Tell me about Satrix and what it does.
Satrix gives people access to the market through low-cost, diversified products (exchange traded funds and unit trusts) on a platform that breaks down one of the barriers to investing — minimums. With the platform having no minimum investment amount, anyone can be an investor.
What does your job as senior client experience manager entail?
My focus is largely on creating a world-class experience for our clients and ensuring that each time our clients engage with us, they walk away with a really good feeling. This involves participating in strategic planning and decision-making related to client management and retention.
Day to day, a lot of time is spent monitoring our outsourced partners and client engagement team, understanding our clients' needs and tailoring solutions to meet those needs.
Though we are predominantly digital and have a wealth of information on our website about investing, we often have potential investors come in to have a chat about investing. Being able to see how what we do makes a difference to people, first hand, is a rewarding part of my job.
What are the main challenges facing your industry?
With the socioeconomic challenges faced by South Africans, investing is not always top of mind; this, coupled with the many barriers to investing, such as the perception that one needs a lot of money, investing is complicated or that you cannot do it yourself.
Financial inclusion is at the heart of what we do at Satrix and, fortunately, other industry players are also working hard to break down these barriers and help people to start their investment journey.
What makes you good at the work you do?
Money is an incredibly emotional topic for most people, and having a good understanding of this is important.
Having cognitive and compassionate empathy has allowed me to create human connections with clients and get a better understanding of their needs. Equally important is having the humility to apologise and take accountability when issues arise.
I am fascinated by human behaviour, the complexity of the human mind, and also how vastly different we are in our thinking
How did you end up in your job at Satrix?
The job found me. After a couple of meetings with the then Satrix head of operations, he invited me to apply, and I was successful. He left shortly after I joined, and I was thrown in at the deep end, where I found myself getting involved in the operational aspects of the business.
In hindsight, this only helped to put me in good stead as I was now not only armed with my natural ability to make human connections, but I also understood the operational backbone of the business, equipping me to have meaningful strategic input.
Seven years later, I still wake up and go to the office with a clear sense of purpose and vision.
What did you want to be when you were a child?
Ironically, the idea of psychology had always appealed to me, and at some point at school I thought that would be the route I would take. I am fascinated by human behaviour, the complexity of the human mind, and also how vastly different we are in our thinking.
What is your go-to career advice for young people?
When I started my career, I wish someone had told me the importance of believing in yourself and being confident. Looking back, there were so many times when I would see my ideas that I had quietly whispered in a meeting being passed on as someone else’s great idea.
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