations.
It has grown over the decades to have a strategic network of agencies and ATMs, a range of electronic services, strong alliances with companies like VISA and Western Union and a healthy credit portfolio.
At the helm is chief executive Walter Mejia.
CEO: Walter Mejia
CFI.co: What excites you about the business world in general?
Walter Mejia: The role that we, as bankers, play in the nation´s economic development. It’s a great privilege — and a great responsibility. If by our actions, we promote economic and social growth to our country, then our job is done. If we fail to bring solutions to the table, growth is negatively affected.
What lessons have you learned during your career?
I´ve been involved in the financial sector ever since I graduated from college, and it was my ambition to become a banker. Having a mentor early in one’s career is vital if we want to develop in an integral way. I´ve always heeded sound advice from senior professionals — former bosses, my father and father-in-law, for example. One important lesson I learned early on is that surrounding yourself with talented executives is a key to success. That has become one of my management principles.
My job is not knowing more than the executives do, but knowing how to align their talent and mindsets with the goal of achieving the greatest good for our company.
What motivates and enthuses you about the business you now lead?
Mainly the fact that our daily actions as bankers are helping people and businesses to find the solutions they need. We want to provide answers. The fact that we can see the effects of our actions on a daily basis, reflected in our clients’ satisfaction, drives my passion for the sector.
What is special about your organisation’s management style? Can you share some secrets?
Our specialty, as I said, is providing solutions. We’re focused on ensuring that our clients walk out of our door satisfied that they have been heard, and that we have provided them with what they needed. This is what moves us. Client satisfaction is vital for our business — at all levels.
Don’t be surprised if a high-ranking executive from Ficensa gives you a personal call to ensure you got the services you were looking for. I might make that call myself. We take customer satisfaction very seriously, and very personally.
What are the key traits of a good corporate leader?
I consider three main ones: humility, gratitude, and the necessary discipline to get things done. If we are grateful for the business a client brings to us, and if we serve them humbly, the chances of success are high.
Do those criteria change when applied to your particular industry?
Not a bit. If we neglect any of those three principles, we may be loosing more than just a client.
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