Profile
Versatile Payment cards Management Professional with more than 20 years’ experience in Card Production, Operations, Co-ordination, Strategic Planning, Man Management and back office roles in leading international banks. Wide-ranging experience in managing functions like EMV chip card / pin Production, Quality control assurance, Banking Operations, product management packaging / dispatch, New Accounts /Application fulfillment, General administration, card inventory/vault management, delivery logistics, vendor / supplier management, accounting, customer service, statement generation/dispatch, systems development/ testing/ equipment maintenance and cards scheme mandates. Quick to learn and with maturity to adapt rapidly to new jobs and situations with ease.
Career Summary & Achievements
2010 to Present
Head of Production & Plant Manager,
SID Ltd., Card Manufacturing /Personalization Plant in Lagos, Nigeria
(The plant caters to whole of the West African region and is certified by Visa International and MasterCard).
Key responsibilities included the management of following areas:-
Product Management
Data Preparation
Milling and Embedding
Production Management
Personalization Management
Quality Assurance and quality control
Fulfillment
Packaging and dispatch/delivery
Vault / Inventory and Reconciliation
SLA Management
Man Management
Forecasting and projects scheduling/ Management
Marketing and Client relations management
Plant and Equipment Maintenance/Co-ordination
Vendor Management
Finalising procurement options and decision making on logistics for the complete Factory including equipment.
Responsible to insure complete compliance to prescribed QMS processes.
Head various committees / groups within the company like strategy committee and innovations committee and propose changes if required to the day to day and futuristic operations of the company.
Member of the core management group involved in the capacity management and planning which is the body that observes the capacity utilization levels and approves additional / new equipment and special talent acquisition.
Meet, discuss and implement various strategies and manage errors/complex situations on a 24×7 basis.
Directly and indirectly responsible for a team that includes Managers/ Supervisors and ranging between 175 – 200.
Evaluate KPI’s and internal SLAs and decide on performance improvement, set goals and targets and look into training requirements.
Responsible to introduce innovative ideas and implement and execute the same as a part of the strategical advancement of the various departments. Adhering to all controls, security and audit processes; Implement standard operating procedures for all production operations to meet the ISO, Visa & Master Card standards.
Review contracts and make amendments if necessary before submission to various Governmental agencies involved in the National Identity Card Project.
2004 to 2010
Specialist, Smart Card Personalization Centre
Network Intl (EmiratesBank)
In charge of a team involved in the personalization of EMV chip cards for over 47 client banks allover the region (Middle East and Africa) and also the production of Magnetic stripe cards.
Major responsibilities included planning and timely completion of the EMV chip card production process for various client banks in a 24 x 7 three shift facility. Upkeep and maintenance of various equipment involved in card personalization, card carrier generation, stuffing /packing equipment and ensure that the down time is kept to the minimum by frequent liaising with the vendors. Ensure / Maintain quality checks of plastics using “Collis” EMV verification software. Ensure that the cards produced are then packed and dispatched using the automated packing machines / process and trace and track their timely delivery. The job profile also included tracking and maintaining records of damages/spoilages to the plastics and equipment and to ensure that sufficient remedial action is taken at the right time, thereby controlling cost escalations.
Responsible for total operations of card personalization services including chip personalization, embossing, encoding of magnetic stripe cards, tipping, indent printing, Colour & b/w image printing including all payment system security features while ensuring that targets are achieved within given time frame without any downtime with strict control including Security and confidentiality of data.
Added responsibilities included decision making and day to day administration of the centre, leading a team of 51 staff involved in the processing activity and to meet and exceed client expectations and set targets. In addition this role required management of purchases, negotiation, cash flow analysis, various contract renewals, negotiation and benchmarking of various contracts with suppliers and sub-contractors, so that they are in compliance with internal and regulatory requirements of the various card schemes like VISA, MasterCard, JCB and Diners Club.
The job also involved manpower allocation and time management and liaising with the various vendors in terms of new procurement negotiations on behalf of the senior management and also responsible for the verification of SLAs (Service Level Agreements) and maintaining MIS for the same. Also involved in various staff related functions like staffs leave approvals, assessment and training programs.
