Cricket
Irfan Ahmed
Summary
A problem solver with a curious mindset. In over 21 years of professional experience, have always 'done' things for customers or 'changed' things for customers. Whether running large scale operations teams or leading transformation/re-engineering initiatives, making things simpler, better and faster for customers has been the key driver in all my pursuits. A versatile leader specializing in change and operations management and skilled at planning, implementing and overseeing key initiatives to drive business growth and efficiency. Experienced in cultivating an open culture with free exchange of information and imparting clear vision to guide cohesive and high-performing teams.
Overview
21
21
years of professional experience
3
3
Certification
3
3
years of post-secondary education
Work History
Senior Manager Unsecured Underwriting Services
HSBC Bank Australia Ltd
04.2023 - Current
- Key leader for unsecured origination teams across offshore and onshore capabilities with an accountability of over 60 FTE.
- Responsible for seamless execution of operations supporting the cards and personal loans portfolio with an ambitious target of onboarding c22K customers in 2024, with zero cost increment since 2023(flat FTE).
- Act as a key execution partner for Product and Credit Risk teams in implementing changes to uplift customer journey, enhance credit decision and simplify the 'apply to issue' lifecycle of the unsecured products keeping the customer at heart in everything we do.
- Orchestrate planning and execution of tactical and strategic business initiatives to meet OKRs for Unsecured UWS team inline with the strategic roadmap for larger UWS organization within FCCS.
- Champion the transformation agenda for Unsecured UWS by leading, coordinating and lobbying key change programs of work focused on improving customer experience, cost efficiencies and risk mitigation.
- Take ownership of timely communication of key business results,wins, hotspots etc. with local and regional stakeholders to maintain transparency in operating rhythm and enable early intervention during extra-ordinary events such as key system testing phase or process breakdown due to external event etc.
- Maintain the responsibility of oversight on key operational risk controls and pro-actively identifying the gaps, where applicable, and timely escalating the issues in consultation with frontline risk stewards. Act as a business conduit for breach/incident reporting and following appropriate governance for incident mitigation (ACIR lodgement, action closures etc.)
Business Operations Solution Manager
HSBC Bank Australia Ltd
04.2020 - 03.2023
- Led the change teams(non-systemic and systemic) for Fraud Credit Control Services in line with the local and regional transformation agenda to deliver year on year cost savings target.
- Facilitated regular communication with key stakeholders to maintain alignment on objectives and progress tracking throughout key strategic initiatives' lifecycle such as CtA(Cost to achieve) program and TRIAD upgrade.
- Led cross-functional teams in the successful design, development, and implementation of streamlined processes and business practices by carrying out detailed and focused process reviews using structure problem solving framework(Lean Six Sigma).
- Promoted a culture of continuous improvement by facilitating kaizen workshops with team members to identify frequently re-occurring problems and to address the root cause via sustainable solution offerings.
Engagement Manager Oshore Operations
HSBC Bank Australia Ltd
05.2019 - 03.2020
- Responsible for driving operational governance and thought leadership to the offshore operations team supporting credit services for consumer bank customers.
- Keeping the delinquency of unsecured portfolios within the risk appetite of the bank by driving effective customer engagement via telephony and digital channels.
- Driving operational efficiencies to reduce turn-around time for unsecured lending products and improve customer experience during on-boarding journey.
Re-Engineering Lead(Black Belt)
HSBC Bank Australia Ltd
07.2017 - 04.2019
- Responsible for driving and implementing process streamlining across various customer journeys of the consumer bank to deliver customer experience in line with the country strategic plan.
- Analyse customer sentiment and feedback to identify hotspots within the internal processes and products/services offered to customers and create a roadmap for process transformation.
Process Consultant
HSBC Electronic Data Processing India Pvt Ltd
03.2014 - 06.2017
- Improved process efficiency by identifying bottlenecks and implementing solutions.
- Streamlined workflow for increased productivity through detailed process mapping.
