Fourteen years ago I watched “Did you Know - shift happens” at a senior manager session at Thomson Financial’s Broadway headquarters and it resonated with me very deeply; in the same way that the mid-1980s Times /Newsweek articles on teleworking, especially traders in Wall Street being able to work from anywhere, did for me.

When I had started the Guardian Royal Exchange (later Axa) off-shored center in 1997, I was asked by John Robins, the CEO of the group whether I was living my dream and I could honestly say yes. While working for the TVS Finance NBFCs I would visualize a very fancy office where we did all our work using satellite links and in 1997/98 this had become a reality. Over the years, I find that I have focused the bulk of my time delivering tangible results, yet I am most excited to talk about new ideas/possibilities often in areas that I know nothing about. Listening to Renee Mauborgne (of Blue Ocean Strategy by W.Chan Kim & Renee Mauborgne) at the Thomson Corp training session I realized that it is imperative to constantly scan the horizon for new opportunities and not stay in the ‘red sea’ where there are plenty of sharks!

We are in the most transformational period in human history. Our expertise, say like mine in the BSFI, Ops, Tech, Risk & Regulatory will remain relevant only if it can link to the evolving geopolitics & economics, new technologies, and innovations to support our customers and stakeholders. For this, I’d say, “Imagination is our only Limit!”

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