A group of 30 undergraduate students from the Faculty of Business and Finance (FBF) of UTAR visited AmBank Group on 24 February 2023. The majority of the students were pursuing degrees in Bachelor of Business Administration (Honours) in Banking and Finance, Bachelor of Economics (Honours) in Financial Economics, and Bachelor of Finance (Honours).

The students were accompanied by five lecturers from FBF. The field trip aimed to expose them to the practices in retail and business banking, as well as job scopes and career paths available in the commercial bank industry.

During the visit, the students and the faculty members had the opportunity to meet up with Christopher Yap, the Managing Director of Business Banking; Rohani Mustaffa, the Group Chief Human Resources; Victoria, the Head of Department of Human Resources and Shirley Tan, the Head of SME & Strategic Partnership of Retail Banking. They also met UTAR alumni Huan Wai Yee and Kuek Sze Wee who were serving the AmBank Group. Each of them introduced their departments and explained their roles in AmBank. They also shared their insights and experiences in the banking industry.

Tan explained the bank’s digitalisation efforts, while Yap discussed the need for stronger personal skills to deal with stakeholders in the industry, especially in the area of business banking. In addition, Rohani elaborated on the bank’s shift towards an open office concept to promote closer collaboration among employees and enhance their productivity.

Rohani also utilised the opportunity to introduce the bank’s graduate and internship programmes to the students, extending them an invitation to join the AmBank Group family. Victoria also provided information about the programme, including its requirements and benefits, and emphasised the opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Overall, the field trip was a valuable experience for the students as it enabled them to interact with the practitioners and gain more understanding about retail and business banking practices, career progression, etc. The students and faculty members appreciate the warm welcome and hospitality given by AmBank Group.

Testimonial from students

Ron said, “We received a warm welcome from the AmBank team which was delightful. The office tour showed us what it was like to work in a bank; it was a real eye-opener. The sharing session provided us a deep insight on what it takes to work in a bank. Simultaneously, we were also exposed to the benefits of working in a bank and how competitive it is. After the sharing session, we were lucky to have a few conversations with the team. We asked tons of questions that we usually would not ask in the classroom and they enlightened us by sharing their experience. It was truly a fruitful session.” He added, “This event definitely increased my interest and passion to work in a bank. I hope more events like this will be organised before I graduate as it would be very helpful.”

“I am truly grateful for the opportunity to attend the Ambank visitation. It was an incredibly insightful and valuable experience to observe how daily bank operations work. I would like to express my gratitude to the FBF lecturers for their efforts in organising and coordinating the visitation. Their guidance and knowledge were instrumental in making the visitation a success. The visitation provided me with a better understanding of the banking industry and the importance of financial customer service. I would like to thank the lecturers once again for organising the Ambank visitation.”