Henry Baye

Standard Chartered Bank, Jersey - Banking & Finance

Profile

University of Cape Coast (Ghana) and University of Ghana (Legon, Ghana) alumnus Henry Baye began his banking career as an International Graduate with Standard Chartered. Over the course of a storied 25-year career in the sector he has held leadership positions in Barclays Bank Ghana and Merchant Bank Ghana, gathering insights across a broad range of sectors. Henry’s areas of experience include distribution, wealth management and personal lending. His early work with Standard Chartered focused on delivering a wide range of initiatives for Ghana and the West Africa region, including leading transformation projects and the launch of Standard Chartered’s first ever digital bank in Cote D’Ivoire.

Henry was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank in Jersey in August 2019. Since his appointment he has helped to steer the bank through the COVID-19 crisis while remaining ever vigilant of the threat of financial and cybercrime.

Interview

What do you think makes a strong CEO or senior leader? How would you describe your leadership style?

You must be HIPI:
• Heart – Be true to yourself, authentic, humble
and have a heart full of love for your people,
seeking their growth with passion.
• Inspire – Be visible and inspirational in guiding
the teams towards success. Learn to tell the
stories that have an impact and celebrate great
work unashamedly.
• Paint – You must be a good painter. Paint a
compelling picture of what you all can aspire
to together and do not be afraid to aspire to it.
Nobody gets arrested for aspiring. It is when
you do nothing that there is a problem.
• Invisible – Give back all the credit to your
teams when you achieve success. You actually
become more visible that way.
If you were able to go back in time 10 years, what would you tell yourself about leadership that you did not know then?

I think finding true purpose in your work is the most satisfying way to work and achieve. You must not be afraid to be authentic. Humility and respect are actually very powerful in leadership and playing “office politics” is not the most important tool to take you up the ladder. I also believe hard work is not an old-fashioned concept; it is the foundation for climbing the ladder.

Additionally, I would tell myself to value every relationship along the journey and build it deeply and positively, not only as a network but as a valued possession. And never stop learning! Every new challenge carries with it an opportunity to learn.

What would you consider to be your biggest achievement as a corporate leader?

By far it is the many people, the many talents, who I have invested in over the years and opened doors for, and who have become amazing corporate leaders. It is the relationships that I have built over the years and how those relationships have also fed into my journey. I am also proud that every business I have run did well under my leadership – that is an uncommon blessing.

What steps did you take to develop yourself as a CEO?

• Always being willing to learn new things by taking
on new challenges.
• Understanding the strategic trends that must
drive leadership action.
• Building a strong track record of delivery and
performance.
• Learning from mentors and peers, and all
colleagues.