Head of GTB, Southeast Asia

Overall purpose of role

The Head of GTB SEA will lead the country’s Transaction Banking franchise, driving strategic growth, client engagement, and operational excellence across Payments, FX, Liquidity, and Trade & Working Capital. This role is pivotal in executing the regional build-out strategy and aligning local execution with global GTB objectives.

Success in this role requires a proven track record of delivering strong revenue growth and effective pipeline conversion, maintaining high levels of client satisfaction and retention, ensuring full regulatory compliance and positive audit outcomes, and fostering strong team engagement and development.

Key Accountabilities

This is an influential leadership role with direct reporting line and accountability to the Regional Head of GTB, responsible for:

Strategic Leadership & Execution

• Drive the SEA GTB strategy in alignment with APACME regional goals and global GTB priorities.
• Champion digital enablement and data-driven decision-making across GTB functions.

Client Origination & Coverage

• Drive client acquisition and retention through tailored Transaction Banking solutions.
• Oversee origination pipelines, ensuring timely conversion and alignment with broader corporate banking objectives.

Product & Sales Oversight

• Provide oversight across core GTB products—Payments, FX, Liquidity, and Trade & Working Capital.
• Collaborate with product teams to ensure solutions are competitive, compliant, and scalable.

Governance & Controls

• Ensure all GTB activities adhere to local and global regulatory frameworks, including MAS guidelines.
• Maintain robust governance and control frameworks to mitigate operational and reputational risks.

People Leadership & Development

• Build and mentor a high-performing GTB team in Singapore, fostering career growth and cross-functional collaboration.
• Represent Singapore GTB in regional forums and contribute to APACME leadership initiatives.

Essential Skills/Basic Qualifications:

• 15+ years of experience in Transaction Banking or Financial Services, with leadership exposure in APAC markets.
• Deep understanding of Transaction Banking products, with strong working knowledge of broader client solutions.
• Ability to navigate matrixed environments and drive cross-functional outcomes.
• Strong analytical skills to interpret financial data, assess market trends, and guide strategic decisions.
• Experience in risk assessment and regulatory compliance, ensuring all transactions meet legal and policy standards.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to manage client relationships and internal teams effectively.
• Ability to mentor and develop high-performing teams, fostering a culture of collaboration and accountability.
• Familiarity with digital platforms and data tools to support automation, reporting, and client engagement.
• Strong external market connectivity with key industry bodies such as BAFT, ITFA, Multilateral Lending Agencies (MLAs), and Export Credit Agencies (ECAs) is highly desirable.
• The ideal candidate will bring established relationships and influence within these organizations to help shape market practices, stay ahead of regulatory trends, and enhance Barclays’ visibility in the global transaction banking ecosystem.

Stakeholder Management and Leadership

• Build strong, productive relationships with critical partners, including product , business partners and client relationship teams.
• Ensure effective development and understanding of the business’ plans across stakeholder groups.
• Create a shared understanding and sense of urgency and excitement around sales objectives.
• Resource, develop and retain a motivated high performing team committed to delivering agreed objectives successfully, through each other and in partnership with colleagues across the business.
• Agree appropriately stretching performance and development objectives for all direct reports, providing regular feedback and coaching to ensure their maximum potential is achieved.
• Be a role model for our colleagues, demonstrating advanced leadership behaviours, excellent communications skills and a team working approach to delivering results.

Risk and Control Objective

Ensure that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with regulatory requirements, Enterprise Wide Risk Management Framework and internal Barclays Policies and Policy Standards.

Purpose of the role

To manage a specific product or portfolio and set the strategic direction. Provide support to the bank's senior management team, and to manage product development risk across the organisation. 

Accountabilities

• Development of strategic direction for a specific product or portfolio, including the implementation of up to date methodologies and processes.
• Management of a specific product or portfolio, including oversight of colleagues and their performance, implementation of departmental goals and objectives, oversight of department efficiency and effectiveness.  
• Relationship management of specific product or portfolio stakeholders, including identifying relevant stakeholders, and maintenance of the quality of external third party services.
• Development and implementation of policies and procedures for the specific product or portfolio.
• Management of specific product or portfolio risk, including identification of potential risks, development of strategies to mitigate those risks, and maintenance of alignment between the bank’s specific product or portfolio and compliance functions. 
• Monitoring the financial performance of the specific product or portfolio, including revenue, profitability, and cost control.
• Conducting thorough market research to understand market trends, competitive landscape, and regulatory changes to identify market opportunities.

Director Expectations

• To manage a business function, providing significant input to function wide strategic initiatives. Contribute to and influence policy and procedures for the function and plan, manage and consult on multiple complex and critical strategic projects, which may be business wide.
• They manage the direction of a large team or sub-function, leading other people managers and embedding a performance culture aligned to the values of the business. Or for an individual contributor, they lead organisation wide projects and act as deep technical expert and thought leader, identifying new ways of working and collaborating cross functionally. They will train, guide and coach less experienced specialists and provide information affecting long term profits, organisational risks and strategic decisions..
• Provide expert advice to senior functional management and committees to influence decisions made outside of own function, offering significant input to function wide strategic initiatives.
• Manage, coordinate and enable resourcing, budgeting and policy creation for a significant sub-function.
• Escalates breaches of policies / procedure appropriately.
• Foster and guide compliance, ensure regulations are observed that relevant processes in place to facilitate adherence.
• Focus on the external environment, regulators, or advocacy groups to both monitor and influence on behalf of Barclays, when appropriate.
• Demonstrate extensive knowledge of how the function integrates with the business division / Group to achieve the overall business objectives.
• Maintain broad and comprehensive knowledge of industry theories and practices within own discipline alongside up-to-date relevant sector / functional knowledge, and insight into external market developments / initiatives.
• Use interpretative thinking and advanced analytical skills to solve problems and design solutions in often complex/ sensitive situations.
• Exercise management authority to make significant decisions and certain strategic decisions or recommendations within own area.
• Negotiate with and influence stakeholders at a senior level both internally and externally.
• Act as principal contact point for key clients and counterparts in other functions/ businesses divisions.
• Mandated as a spokesperson for the function and business division.

All Senior Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.