Naomi Hara Palale
Lusaka,Zambia
Summary
An experienced professional who is multi skilled with over16 years working experience and proficient in Global Markets. Able to work effectively on a broad range of tasks with a reputation of great collaboration and building strong client relationships while adopting a strategic approach to client requirements. I have firsthand work experience on balancesheet management, Fixed Income, Foreign Exchange trading and also sales. I have strong conceptual, analytical, evaluative and communications skills. Initiative-taking, diligent and a highly effective collaborator. Ability to meet deadlines and experienced in a multicultural environment. A good appreciation and knowledge of Risk Management, covering Operational Risk, Market Risk, Counterparty Risk and Credit Risk within a banking environment.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Global Markets Structured Sales
First National Bank
02.2024 - Current
- Responsible for managing and growing relationships with large institutional clients, such as asset managers, pension funds, insurance companies, and hedge funds
- Thorough understanding the specific financial needs of institutional clients and providing them with tailored solutions in various global market products, including equities, fixed income, foreign exchange (FX), commodities, and derivatives
- Client relationship management by building and maintaining strong, long-term relationships with institutional clients
- This includes regular communication, understanding client needs, and providing proactive support and solutions by understand their investment goals and strategies and suggesting appropriate financial products
- Responsible for providing various financial products, such as fixed income securities, equity-linked products, FX instruments, and derivatives
- Responsible for providing clients with market insights, updates, and trade ideas to help clients make informed decisions
- Thorough knowledge of macroeconomic trends, market drivers, and financial regulations
- Execution of trades on behalf of clients, ensuring that transactions align with client strategies and comply with regulatory requirements
- This often involves close collaboration with trading desks and ensuring efficient execution across multiple asset classes
- Develop tailored Solutions by customizing financial products and strategies to meet client needs
- This involves structuring derivative products to hedge against specific risks, develop portfolio management strategies and creating solutions for cash management and liquidity optimization
- Ensure compliance with regulators and working closely with compliance and legal teams
- Cross-functional Collaboration with multiple internal teams to deliver value to clients and ensure clients receive well-rounded support and insights that align with their investment objectives
- Reporting to Head of Markets
Treasury sales Manager
First National Bank
07.2023 - 01.2024
- Developing and managing client relationships working closely with corporate, institutional, and commercial clients
- Responsible for managing and expanding client relationships, selling FX products, and helping clients manage currency exposure
- Update and regularly contact clients to ensure FX needs are met
- Build and maintain relationships with clients, which could range from corporations needing FX for trade and cross-border operations
- Provide clients with currency risk management solutions and market insights
- Advise clients on a range of FX products, including spot, forward contracts, options, and swaps
- Help clients understand and use these products to hedge currency risk, optimize cash flows, and potentially gain exposure to currency movements for strategic purposes
- Provide clients with market analysis and insights by staying on top of macroeconomic developments, central bank policies, and geopolitical factors that could impact currency movements
- This is used to provide timely market insights and trade ideas, adding value for clients by helping them anticipate and respond to market movements
- Manage client orders and ensure they are executed efficiently
- Ensure that all transactions comply with regulatory standard by working with compliance and risk management teams to ensure adherence to know-your-customer (KYC), and other regulations
- Offer comprehensive solutions and up-to-date information, enhancing the client experience and aligning with the banks strategic goals
- Grow revenue and wallet share of the bank
- Reporting to Head of Sales
Corporate Dealer
First National Bank
07.2022 - 06.2023
- Responsible for providing an ongoing, efficient and effective service to a portfolio of corporate and commercial clients with the aim of maximizing the foreign exchange turnover and profitability for the bank
- Achieve turnover and profit targets aligned to the overall Treasury objective
- Strive for sustainable growth in revenue
- Build relationships with both internal and external clients
- Thorough understanding of the strategic business drivers, opportunities, challenges, needs, competition and threats inherent in the environments/business sectors within which clients operate
- Ensure that supportive, open relationships exist between Relationship Managers (RMs), relevant stakeholders and service providers within the bank
- Ensures that the processes, structures, systems and resources required to effectively service existing clients and develop new clients are in place and continuously reviewed
- Responsible for formulating and reviewing strategies to pursue both new and existing clients
- Gains leads and access to stakeholders in large corporate, commercial and government organizations
- Manage a portfolio of clients
- Supports the Relationship Managers (RMs) in developing relationships with strategically significant and/or difficult clients to ensure that the strategy and business objectives of the client and the Bank are achieved
- Reporting to Head of Sales
Fixed Income and FX Trader
First National Bank
06.2010 - 06.2022
