Alok Wadhawan

Role: Managing the Trade Finance operations and & FX portfolio from FX Risk Management perspective

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the trade finance Operations including working capital (fund-based & Non-Fund based) management
• Manage the Regular FX transactions (conversion, hedging, natural Hedge) to optimize the cash flow impact – book size approx. USD 3 billion of Exports and Imports
• Coordinate with syndicate team and banks for limit utilization and transaction executions
• Coordinate with internal teams for trade finance transactions like LC, BG, reconciliation, audit, investments
• Monitor and Improvise the FX Risk Management Policy and ensure compliance and adherence
• Conduct FX Hedging meeting at least once a month with senior management for deciding market actions based on prevalent exposure and market dynamics
• Study markets developments from technical and fundamental perspective and share FX views with senior management in internal meetings
• Advise to & collaborate with syndicate team and liquidity team on market dynamics & macros affecting cost decisions. Evaluate better process optimization for increasing efficiency and ensure internal compliance

Role: Managing a business territory portfolio to achieve a designated Trade income target.

Key Responsibilities

• Managing Trade Finance and Forex Incomes for my region’s Business Banking client portfolio
• Providing Sales support to Business Banking team in acquiring new to bank customers
• Providing Trade Finance product & transaction support to Business Banking customer base
• Liaisioning with various Product & customer group teams for driving revenues
• Evaluating opportunities for new Trade Product offerings and better process optimization through Market Research for increasing efficiency

Role: Providing consultancy services to corporate customers for their Forex risk management

Key Responsibilities

• Advise clients on the currency movements, hedging strategies and pricing to mitigate the exchange risk based on the analysis of their balance sheets and business models
• Advise customers on cost reduction initiatives for their financing costs by using structured finance
• Advise customers on a sound risk management policy aligned to management’s risk appetite and objectives. To advise customers on optimization of various markets, instruments and hedging strategies.
• Advise customers on the price discovery of their derivative hedging deals with Banks for their ECBs and other foreign currency borrowings thereby helping customers reducing their hedging cost substantially

Role: Leading team to acquire and retain client relationships for advisory and intermediary services

Key Responsibilities

• Leading team to acquire clients based on advisory services for foreign exchange risk management
• Bring clients on board for their genuine hedging transactions based on their forex exposure
• Advise clients on the currency movements, hedging strategies and pricing to mitigate the exchange risk based on the analysis of their balance sheets and business models
• Advise customers on a sound risk management policy aligned to management’s risk appetite and objectives. To advise customers on optimization of various markets, instruments and hedging strategies.
• Acquire clients for Buyer’s credit business and deepening the relationship for currency hedging business
• Bring out research reports for circulation to clients

Role: Managing a business territory portfolio to achieve a designated income target.

Key Responsibilities

• Achieve a designated budget by marketing of FX and structured products to Corporate Banking customers. To enhance and optimise the banking relationship with existing customers for increasing the bank’s wallet share and revenue
• Source clients, understanding client requirements & co-coordinating with Corporate Banking team for appraising projects for credit lines. Co-ordinating with relationship team on assessment, sanction and post sanction monitoring of derivative, forward contract and working capital limits
• Actively interact with other key stakeholder units of the bank like trade finance operations, risk management, documentation, compliance, back office and mid office for ensuring smooth transaction flow and seamless service to customer along with regulatory compliance

Key Responsibilities Included

• Achieving a designated forex income budget in conjunction with branch banking channel and business banking channels.
• Advising clients of the currency movements and hedging strategies to mitigate the exchange risk. Providing Forex rates to customers for covering their forex exposures.
• Handling all day-to-day functioning of a Regional Dealing Room. Ensuring day end reconciliations of position of all dealers and merchant transactions in compliance with bank’s policies and guidelines.

Key Responsibilities Included

Derivative Sales

• Understanding client’s requirement for relevant swap/ option trades to minimize risk and optimize the returns.
• Structuring and marketing currency & interest rate swaps, currency options.

Forex Trading

• Managing currency portfolio in Dollar Rupee and Cross-currencies for the clients
• Updating client’s on currency movements based on fundamental and technical analysis

Key Responsibilities Included

• Leading a team to achieve forex business volume growth (CAGR of 38% per annum). Supervised various dimensions of trade finance operations pertaining to forex- business.
• Handling negotiation of bills under LC, Collection of export Bills and Purchase of bills, LC etc. Ensured compliance of the provisions of UCPDC and URC.
• Managing SWIFT system – for sending and receiving financial messages between banks.