Wilson He joined OCBC Securities in 2020 as its Managing Director (MD) with over 18 years of experience in the financial services industry, most recently in digitalising securities trading.

Progress with the customer at heart

“FinTech has been the talk of the town, especially with its free-commission trades. While FinTech companies pose some competition, it has also surfaced new opportunities which OCBC Securities is taking advantage of. Customers desire more consolidation of services for greater convenience and quicker completion times. We are meeting these needs through greater digitisation and incorporating more innovation into our solutions.”

“While the industry naturally evolves, I believe two things will remain unchanged. That is, the inherent nature of stockbroking as a business and OCBC’s uncompromising focus on the customer. Customers will always be at the heart of OCBC Securities and customer centricity will remain our mantra. Any improvements that we make in our brokerage services will be made with the customer’s needs clearly at the centre.”

“The human touch will be the key differentiator that will make OCBC Securities distinct. Unlike FinTech and online brokerage firms, we will be the intermediary with a human touch, which is the essence that makes trading approachable and seamless. The aim is to progress and lead the changes, while upholding the Bank’s impeccable legacy.

Speeding up innovation and expanding footprint

“Our vision is to be the first-choice brokerage for customers to park their assets for equities trading and wealth management. We will incorporate the latest proven technology by using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to elevate our customers’ trading experiences to the next level. The AI enhancements will enable the iOCBC Trade Mobile app to deliver a more personalised experience, allowing customers to make more informed trading decisions. While we innovate, we will expand our geographical footprint by scaling up our operations regionally.”

Collaboration-centric culture

“While I talk about customer differentiation, human centricity and innovation, I believe our culture is another key competitive advantage that we hold. Our work culture is friendly and collaborative. We work like a family nucleus, with everyone open and willing to help one another. During the pandemic slowdown, we redesigned our working space so that it is more conducive to foster close collaboration among colleagues. With the design centred around space efficiency, the newly revamped office caters for a hybrid work environment without compromising effective communication.”

Challenging the status quo

“As a leading brokerage with a holistic value proposition, we can’t remain still. I constantly encourage my colleagues in OCBC Securities to challenge the status quo, look beyond their daily job and find out what is happening across the industry. In a rapidly-moving stockbroking industry, it is important to constantly be on the ball and for each person to take charge of their own learning journey and remain up-to-date with the market changes. And, of course, to share them so we can learn and grow as a team.”

“Building a sound foundation comes from building strong processes that stem from smart experiments. We must always test and learn instead of being conventional. For instance, in the early days of mobile app development, there were many new scenarios no one could foresee. Everyone in the industry struggled and mistakes were made. However, these mistakes helped us learn and strengthen our processes. One should not shy away from challenges even if changing existing processes may be uncomfortable. We must always be open to challenge ourselves.”

Think big, dig deep, start small

“If I have to give one piece of advice to anyone working in OCBC Securities, I would say, ‘Think big, dig deep and start small’.”

“Think big. We must see the big picture, so we know how and what to execute. Why are we doing what we are doing? Dig deep means focusing on the details. This builds our expertise. Start small. After observing the details, we may anticipate hiccups and challenges. We may be overwhelmed and afraid to start, as that is part of human nature. But don’t fear. Just start small. And keep going.”

“A book that I recommend for an intellectual read is Think Again by Adam Grant, which encourages and leads us to develop an open mind and lifelong curiosity for learning. As the saying goes, ‘Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will strive to grow.’ I intend to keep learning and growing.”

“Always have your sights on the big picture. Keep the customer in mind, constantly challenge the status quo, keep learning and keep doing. Before you know it, you will have achieved big things.”

— Mr Wilson He, Managing Director, OCBC Securities