The news that Standard Chartered Bank allegedly has violated US laws caused me a bit of distress. My links with this bank go deep : my father spent his entire career with this bank, and such was his passion for the bank, that the whole family developed a lot of very happy associations with the bank.
The pride was for its then caring nature - and for its reputation for integrity and fairness - both to its employees and to its customers (It never sold anything to customers if it was not good for the customer).
It was a conservative British bank, and my father proudly used to say that the bank will never ever violate laws, and has entrenched value systems unlike the "cheeky smart-alecs" - a reference to the aggressive American banks.
A lot began to change in the bank towards the end of my father's retirement in the late '80s as it started imitating the American banks. However, when Standard Chartered came out relatively unscathed from the financial scandals of the recent years, it seemed to reinforce - much to my pride - what my father used to say about the deeply embedded values of Standard Chartered bank. It was almost as if this bank was immune to the big G (greed).
Until now, of course ....
For me, growing up as a kid - this always remained the aspirational employer (though I landed up in a different career). I hope that this pride will return, and children of existing employees of Standard Chartered would feel the same pride that I once used to feel.
The pride was for its then caring nature - and for its reputation for integrity and fairness - both to its employees and to its customers (It never sold anything to customers if it was not good for the customer).
It was a conservative British bank, and my father proudly used to say that the bank will never ever violate laws, and has entrenched value systems unlike the "cheeky smart-alecs" - a reference to the aggressive American banks.
A lot began to change in the bank towards the end of my father's retirement in the late '80s as it started imitating the American banks. However, when Standard Chartered came out relatively unscathed from the financial scandals of the recent years, it seemed to reinforce - much to my pride - what my father used to say about the deeply embedded values of Standard Chartered bank. It was almost as if this bank was immune to the big G (greed).
Until now, of course ....
For me, growing up as a kid - this always remained the aspirational employer (though I landed up in a different career). I hope that this pride will return, and children of existing employees of Standard Chartered would feel the same pride that I once used to feel.
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