“I offer help for the big changes in life”
Camilla Karlberg, Regional Manager for the bank, gives advice to customers and Aktia-employees when it comes to realising your own dreams. The big changes in life, such as buying a home, getting married or having children are situations where you often turn to your bank. Regional Manager Camilla Karlberg has in her 20-year long career been able to be close to the lives of many customers: listening, giving advice and informing. As Camilla advanced in her career her job description changed, but her passion for customer meetings has always prevailed.
The trainee programme opened Camilla's eyes – from a number cruncher to a customer service person
Camilla studied accounting and financing at the university. She was thinking about a role as a financial expert, maybe even as a consultant. “Crunching numbers seemed as my cup of tea then”, Camilla remembers.
Working as a summer trainee at Aktia during her studies made Camilla grab the opportunity and write her thesis for Aktia's finance department. After becoming well acquainted with the company Camilla decided after graduation to apply directly to Aktia’s Trainee manager programme of the time at the end of the 1990’s.
”I found my passion in genuine customer meetings instead of in Excel. As a financial expert I am an important guide and advisor to the customers.”
“During the job rotation included in the trainee programme I wound up working at a branch office. I had thought that working with Excel sheets was my strength, but I found my passion in sales and customer meetings instead. I have always been sociable, but I became aware of how genuinely I was interested in people and their life. In banking and financial matters our experts are important advisors to the customers,” Camilla says.
A courageous customer service person, coach and team leader
Camilla started her customer service work as a financing manager at the Eira branch office, which led to a career in sales and customer service.
“Little by little I gained more responsibility and advanced from one branch to another. I have during my career been courageous enough to question existing working models, performed my work goal-oriented and seen development opportunities both in my own and in the work of my own teams. I have always taken an open and courageous approach to change. My responsibilities have therefore also increased”, says Camilla.
”My work includes a lot of coaching. I want to help my team members advance in their careers.”
At the moment Camilla is working as regional manager for the bank branch offices in Espoo and Hanko.
“Our sales managers are team leaders and I’m responsible for all team members together with the sales managers. My job description includes a large amount of coaching for our employees. I travel every week to our branches and meet with the employees. I talk to them, guide them, and we go through what is happening in the teams as well as current changes in the economy affecting the work.”
Camilla has an encouraging approach to her work. She values her team members and the co-operation.
“I have never thought about working alone. Already at the beginning of my career as a manager I have worked with the mentality that we are a team working together. I delegate and willingly give responsibility to others. I also encourage boldly grabbing change points and helping people to advance their careers. It has been a joy to follow the success of others”, says Camilla.
Taking part in the customers’ big life changes and making dreams come true
Camilla's daily work still also includes meeting customers. “I do not want to give up that advantage, since the customer is always in the focus of our work. Through digitalisation the working method has changed, and we need to be in touch with our customers ourselves more actively and provide our expertise in financial matters. Meetings can be arranged instead of at the office also by phone or online”, says Camilla.
“As banking services are increasingly carried out online, our work also includes a lot of customer guiding into new methods for handling daily financial matters. We are, however, still participating in people's everyday life. We give advice especially in big life changes and for making dreams come true.”
“I know I’ve been successful when the team members around me are developing. You can create good feeling and drive in others with your own energy.”
At the moment Camilla is very happy with her current role. “I have been given the opportunity to do more in my career than I imagined. There seems to be no obstacles for my development. I also know that I have succeeded when I see that the people around me are developing. I believe that if you have the right attitude, you have possibility to achieve anything. You can use your own energy to create good feeling and drive around you, that is what I do”, Camilla says.