“TREAT YOUR CLIENT LIKE YOUR RETIRED FATHER, WHO CAN’T EARN ANYMORE” –Mr. Anil Chopra
Jagran Lakecity University conducted the 6th Episode of its flagship lecture series, ‘JLU Knowledge Series’ (KS) on 15th April 2021. KS has been a marvelous initiative by JLU to bring the best industry experts from all around the world exclusively for its students to interact and learn from. This is one of the many events which cements, JLU’s conviction in its 3rd Pillar – ‘Intense Industry Intervention’. In the KS, we have had mavericks from the fields of Journalism, Politics, Advertising and even an astronaut (Dr. Leslie Wickman).
The 6th episode, conducted virtually, was graced with the presence of Mr. Anil Chopra ,Group Director – Financial Wellbeing and Corporate Affairs, Bajaj Capital Ltd, a well-known personality in the Indian Financial Industry. Mr. Chopra has been working with Bajaj Capital since 1984, which has given him over 37 years of association and experience in the industry.
The event was highly anticipated and over 100 people attended this ‘invitees only’ only through zoom. Mr. Chopra began by sharing his story on how he joined ‘Bajaj Capital’ and how has been his journey so far. He shared his passion for traveling and how he loves to make new connections wherever he goes, which is also a piece of advice for the upcoming financial industry professionals.
When asked about the Indian Financial Markets in the long term, Mr. Chopra said “India is still a young market when compared to the west, less than 5% Indians invest in Mutual Funds and access the markets directly, which gives huge opportunity to anyone who joins the industry even today”, he believes that in the coming decades, more than 50% of the Indians will participate in the financial markets and not be just restricted to financial deposits and interest from bank savings. He claims that the market has ample opportunities for the graduates as well as MBA professionals especially in central India after getting a degree from a global league university like JLU.
He advised to be hopeful even during this pandemic and utilize this time in the best possible way. He explained how he has been doing this by meeting more clients and participating in more important conferences using online platforms easily now. He also spoke about the rising role of technology and found a parallel between the development of tech and the growth of the financial industry, as according to him Artificial Intelligence, analytics, business intelligence, trend analysis, etc. have penetrated the industry and hence one should always be open to welcome and ready to understand new tech.
When asked about the jobs and placements in the industry, Mr. Chopra wisely advised, “Internships are the best way to gain experience about the industry you want to venture. In the financial world, you must be outgoing and meet new people to make fruitful connections, if you want a desk job, organizations like mine are probably not a field for you”. He shared his experience of interviewing over 10000 prospective employees and found that ‘Passion and Seriousness’ are by far the most sort after qualities in his employees to be successful.
He lists these 5 skills as a must-have in the financial industry.
1. Knowledge (Generally academic)
2. Communication Skills
3. Be a good listener
4. Warm personality
5. Service orientation
The best piece of advice he believes for any finance professional is, “TREAT YOUR CLIENT LIKE YOUR RETIRED FATHER, WHO CAN’T EARN ANYMORE”. He puts a lot of emphasis on building personal relationships with the client and attributes this as the most important contributor to his success.
He recommended youngsters to manage their time more efficiently, and said “Out of my working hours, I give 1/3rd of my time to the clients, 1/3rd to employees and 1/3rd I reserve for myself, in which I do my research and learn”. He pointed out that how new and easier methods have evolved to gain knowledge and students must benefit from them. The faculty of Management and Commerce at JLU has this tied up with Harvard Publishing, to garner the best material and case studies for its students.
Mr. Chopra shared his experience of traveling to the USA in 1998 and how Bajaj Capital facilitated the commencement of ‘Certified Financial Planner’ (CFP) course in India. Thanks to his initiative, CFP is now a well-reputed qualification in India, with thousands of applicants annually. He suggests that every graduate of commerce, economics, and business must, try to learn from the CFP’s comprehensive curriculum, and if they want an illustrious career, they must gain this qualification.
The one-hour session was marvelously moderated by Dr. Sarvesh Mohania who is an Assistant Professor (SG) at JLU School of Commerce and Economics, Jagran Lakecity University, Bhopal and specializes in Banking & Insurance, Financial Services and Security Analysis & Portfolio Management. He has several research publications in different reputed international journals. Dr. Mohania constantly complemented Mr. Chopra for his candidness and warm smile which made the session even more interesting.
Lastly, when asked for a piece of advice which he wanted to give to the students of JLU, Mr. Chopra said, “Don’t be afraid to venture out, take your helmet and bike and go meet new clients, be outgoing, be confident, and never stop the process of learning-unlearning-
Please watch the full episode of the Knowledge Series with Mr. Anil Chopra below:
Stay tuned to participate and learn more from the industry experts, in the next episode of “JLU Knowledge Series“
By:
Gurshan Singh
Content Manager,
Communications and Alumni Relations Department
Jagran Lakecity University, Bhopal