Another requirement of the job was to conduct periodic audit of the blank plastic stocks and all other inventory / consumables and ensure that the records for the same are maintained as per the industry standards and periodic reports provided to all concerned on a regular basis. The job also included conducting periodic fire drills and evaluation of the various contingency planning procedures.
1991 to 2004
Analyst, Regional Credit Card Centre
HSBC Bank Middle East, UAE.
Manage a team to handle all work related to transaction authorizations, credit card embossing and dispatch. Geographical scope of these responsibilities is UAE plus 6 regional card centers, including Mauritius. Liaise with card centers in other countries and with external agencies like courier companies and embossing machine vendors.
Supervise a team involved in new account / application processing and ensure the accuracy of the data input and the data verification. Liaise with various local branches and direct sales channels for missing documents relating to the applications and any related queries.
In charge of the 24 HR Regional operations and Authorizations room managing six shift operators.
Attend to customer queries and complaints and resolve billing related disputes (received at the call center).
Test and launch indigenously developed credit card embossing software, including upgrades.
Install POS terminals and train users at various merchant sites.
Manage change whenever the bank introduces new product features like personalized photo & signature bearing credit cards.
Provide processing support when bank launches new credit card products (like ‘Premier’ card and Private Label card). Process all acquiring transactions related to private label cards (HSBC Spinneys cards)
Reconcile and monitor all financial accounts relate to merchant payments.
General Banking experience in the customer accounts, Books, ATM and EDP departments of the Bank.
Supervise and manage the generation of monthly credit card statements and arrange for their timely dispatch.
Achievements
Involved in a project aimed at changing the main credit card issuing software of the bank at various testing / implementation levels.
Played key role in stabilizing business processes related to scanning of applications, archiving, storage and retrieval.
Selected to play a key role in the bank’s Y2K testing and readiness project, covering various banking systems and equipment of the card center.
Handled a high security project by which the Bank started delivering Credit cards to its customers directly using the medium of courier companies.
Member of a team that successfully worked in achieving ISO certification.
Awarded several merit certificates and “Best Employee” awards.
1989-1991
Administrative Supervisor
Consolidated Services Emirates Ltd, Dubai, UAE.
Consolidated Services was a Company dealing in high pressure Hydraulic hoses, Generators, Heavy equipment and oil & Gas machinery.
Responsibilities included software programming and independent administration of the multinational company’s warehouse. Was instrumental in co-coordinating various trading activities of the company in Europe, Asia & the Middle East and also involved in negotiating contracts and tenders
Education & Courses
• Graduate in Commerce.
• Post Graduate diploma in Computer Application and Software.
• Certificate course in DBASE III Plus programming.
• Various training courses in the field of Banking – supervisory skills development, customer service excellence and training in office productivity software.
• Knowledge of VISA/Master Card regulations on Operations
Systems Knowledge
• Good knowledge and understanding of Card issuance and acquiring business.
• Operating Systems: Windows9x, Windows NT, MS-DOS.
• MS Office
• Lotus Notes & DBASE III Plus Outlook Express.
• Various Credit / Debit card systems like CARDMAN / HCC & Vision+, Prime.
• ACI EMV Smart card solution
• Oberthur smart card production software (CPS)
• Gemsence SMART card production software
• DataCard Personalization Equipment
• Matica card production system
• PFE mailing room systems and card packing and machines.
• Familiar with quality systems such as ISO, and hands on experience in implementing these in the workplace.
• Knowledge of ERP Systems
Languages
Excellent communication skills in four languages:
English,Hindi / Urdu, Arabic, Malayalam and Tamil.
Skills & Qualities
• Positive thinker with a pleasing personality.
• Excellent Administrative Management and Organisational skills.
• Sincere, hardworking and ability to work under pressure.
• Project Management and Co ordination skills.
• Ability to decipher project documentation
• Proven track record of managing total operations of a manufacturing plant/ assembly line operations with experience of controlling shop floor/ production.
• Well versed with Industrial Relations, productivity techniques , production planning etc.
• Capability to implement best manufacturing practices in the plant.
• Leadership & Business acumen including ability to provide direction / guidance to the team for the smooth workflow.
• Experienced in procedure documentation.
• Thorough knowledge and experience in banking procedures and office routine.
• Experienced in the compliance and other requirements of the various card scheme mandates and PCI DCS / ISO 27001.
• Ability to multi task combined with prioritization and delivery.