- Reduced operational costs with thorough cost-benefit analysis of current processes.
Contact Center Manager
HSBC Electronic Data Processing India Pvt Ltd
04.2003 - 02.2014
- Lead large scale contact centre operations(110 FTE) supporting customers of unsecured portfolio of the bank.
- Continuously monitor and identify trends in customer behaviour and needs to translate them into product/process changes to drive customer satisfaction.
- Manage appropriate staffing levels to meet the demands of the business by putting in place a robust recruitment strategy.
Education
Bachelor of Business Management - International Business
GITAM College
Andhra University, India 04.2000 - 04.2003
Skills
- Managing Operations and Efficiency
- Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
- Analytical Thinking
- Adaptability and Flexibility
- Talent Development
- Problem-solving aptitude
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Strategic Planning
- Budget Oversight
- Project Planning
- Process Improvement
- Employee Coaching and Mentoring
Certification
- Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, Exemplar Institute, India, 2020.
- Lean Practitioner, Lean Institute of India, India, 2015.
- Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Exemplar Institute, India, 2013.
Projects
- Personal Loans Case Management - As a business lead, collaborated with cross-functional teams of process improvement, offshore operations, product and risk teams to deliver a sustainable solution for personal loans via case management style of working. This resulted in 50% reduction in turn around time(TAT) and nearly doubling the approval rate(
- Delivery of TRIAD upgrade v9.1 - Mentored and lead the transformation team responsible for the delivery of TRIAD upgrade with a budget of $3MN USD and cutting across multiple teams locally and regionally. The project was delivered on time with 'no surprises' within the allocated budget.
- Delivery of Cost To Achieve(CtA) program for CCS 2020-2023 - Program managed the delivery of over $2MN USD in sustainable cost saves as part of FCCS' commitment towards the CtA program of work. Saves were generated from multiple projects that underpinned CtA change agenda.
- Mobile-First Customer On-boarding Experience - Created a concept(Hackathon) for mobile-first customer on-boarding experience for unsecured lending products leveraging open-banking technology. With millennials as target segment, product objective was to save up for home deposit.
- Transaction Disputes Journey Transformation - Transformed the transaction disputes journey by designing and implementing new case management platform coupled with efficient operating model resulting in an increase in number of cases resolved within 14 days to 95%.
- Digitization of Service and Maintenance Journeys - Digitized(LiveSign) the service and maintenance related customer journeys by implementing electronic signatures to deliver a seamless experience for customers. Resulted in 70% reduction in turn-around time for the processes and an increase in first call resolution for the contact centre team.
- Automated Payments Exception Process - Automated payments exception process while returning funds to non-entity banks. Generated a new revenue stream worth $1MN USD for the global liquidity and cash management business.
Hobbies
Cricket, English Willow Connoisseur, Event Management and Mobile Photography
Work Preference
Work Type
Full TimeWork Location
HybridImportant To Me
Company CultureWork-life balanceCareer advancementFlexible work hoursPersonal development programsWork from home optionHealthcare benefitsQuote
I'll do whatever it takes to win games, whether It's sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of water to a teammate, or hitting the game-winning shot.
Kobe Bryant
Interests
Investment
Travel
Leadership
Timeline
Senior Manager Unsecured Underwriting Services
HSBC Bank Australia Ltd
04.2023 - Current
Business Operations Solution Manager
HSBC Bank Australia Ltd
04.2020 - 03.2023
Engagement Manager Oshore Operations
HSBC Bank Australia Ltd
05.2019 - 03.2020
Re-Engineering Lead(Black Belt)
HSBC Bank Australia Ltd
07.2017 - 04.2019
Process Consultant
HSBC Electronic Data Processing India Pvt Ltd
03.2014 - 06.2017
Contact Center Manager
HSBC Electronic Data Processing India Pvt Ltd
04.2003 - 02.2014
Bachelor of Business Management - International Business
GITAM College
04.2000 - 04.2003
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