SULTHAN SIKKANDAR AMEERJAN
Summary
A distinguished banking operations and risk professional with nearly 2 decades of progressive career across Branch Banking, Service Delivery, Compliance, and Financial Crime Risk within large-scale financial institutions. Demonstrates deep expertise in CDD, AML, Sanctions, KYC, Credit Underwriting, Transaction Monitoring, Regulatory Reporting, and Audit Governance, with end-to-end command over assets and liabilities operations. Proven authority in managing branch risk, cash operations, currency chest controls, and regulatory engagements, while ensuring strict adherence to RBI, internal audit, and global compliance standards. Recognized for exercising independent control over operational risk frameworks, strengthening CRR governance, mitigating fraud exposure, and maintaining audit error rates below prescribed thresholds. Strategic leader in capability building and control excellence, having led multi-location teams of up to 50 members across Operations, Quality Control, and Financial Crime Compliance. Instrumental in embedding strong compliance culture through structured training on CDD, EDD, FCC, UAR, and sanctions frameworks, while enhancing quality, reducing control breaches, and elevating service standards. Adept at vendor governance, UAT testing, policy implementation, MIS reporting, and stakeholder management across frontline, backend, and regulatory interfaces. Consistently ranked among top national performers, reflecting sustained delivery of operational rigor, compliance integrity, and risk-resilient banking excellence.
Overview
4
4
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Vice President- Deputy Branch Manager - Operations and Risk
HSBC INM
01.2022 - Current
- Seasoned banking operations leader with end-to-end accountability for branch operations, risk governance, AML compliance, and regulatory reporting.
- Exercised independent control over branch operations, cash management, risk, audit, and service functions while leading a 12-member team to ensure seamless daily operations and regulatory compliance.
- Managed timely reporting to regulators including RBI, as well as internal and external auditors, ensuring zero regulatory breaches and strong audit outcomes.
- Ensured strict adherence to AML, Sanctions, PEP, CDD, and EDD guidelines in line with HSBC Group and local regulatory requirements; proactively escalated suspicious activities to FCC and Sanctions Officers.
- Authorized high-value and sensitive transactions including Cheque, NEFT, RTGS, KYC, account activation, and FDs, maintaining strong internal controls and mitigating reputational risk.
- Oversaw branch cash inflow/outflow and currency chest operations, maintaining optimal liquidity levels and full compliance with central banking norms.
- Implemented Group policies and strengthened internal control frameworks to ensure high standards of service quality, and risk mitigation.
- Demonstrated vigilance in identifying unusual transactions, sanction evasion risks, and AML red flags; supported AML investigations with timely and accurate documentation.
- Ensured timely completion of mandatory AML and compliance training, fostering a strong culture of risk awareness, accountability, ethical conduct across the branch.
- Commanded End-to-End Branch Operations, Risk & Regulatory Governance: Exercised sovereign oversight of operations, cash, and high-value transactions, upholding impeccable compliance with RBI, AML, KYC, and sanctions mandates while fortifying audit integrity and control excellence.
- Fortified Financial Crime Risk, CDD & Compliance Architecture: Institutionalized rigorous due diligence, transaction surveillance, and risk-calibrated decision frameworks, preemptively neutralizing fraud, regulatory exposure, and reputational threats.
- Forged High-Performance, Compliance-Centric Teams: Orchestrated and elevated cross-functional teams of 50+, embedding a culture of governance, precision, and accountability through strategic capability building and performance stewardship.
- Advanced Operational Excellence and Audit Supremacy: Engineered robust quality assurance and control ecosystems, delivering sustained audit readiness, minimal error thresholds, and consistent recognition as a top-ranked Deputy Branch Manager nationwide.
Associate Vice President (AVP) - L&D SC - Learning, Training and Development
HSBC INM
- Experienced operations and compliance professional specializing in CDD, AML, audit readiness, and operational excellence across banking environments.
- Led and upskilled a 50-member team through structured training on CDD, AML, sanctions, and fraud, improving operational accuracy, productivity, and service quality.
- Delivered targeted training on due diligence, UAR, sanctions, and financial crime controls, strengthening compliance adherence and reducing risk exposure.
- Designed accreditation and certification programs to ensure employees were 'Fit for Purpose,' accelerating onboarding readiness and enhancing workforce capability.
- Conducted surprise checks, archival audits, and hygiene reviews, ensuring audit preparedness and strengthening internal control effectiveness.
- Reduced process control cases (PCC) and improved due diligence quality through focused training, monitoring, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Partnered with frontline, backend, and leadership teams to close skill gaps and ensure consistent adherence to policies and regulatory requirements.
- Supported system rollouts and enterprise initiatives through UAT testing and pilot support, enabling seamless adoption of new compliance tools.
