RON DERBY: Between Afropunk and blue bloods, Absa boss must choose
Changing the colour isn't a cultural shift — it has to come from within
Most banks have a culture that one needs to adopt as soon as one enters its employ. From the teller right to the C-Suite, there's a manner they have to carry. The better you are at embracing it, the better your chances of rising through the ranks and - for the ambitious, the closer that corner office becomes. For the big blue, as Standard Bank is commonly known, there's something that's been deeply entrenched at private school grounds such as St Andrews College in Grahamstown where some of its more prominent old guard received their education. It's a bank perceived as having the blue bloods of SA's small circle of bankers. While Sim Tshabalala may not come from such a school of thought, I can imagine it being near impossible for him or anyone who follows in his stead to change that culture. As a brand, Standard will always be better suited to test cricket sponsors over that of a Twenty20 tournament or, God forbid, an Afropunk concert. As long as shareholders aren't baying for massiv...
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