- To manage foreign exchange and Interest rate risk while generating Income through Foreign exchange and Fixed Income trading
- To increase foreign exchange income through market derivatives which include Forward exchange contracts and Swaps
- Increase turnover through aggressive marketing and pricing
- Manage open positions on all currencies
- Generate income and identify opportunities in the structuring space
- Understand characteristics of Structured Products and their uses
- Interrogate client needs and identify appropriate structured products
- Create bespoke solutions for clients
- Create awareness with clients on the instruments that they can employ to manage their financial risks
- Engaging market participants, that is Pension Funds, Insurers, Asset managers, public sector, regulators, local and international banks, brokers, with view to developing market
- Build a database of client information from meetings, call reports, publications to aid business and credit discussions
- Providing in-depth analysis of the market and market developments to the business
- Provide directional view of the market, take positions based on view and limits
- To optimise Net Interest Income by actively managing interest rate risk of the balance sheet
- To optimise Net Interest Income through active management of maturity profile of the balance sheet
- To manage liquidity risk of the balance sheet
- Providing management with timely market information
- Providing management with a clear picture of Trade and Execution strategy and providing feedback
- Preparation of economic and Financial Risk management reports
- Author of Daily Market Update
- Reporting to Head of Trading
Trainee Dealer
First National Bank
06.2009 - 06.2010
- Preparation and circulation of Daily Newsletter
- Contacting all existing clients of the bank to buy or sell Foreign Exchange
- Growing the existing Treasury Clientele list
- Managing relationships with existing Treasury clientele
- Creation of client retention and recapture strategies
- Formulating and executing marketing and sales strategies
- Deposit Mobilization
- Consolidating already existing and establishing new business relationships
- Reporting to Head of Trading
Money Market and FX Dealer
Intermarket Bank
01.2007 - 05.2009
- Ensure that the position is adequately funded
- Evaluation of portfolio performance by marking-to-market
- Trading in foreign exchange and money market securities
- Mobilization of deposits
- Ensuring that foreign currencies (USD & ZAR) are purchased and sold to Bureau de Change within the ruling rates in the market
- Booking of deals in a timely manner
- Reporting to the Treasurer
Management Trainee
Intermarket Bank
01.2006 - 01.2007
- Accurate position keeping
- Preparing Funds Transfers and Daily Confirmations for delivery to the Central Bank and commercial banks each day
- Preparing Daily Money Market and Foreign Exchange Returns for submission to the Central Bank
- Preparing Summary of Assets Report
- Computing maturity amounts on assets and liabilities
- Preparing Letters of Guarantee for clients
- Preparing forex, bond, treasury bill, BA (Bankers’ Acceptance) and NCD
- Reconciliation of Treasury Bills and Government Bonds holdings
- Preparing clients’ investment schedules
- Facilitating the movement of securities between Lusaka Stock Exchange, Bank of Zambia and Intermarket accounts
- Reporting to Treasury Ops Manager
Education
Master of Business Administration -
Edinburgh Business School
United Kingdom 01-2019
ACI Dealing Certificate
Financial Markets Association
02-2010
Bachelor of Arts - Development Studies
University of Zambia
Lusaka 01.2005
GCE ‘O’ Levels Certificate
St Mary Secondary School
Lusaka 01-1999
GCSE’s Grade 9
St Mary’s Secondary School
Lusaka 01-1997
Skills
- Financial Markets
- Structured Sales
- Investment Banking
- Financial, portfolio & relationship management
- Strategic and Financial Planning
- Research and Development
- Leadership & diverse flexibility
- Bloomberg & Reuters system proficiency
- Sale and Revenue generation
Certification
- Structuring and Marketing Derivatives solutions - Peter Skerritt & Associates October2019
- Fixed Income Markets – Neil Schofield
Accomplishments
- I was part of the team that started the FNB Zambia Dealing room.
- In the2021/2022 financial year I able to scale up the domestic None Banked Financial Institution franchise generating over ZMW30million by executing secondary market bond trades. I was able to grow the client portfolio by over75% which resulted in the team receiving a Rand Merchant Bank Wall of Fame award.
- I was part of the team that came up with structures used to assist petroleum companies liquidate their bonds offered by government as ways of paying off their arrears. The structure boosted Fixed Income generating profits of over ZMW26mio.
Training
- ACI Dealing Simulation – Extensive Training in Spot FX Market, Methods and Psychology of Trading, Value of a voice broker, Technical Analysis, FX swaps, Impact of data on financial markets, Options Trading, Interest Rate Futures, the role of the central bank and Interest Rate Derivatives.
- Treasury Sales and Customer Dealing Training – September 2010
- Technical Analysis
- The Psychology of a successful trader
Languages
English
First Language
References
Available upon request.
Timeline
Global Markets Structured Sales
First National Bank
02.2024 - Current
Treasury sales Manager
First National Bank
07.2023 - 01.2024
Corporate Dealer
First National Bank
07.2022 - 06.2023
Fixed Income and FX Trader
First National Bank
06.2010 - 06.2022
Trainee Dealer
First National Bank
06.2009 - 06.2010
Money Market and FX Dealer
Intermarket Bank
01.2007 - 05.2009
Management Trainee
Intermarket Bank
01.2006 - 01.2007
Master of Business Administration -
Edinburgh Business School
ACI Dealing Certificate
Financial Markets Association
Bachelor of Arts - Development Studies
University of Zambia
GCE ‘O’ Levels Certificate
St Mary Secondary School
GCSE’s Grade 9
St Mary’s Secondary School
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