- Championed a strong compliance culture as Culture Catalyst, enhancing engagement, accountability, and audit-ready operational standards.
Manager - Regional Support - Compliance
HSBC INM
- Risk and Compliance-focused Banking Operations professional ensuring robust CDD, KYC validation, and regulatory adherence across account onboarding, lending, and service management processes.
- Evaluated customer profiles, tagged Customer Risk Ratings (CRR), and approved liability products (accounts, loans, credit cards) with <3% KYC and non-KYC error rate, strengthening regulatory compliance and onboarding quality.
- Conducted risk-based quality checks, identified suspicious activities, liaised with fraud prevention teams, and reported control breaches, enhancing risk mitigation and operational integrity.
- Ensured full adherence to internal policies and regulatory standards through robust documentation checks, audit compliance, and MIS reporting, improving transparency and audit preparedness.
- Managed complaint resolution within defined TAT, maintained strong customer relationships, and ensured consistent service quality across operational and sales touchpoints, improving customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.
Assistant Manager - Quality Check
HSBC INM
- Banking Operations and Risk professional leading quality control, CDD validation, and compliance assurance across PAN India frontline credit and card application processes.
- Led a 4-member QC team reviewing PAN India loan and credit card applications, validating approvals, identifying suspicious cases, and strengthening compliance and fraud prevention controls.
- Monitored vendor performance, enforced compliance standards, ensured QC adherence to mandates, and implemented corrective actions to improve application quality and reduce risk exposure.
- Collaborated with credit, vendor, and business teams, shared policy updates and feedback, analyzed declined cases, and delivered MIS insights to support operational and risk decisions.
Customer Service
HDPI
- Handled inbound phone banking operations, serving as the first point of contact for customer queries, transactions, complaints, and service requests while ensuring accurate resolution and high service standards.
- Supported cross-selling initiatives, educated customers on products and digital services, processed account-related requests, and effectively utilized banking systems to deliver seamless and compliant customer service.
Executive - CAS - Account Opening
HDPI
Research Assistant
SITA (South India Term Abroad)
Education
Master of Business Administration -
ICFAI
Bachelors in Commerce -
MK University
Skills
- Strategic Leadership Skills
- Banking Operations & Risk Leadership
- Regulatory Compliance & Governance Oversight
- Financial Crime Risk Strategy (AML, FCC, Sanctions)
- Operational Risk Management & Internal Controls
- Branch Operations & Cash Management Governance
- Audit, Regulatory Reporting & Compliance Assurance
- Cross-Functional Stakeholder & Regulatory Engagement
- Team Leadership, Capability Building & Performance Management
- Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement Strategy
- Compliance Culture, Ethics & Risk Awareness Leadership
- Customer Due Diligence (CDD)
- Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD)
- KYC Compliance
- AML
- Sanctions Screening
- Financial Crime Investigation Support
- Credit Underwriting
- Liability Operations
- Account Approvals
- Transaction Monitoring
- Suspicious Activity Detection
- Risk Assessment
- Audit Management
- Control Testing
- Compliance Validation
- Quality Control
- Process Reviews
- Operational Risk Mitigation
- Regulatory Reporting
- MIS
- Performance Analytics
- Vendor Management
- UAT Testing
- Policy/Process Implementation
Certification
- IRDAI (Insurance Exam)
- NISM (Mutual Funds Exam)
- DRA (Debt Recovery)
- Registered for FEDAI (Foreign Trade)
Awards
- YTD Rank #1 Deputy Branch Manager across Pan India, recognizing consistent leadership and business excellence.
- Awarded Top Deputy Branch Manager (2023) and Top Staff Pan India (2019) under the 'Bigger Start Campaign.'
- Recognized as Top Performer multiple years (2023, 2021, 2015, 2014, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008) for sustained high performance and service excellence.
- Received prestigious recognitions including Dynamo Award (2020), Year End Convention Winner (2018), Hall of Fame Award (2010), and 'Play the Lead' South Region Winner (2011).
- Honored as Best QC Member for lowest error rates (2014) and Semifinalist in the elite '100 Club' (2012).
- Successfully completed Six Sigma training, strengthening process excellence and quality improvement capabilities.
Other Engagements
- Green revolution project.
- Participated in cycle rally of creating awareness on drug addiction.
Timeline
Vice President- Deputy Branch Manager - Operations and Risk
HSBC INM
01.2022 - Current
Associate Vice President (AVP) - L&D SC - Learning, Training and Development
HSBC INM
Manager - Regional Support - Compliance
HSBC INM
Assistant Manager - Quality Check
HSBC INM
Customer Service
HDPI
Executive - CAS - Account Opening
HDPI
Research Assistant
SITA (South India Term Abroad)
Master of Business Administration -
ICFAI
Bachelors in Commerce -
MK University