Driving growth at FNB

Bronwen Chase, the head of lend at FNB Namibia, has had a notable career that has taken her from studying zoology and biochemistry to leading teams in the banking sector.

Chase’s early university days were rooted in the sciences.

“I did a bachelor of science in zoology and biochemistry, followed by an honours in cell biology and human genetics at the University of Cape Town,” she said.

Chase’s career shifted when she got into banking, which began after a stint at McKinsey & Company, a leading management consulting firm in Johannesburg.

She spent six years there, which allowed her to gain experience in different business domains before moving into data and analytics at Lightstone, a company specialising in this area.

Everything changed in her career when she decided to return to Namibia, her home country, after ten years in Johannesburg.

“Being married to a Namibian, the desire to move home was strong,” said Chase.

This decision led her to Pointbreak, a Namibian financial services group, where she played a key role in building Namibia’s first digital bank, EBank.

Transition to FNB Namibia

Chase joined FNB Namibia after the merger with Pointbreak, moving into a strategic role.

She quickly immersed herself, having led half a dozen projects across different departments.

“The project environment is great for learning about different parts of the business,” she explained.

Furthermore, Chase was keen on expanding her leadership capabilities, which led to her current role as the head of lend division, overseeing product areas like credit cards, home loans and more.

In her role, Chase finds constant challenges and opportunities for growth.

“I am enjoying the challenges of this role – there is always something new to learn, someone new to speak to, a new idea to pursue or an issue to resolve,” she said.

Leadership

As the head of a critical department, Chase’s role contains many responsibilities. One of them is to drive growth in lending while managing risks.

“Managing growth in lending versus customer affordability and repayment ability, especially in a high-interest rate environment, is one of the key challenges,” she noted.

Her team follows strict credit policies and strives to treat all customers fairly, but she is also passionate about finding innovative solutions to grow the lending portfolio responsibly.

Chase is deeply committed to enhancing the customer experience, particularly in the lending space. “Lend products enable people to change their lives, for example, to own a home,” she explains.

However, she recognises that these products can be difficult to understand, and the application process often seems lengthy and complex.

As a strong advocate of financial literacy, Chase is focused on making banking processes simpler and educating people on how to use credit responsibly.

Looking Ahead

Looking to the future, Chase’s goals for the lend division are clear.

“We want to establish a customer-first culture that prioritises outstanding service, quick turnaround time, and end-to-end task ownership,” she said.

Her focus is on aligning her team with FNB’s core values of #realhelp and #howcanwehelpyou, ensuring that customers have a positive experience at every touchpoint.

Advice for future bankers

Chase believes that the banking industry offers a wealth of opportunities for those who are willing to learn and adapt.

“Typical roles in banking have changed over the years and opportunities exist in many fields, including data analytics, process engineering, robotics, and coding,” she advised.