How the banking system and the financial world works can be a great mystery to many of us. For James Hall, being able to manage figures came early, when he was a young boy. For as long as he could remember, he always felt passionate about understanding how business and money work. He tells us a bit more about his passion.
As funny as it sounds, when he was a young boy, James liked to count the VAT on objects. Even at that early age, it became apparent to him that this might be the job he was meant to do. Hall’s career started at the Bank of Scotland when he was 16 years old, where he was taught the fundamentals of "old school" traditional banking. At that time, the bankers who took him under their tutelage were men who had over 30 years of experience in the field.
My mentors throughout my career were traditional bankers, they didn’t like what we used to call 'sexy banking' like hybrid securities or derivatives.
Maybe that is why no university would have given him a better education. James enjoyed learning about banking fundamentals and began to understand the way that businesses work. Two years later, he became the youngest manager in 300 years of history at BOS, and decided to move from Glasgow to Oxford to take a position as Portfolio Manager.
The time he spent in Oxford reinforced his desire to continue working with businesses and people. At this point, James knew he wanted to stay in the world of finance. “To be able to sit with entrepreneurs and see and hear how passionate they are about their businesses is a wonderful thing to experience, and to be able to help them grow and achieve their goals is even more so.”
Why finance ?
It seems that the early passion James felt for finding out how finance works could help to explain why he choose this path. The desire to understand how things work and a natural curiosity for the world led him to his interest in the economy and, as the saying goes, money makes the world go 'round. According to Hall, "Working in finance helps you understand that money is not just something that you have in your hands, but it has many implications as well."
People often say that you don’t need money to be happy. If you have money, obviously you say that. Money does not make you happy, no absolutely not. It cannot buy you family or love. But try going about your daily lives without it. What it does is simply allow you to do the things that do make you happy.
Skills and expertise to be a good credit risk manager
Being a good credit risk manager means having an analytical mind and being aware of the clients' needs. It also means learning to be patient, because numbers do not always make sense. In fact, according to James, one can make them say whatever one wants them to say. "That’s why you have to know your sectors and your industries. A general knowledge of subjects such as law, accounting practices, economics and business fundamentals is also vital." The human interaction is a key element as well when doing credit risk analysis. "Building a network and a good relationship with the clients and your partners is also important."
The recent crisis and risks in business ventures
James feels many traditional banking values have been lost since around the year 2000. For instance, he speaks about the fragility that the economy faces with the dominating tech industry, and companies like Facebook or Twitter. When there is a problem in an economy, these types of companies that do not make anything tangible and have no goods to sell could collapse easily. He thinks that companies such as Facebook or Twitter are extremely overvalued. Their revenue streams are highly niche and subject to constant fluctuations. Moreover, the majority of their revenue comes from marketing income, which in bad times is the first budget to be cut.
In James' opinion, the exact opposite is entrepreneur Warren Buffet. "He buys companies, real companies with real assets, companies that have direct links into the economy. He buys railways and food or drink companies, and he looks for investments that are stable and long term. Today, this vision is less common. People very rarely have a long-term vision, favouring short-term returns." Clearly, James Hall thinks we have a need to go back to the long-term approach in banking.
What is the future of finance in Geneva?
According to James, "The tradition here in Geneva, and moreover Switzerland, was the close relationship that clients and their private bankers enjoyed. Deals were done on the golf course, or as part of an expensive weekend away in the Alps. But as we can now see, apparent from the news reels, some of these arrangements and agreements were less than legitimate. With the increased regulatory scrutiny that banks are now put under and a worldwide clampdown on banking secrecy, the old way of Swiss Private banking is coming to an end.” With the creation of the internet and the needs of clients changing from branch to e-banking, coupled with the transparency the world is now demanding in the finance industry, Geneva –and Switzerland as a whole—will have to adapt to the new times or run the risk of being left behind.
Photo credit : Photos Libres
It is really good to love what you do especially when it is something that involves dealing with the future of people.
Impressive success story! Very good exemple of how passion can make the difference