In his current role, Moses Harding is clear about his priorities. “The foremost task is to provide comfort and confidence to the regulators. At the balance sheet level, the role is to deliver the desired return on assets from the portfolio. It is a three-point task – maximisation of revenues through financial intermediation margin and fees, cost optimisation through efficient use of operating cost and controlling credit cost, and optimum usage of capital with a mix of on- and-off balance-sheet assets for better return on capital,” he says.
It is also essential, he says, to ensure that the quality of products/services is best in class and the workforce is top class for an efficient bridge between products and clients. “The responsibility is holistic, covering the interests of all stakeholders – regulators, investors, lenders, customers and employees,” he adds.
Harding says, “My strength is building teams and constantly working on the upgrade of individual brilliance, giving more focus on ‘must retain’ and ‘good to retain’ category of people. My weakness is giving too long a rope to people who do not deliver to expectations.”
Harding is a postgraduate from Madras University with a specialisation in mathematics and is a certified associate of the Indian Institute of Bankers. “Most of my learnings have been from real-life situations that have helped me build on my analytical skill set.”
Whenever he can, Harding spends time at the gym, reads professionally related material or watches television. He adds, “I take two annual breaks of two weeks each for overseas adventure trips or driving to remote places. My recent trips are a domestic 7,000 km drive from Mumbai to Goa, to Jog Falls, to Coorg and to Waynad, covering the five states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu; and a trip to Africa with a 1,500 km drive around Masai Mara and visiting Victoria Falls and Cape Town. I like exotic holidays in the wilderness.”
Writing is another passion. Harding has been writing on public media since 1994, on financial markets and the global economy, and continues to remain active on his blog and Twitter accounts.
“I love to share my knowledge, and have gained immensely from self-development and building a goodwill network. I have worked 35 years for others. My desire is to work on a start-up covering financial markets and financial services, managing assets and liabilities and the related risks and rewards,” he says.