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Vimit Kapoor

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Vimit Kapoor

Head of Decision Models

ANZ Bank

Vimit Kapoor is a member of:

- Expert

The Journey: Early Days to How I Got Here

As the Head of Decision Models at ANZ Bangalore, I currently lead the
Advanced Risk Modeling team with capabilities ranging from retail
decision modeling to models implementation. I am responsible for all
retail decision models globally - with responsibilities ranging from
conceptualization of projects to prioritization of projects to delivery
and stakeholder engagement. Prior to the current role, I was a Senior
Delivery Manager with ANZ Bangalore.

Prior to working in ANZ, I
worked in consulting and banking roles with FICO (also known earlier as
Fair Isaac), Symphony Services and ICICI Bank in the area of advanced
predictive analytics.

Throughout my career, I have worked with
clients and financial institutions globally in USA, Canada, Mexico,
Spain, India, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Egypt, Korea,
UAE, Saudi Arabia and Taiwan.

I hold a Bachelors Engineering
degree in Electrical Engineering from IIT Kanpur and a Management Post
Graduate degree from IIM Calcutta.

Decisions That Mattered

The first important decision was to choose the industry I am in today.
My love for numbers and after a careful consideration, I decided to
pursue my career in this industry. Building effective project management
skills has been another key success factor. Taking in charge on my
current role has been another major decision as it required me to move
from management of projects and people to management of teams.

The Turning Points

Moving between banks and consulting organizations has given me a good
picture of how things work within a bank, how different organizations
use analytics to manage their decisions and an appreciation for the
differing challenges and opportunities that exist in the banking
industry.
The other major inflection point was when I took on the
current role, which is more of a leadership role than my previous
technical roles. This has helped me develop strategic thinking and
helped me in engaging at a broader level.

Work and Role: Then and Now

My current job as Head of Decision Models at ANZ Bangalore involves
managing the advanced risk modeling team in Bangalore. I have
accountability for delivery to internal stakeholders, day to day
management, financial management, development and engagement of the
overall team at the Bangalore campus. The current job involves several
leadership, strategic and management components in addition to the more
functional and technical components. My earlier roles as a project
manager have been more tilted towards the consulting and technical
aspects.

Two Years Down the Line

I would like to keep developing a deeper understanding of the subject by
learning what is being applied elsewhere. I see myself as an enabler to
apply analytics in solving more and more business problems.

Changing Days: Lessons Learnt

One has to remain focused on what he wants to get from his career and to
look for the right industry and job that provides that and not to get
derailed by minor distractions. Money is a requirement, but should not
act as a primary motivation. Motivation should come from the work itself
and the learning opportunity; there is no substitute for hard work. If
these are in place, other things will automatically follow.

What I learnt Along the Way

When I started in this industry, analytics was still in its nascent
stage in India. Organizations had just started recognizing the potential
value addition that business intelligence could have for the
businesses, which has been there for quite some time in more developed
economies like the US. There were a limited number of people employed in
analytics in India. Today, there is much more understanding around
business intelligence and analytics. Analytics is applied vastly in the
Indian Organizations and several MNCs are recognizing the talent
available in India to do this. It is a very real career option today.

Trends to Watch Out For

The industry is information based, which in turn is built on data. The
increasing focus in the industry is to have the right data, store and
manage it properly, so that it can be used effectively. There are newer
systems that are helping organizations manage the data and how to
operationalize the usage of the data in real time strategies.
From a
career stand point, it is important to keep oneself aware of the recent
innovations and trends in the business intelligence and analytics
industry.

My Advice If You are Starting Out

Keep an open mind, spend the initial years in learning and soaking in
knowledge and keep yourself abreast of the industry trends.

Areas of Specialization

Data mining, predictive modeling, data warehousing and strategy engines
which use the data to operationalize strategies will likely be key areas
in BI that will continue to have future appeal.

Do We Need Certifications?

While I do not hold any specific certifications apart from my
educational degrees, certifications do have the potential to add
significant value in terms of the learning. It helps in creating the
learning focus for people to specialize in specific niche skills.
Certifications like the ones on SAS tools are quite sought after. From a
knowledge perspective, Financial Risk Management (FRM) is also a good
and highly valued certification especially in the financial services
industry.