University at Buffalo School of Management

Spring 2018 Buffalo Business 23 At UB, Jasmeet Singh Gujral, MS '12, frequently worked with students from around the world — perfect training for a career that's found him on global teams and relocating 7,000 miles away. "Seventy-five percent of my job is how I relate to people, and the foundation of that started at the School of Management," says Gujral, online banking manag- er for HSBC in Hong Kong, the bank's largest market. "I learned empathy wins everything. And, while that may sound altruistic, it's also the greatest business strategy. If you know what someone's going through and how your words will affect them, you can work better in tandem and accomplish more." Aer growing up in India and earning a bachelor's in engineering from the University of Pune, Gujral want- ed to continue his studies in the U.S. and chose the School of Management's Master of Science in Management Information Systems program. On top of his coursework, Gujral gained hands-on experience with data analytics in UB's International Admissions Office. "That project was my introduction to the entire pro- cess of improving how you manage information in an organization," Gujral says. "We came in, analyzed how they managed international student information, recom- mended a better solution, developed it, tested it and de- livered it. Everyone in business needs to do that at some point." Gujral earned his master's in 2012 and accepted an internship in information systems at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Again, he evalu- ated the center's existing information management sys- tem, recommended a better solution and created it. "I was able to implement what I learned at UB, and that was so exciting to me," he says. "Aerward, I was so confident in anything I wanted to do." His next step took him to Citibank's quantitative equity research team and then to HSBC, where he was named assistant vice president and digital product manager. His team oversaw the company's digital banking platform in the U.S., including its website and mobile presence. Gujral was most proud to play a key role in the initiative to introduce a new U.S. credit card account opening solution, transforming the process from a paper or phone applica- tion and 30-day decision cycle, to an online application and instant decision. "The best part of my job is that I can use all of my energy and skills," he says. alumni close-up: Jasmeet Singh Gujral "I'm constantly thinking about new innovations and how things can be done differently. On a day-to-day basis, 70-80 percent of my job is identifying problems and solv- ing them using my skills." Last August, Gujral was appointed to his current role, managing online banking platforms for HSBC in Hong Kong. It's a challenge he eagerly took on. "In Hong Kong, HSBC dominates the banking mar- ket and earns more than half of its global profits. It's such a big deal to me to be part of an organization that's so respected here," says Gujral, who hopes to take a C-level banking position or lead his own startup someday. "I have always wanted to be globally mobile, and if I keep moving and gaining exposure to different cultures and markets that will help me move up the chain quicker." Outside the office, Gujral is cul- tivating his new passion: film- making. Before moving last summer, he produced an emotional silent film, "Father," about two fa- thers — an American and a Syrian — who share more in com- mon than they initial- ly realize. The film's theme? Empathy. x — Matthew Biddle Empathy in business Photo: Tom Wolf

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