Do what you like, be honest and you will succeed


Kārlis Volodins, Private banker

I started my career at SEB bank as a customer service specialist. Later, I also worked remotely as a client consultant and was a retail banking manager. When I decided to change my job responsibilities, I had two options at the same time – product management and working with gold customers at Nordea, which I accepted. Still, for me meeting with customers is the best part of the working day. My cooperation with customers, in which we are equal partners, was appreciated by the bank, and since 2017 I have been working as a private banker. 

Bank or sport

My homeland is the beautiful Rundale. I went to Pilsrundale Secondary School and being in the 8th grade I already knew that I would like to work in a bank in the future. In addition to my studies, I was very active and participated in various extracurricular activities, including volleyball training. Graduating from primary school, I was the captain of the youth volleyball team, which gave me the motivation and opportunity to continue my studies at Murjani Sports Gymnasium. Yes, quite far from banking, but I was a promising athlete and combined with the opportunity to become more independent, it was a logical continuation. After secondary school, I realized I wanted to focus on getting an education. I continued my studies at the BA School of Business and Finance, leaving volleyball as a hobby, which in real life did not happen exactly as planned, because in parallel with my work at the bank, I managed to play in professional volleyball teams in the Baltic League and the Latvian Championship for 8 years.

At the moment, I have also directed my three children into sports, because the toughness gained there helps to solve the challenges that life poses for us. 

An important feature – reliability, which can only be earned

The accumulated experience gives a broader and more complete vision of different situations. This statement is followed by two conclusions. First, for customers, the bank is not the building they enter. The bank is the people who serve them and the services they use. Second, for people, the bank is not the destination they want to reach. The bank is the intermediary that helps them to achieve the goal. For one person, this goal is success in business, for another, a new car, for another, savings for children's education. And for everyone, this own goal is the most important thing, whether it may seem big or small to someone else. I am glad to be a travel companion of my customers and help to achieve this goal easier, faster, more conveniently and in a more enjoyable way!
 
In my opinion, besides professional knowledge, reliability is also very important for a private banker. It can't be bought, it can only be earned. Moreover, it can be easily lost, in which case it will be virtually impossible to recover. I keep this in mind, because working with customers is also associated with various challenging and ambiguous situations. In this case, the most important thing is to retain humanity and honesty, to pronounce/explain the situation and find a compromise. I want my customers to know that they can count on me. For example, if a situation arises where the customer is right and not the bank, then the strength is the ability to honestly admit it and solve it fairly. In this way, I keep my peace of mind. 

Work and free time balance

I am an active lifestyle supporter. With the whole family, we regularly make long trips. In summer, it is mandatory to take a trip around Latvia for several days with night stays in a tent, but in winter – skiing. In my everyday life I enjoy attending cultural and sports events. Our family is very fond of various board games. We often enjoy activities with family friends.
 
In recent years, I have been happy to work in Pilsrundale with my parents on weekends and develop our rural property. I have built a greenhouse, a summer kitchen and an outdoor toilet with my own hands. Now I am building a playhouse for the children. It's a great feeling to build or create something useful and long-lasting myself.

And, of course, sport is still important to me, which allows to maintain physical health, gives positive emotions, provides some time I can spend for myself and helps me to disconnect from everyday worries. Most often it is volleyball, but periodically it is also running or cycling.

 

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