Lahiru Kulatunga

I am a self-motivated high-performing Manager - Operations with over 12 years in expertise in building/optimizing organizational processes and measurement systems to maximize business results providing excellent customer satisfaction to UK and Singapore Wealth and Private Banking customers throughout the customer’s lifecycle.

 I enjoy making strategic plans into workable solutions and benchmarks performance against key operational targets/goals whilst ensuring that a positive relationship is nurtured amongst all stakeholders including direct reports from diverse cultures. I directly report to Vice President Operations and liaise with the business areas heads. My ability to go over and beyond expectations are reflected on my performance and behavior reviews annually.

Manager Operations –Wealth and Private Banking
HSBC Data Processing Lanka (Pvt) Ltd Dec 2020 to present
Countries managed/oversighted: Singapore, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong,
Processes/Teams managed/oversighted:
▪ Account Opening ▪ Account Servicing ▪ Legal
▪ Insurance
▪ Time/ Term Deposit Opening ▪ Account Closure
▪ Customer Service Unit
Key Responsibilities
Leadership & Teamwork
▪ Effectively drive and manage change to achieve business goals
▪ Plan and promote Band Progression to meet Business requirements and
Staff expectations
▪ DriveStaffDevelopmentthroughSoftSkilltraining,PersonalDevelopment
plans and Performance Management Reviews.
▪ Reward and Recognize service excellence and keep high staff morale
through ‘Celebrating Success’.
▪ Create robust section environment where skills and knowledge openly
shared to achieve section and business goals to ensure optimum resource
utilization and achievement of business objectives and customer SLA’s.
▪ Develop team strengths and improve weaknesses.
▪ Act as a Senior SME, and first line of contact.
▪ Ensure escalations for sanction/PEP screening, reviewing, and assessing
the risk for escalations and ensuring that the appropriate course of action is taken.

Risk and compliance
▪ Ensuring compliance with HSBC Group company policies and procedures, including regulatory requirements.
▪ Regular review of audit and diary watch procedures to give effective feedback to Management.
▪ Timely and ongoing implementation of audit reports and identify improvements which will enhance operational and financial effectiveness
Operational Effectiveness & Control
▪ To ensure profits are maximized through effective management of costs & resources.
▪ PlanforeffectivecrosstrainingtakingintoaccounttheGlobalContingency requirements
▪ Ensure ‘Knowledge retention’
▪ Effective capacity planning, leave management and process prioritization.
▪ To have a tight control on Operational losses, potential frauds through
strong internal audit and Staff feedback mechanisms.
▪ Have ongoing monitoring and review of workflow and priorities are in
accordance with procedures.
▪ Process productivity and quality targets are set, monitored and achieved
to ensure optimum resource utilization and achievement of business objectives and customers SLA.

Customers / Stakeholders
▪ Set an example in ‘Leading to be Customer driven’ by implementing effective customer feedback mechanisms and monitoring ‘Service Quality’ of the section to ensure high Customer Service Standards.
▪ Drive rigorous and Customer Centric Quality Campaigns and initiatives to increase Quality awareness in the team.
▪ Recognize, reward and set high internal service excellence benchmarks to ensure customer delight.
▪ Problem situations are proactively identified and resolved to give maximum customer satisfaction and escalated where necessary. Appropriate measures are taken to improve quality and prevent recurrence.
▪ Establish and maintain effective relationship with customer business areas and identify areas of service improvements.
Project Management
▪ Led the end to end account Tool automation project by designing the frontline smart forms and introducing RPA tool. Was a key stakeholder in the project ideas and implementation.
▪ Led the end to end account Servicing automation project of debit cards, third party online banking and account conversions by designing the frontline smart forms and introducing RPA tool. Was a key stakeholder in the project ideas and implementation.

Assistant Manager Operations – Wealth and Private Banking HSBC Data Processing Lanka (Pvt) Ltd
Aug 2016 to Nov 2020
Countries managed: Singapore, Processes/Teams managed/oversighted:
▪ Account Opening ▪ Account Servicing ▪ Legal
▪ Insurance
Key Responsibilities
▪ Managing 25 FTEs including four level 7 ICs across four teams
▪ Achieving Performance Management requirements with direct reports by
setting clear direction, objectives, performance targets and standards of
behavior aligned to HSBC’s strategy
▪ Ensuring people are clear about what, and how, they need to deliver,
taking prompt actions to resolve and address underperformance
▪ Ensuring all KPIs including SLA, Quality, Production Availability and Work
Rate are met by the team with nil operational losses
▪ Handling customer complaints, providing resolution and taking actions to
prevent recurrence
▪ Managing Risks by monitoring operational risks, implementing risk
mitigating plans and promoting HSBCs balanced risk culture in the team whilst ensuring the team is compliant with the Group company policies and procedures
▪ Stakeholder Management by working cohesively with immediate team members, line managers, other supporting teams, onshore teams, counterpart sites and frontend teams of all three Line of Businesses in order to collectively achieve organizational objectives whilst keeping the customers best interest at heart.

Master of Business Administration (Finance)
University of Bedfordshire -2021

Bachelor of Applied Business Management
Federation Australia University- 2014

Higher National Diploma (HND) in business management
Edexcel UK -– 2012