Qorus SME Banking Community marked two years of existence in March 2022, and to date it brings together almost 150 senior executives in charge of SME banking from all over the world. Together, they share insights and exchange best practices through series of content initiatives, events and collaboration opportunities. These help individual SME banking leaders to make right decisions at the right time and bring their solutions faster to the market.
Today, the community is glad to announce the appointment of its newly created Advisory Committee. Members of the committee will assist the community team in making decisions and provide direction for key initiatives going forward. “This Advisory Committee will help us to focus our activity even more on our members’ needs. Co-creation is the whole essence of the community and I would like to thank the members of the Advisory Committee for their engagement," says Lukas Dzuroska, Head of Communities & Clubs and Global SME Banking Lead at Qorus.
The Advisory Committee had its first meeting on 7 July and aims to gather four times a year to evaluate the past quarter, provide feedback on particular initiatives, their formats and topics covered, and approve plans for the upcoming period of time based on the urgent needs and trends of SME Banking worldwide.
Committee member Jaypee Soliman, SME and Micropreneurs Segment Head at UnionBank of the Philippines, comments, “I am personally thrilled for the creation of the Qorus SME Banking Community Advisory Committee. Such an organization will be able to create structure and advance developments for SME Banking, not just in each territory but more on a global scale. Experts around the world will both learn and share best practices and innovative ideas that would connect and benefit greatly global SME ecosystems.”
The evolution of this vibrant Qorus community parallels the growing recognition in recent years of the key role and untapped potential of SMEs, and the new Committee members are at the forefront of the drive to serve this segment better.
“The SME sector is critically important because it can unlock growth, inclusion and long-term social stability. I believe that the banking industry has a responsibility to develop and grow SMEs through the solutions and services we provide and I’m excited to join the Qorus SME Banking Community Advisory Board as Vice-Chairman to help further its endeavors in supporting SMEs through the international banking community, playing an important role in driving innovation and positive change on a global scale” says Simone Cooper, Head of Business Clients at Standard Bank.
This Advisory Committee will help us to focus our activity even more on our members’ needs. Co-creation is the whole essence of the community.
Lukas Dzuroska, Head of Communities & Clubs and Global SME Banking Lead at QorusThe selection of the initial Advisory Committee members was very smooth, based on their past engagement, professional expertise, personal interest and regional representation.
“Rabobank is a cooperative bank and our mission is to help SMEs to grow their business in a sustainable manner. Since the needs of SME clients are very uniform around the globe, it is very rewarding to share best practices in the Global SME Banking Community and to get inspiration on servicing SMEs from peers from all continents. In this way we can all contribute to make this very important client group prosper around the globe. In my role as Vice-Chairman of the Advisory Committee, I am proud to contribute,” adds Jack de Mooij, Head of SME at Rabobank.
Apart from the responsibility and commitment to contribute, Advisory Committee members are accorded certain privileges with immediate or long-term impact such as shaping the community to ‘my institution’s needs’, free-of-charge access to all physical conferences of Qorus, and personal positioning among global SME banking leaders.
“It’s a privilege to be a member of the SME Banking Community Advisory Committee and to be able to gain insight and expertise from industry experts. Success is best when it’s shared!” says Susan Davies, Head of Business Banking at Santander UK.
The Qorus SME Banking Community’s Advisory Committee is composed of the following members: Ken Burke, Independent Non-Executive Director at Vernon Building Society (Community Chairman), Simone Cooper, Head of Business Clients at Standard Bank (Community Vice-Chairman), Jack de Mooij, Head of SME at Rabobank (Community Vice-Chairman), Susan Davies, Head of Business Banking at Santander UK, and Jaypee Soliman, SME and Micropreneurs Segment Head at UnionBank of the Philippines.
