Scholarship / Man Behind The Scene - Leadership Essay for Chevening [3]

Hi all, this is my first thread.
Please help me to review my essay for Chevening.

Chevening is looking for individuals who will be future leaders or influencers in their home countries. Explain how you meet this requirement, using clear examples of your own leadership and influencing skills to support your answer.

(minimum word count: 100 words, maximum word count: 500 words)

leaders - individuals with strong characters, principles

Generally, leadership is known by society as individuals who are able make the others do something, either for the sake of individual or groups. Thus, most people thought that leadership usually possessed by them who have high position in the organizations. However, I believe that a word leadership is not limited by that. Leadership is individual who have ability to drive the others by inspired them through action or personal approach in order to reach their common goals. Thus, this kind of leaders usually have strong characters, principles and they are not only possessed by those who have an important position in the organizations.

"Man behind the scene", maybe that a right phrase to describe me when I involved in the organizations. Because I never pointed as a top leader in the organizations, but my teammates or colleagues sometimes appoint me to certain events for the sake of organizations.

In the university, I involved in study club called "Center Of Islamic Economics Studies" (COINS). It was only a small association that hardly recognized by faculty in my first year as they already have a similar club for this area called "LISENSI". Unfortunately, they only let students joined them if they could pass the exam that held by the organization. Look at this opportunity, my senior invited us to keep run the study group until the group became big. In my second years, I was trusted by my senior as a speaker in study group for some meetings. Then, our little group grew big with more participants. Then, we tried to made permission to faculty as our members getting big and our activities became more consistent. Then, we got permission and we did have a little conference to formalize the organization that called COINS.

Since 2015 I worked as Market Risk Management in MUFG Bank. I once involved in established the efficiency of Closing Rate Procedure. At that time, we obligated to export around 14 currencies from market up to 1 year period which was about 448 data. Seeing how inefficient this process, my unit head and me wanted to made the procedure be simpler than before. Thus, we held a meeting with settlement unit who use our data to made a settlement process and treasury unit the one who made deals with clients. In the meeting, we convinced them how the current processed are far from efficient as there were extra times to check the whole currencies. To make it worse, it could delay settlement unit's workflow. Because of that, according treasury's trading behavior, we proposed to provide all data period for major currencies only (2 currencies), while the rest of them will be provided up to 3 month periods and it can be adjusted if there are long term deals. It would has reduced the process to 64 data for 2 major currencies and 168 data for 12 others currencies. Then, both parties agreed with this new procedure as there were negative impacts and could increase time efficiency.

Scholarship / Networking in Professional Environment - Risk Management [4]

Dear All,

Please review my essay below :)

Chevening networking essay

Chevening is looking for individuals with strong professional relationship-building skills, who will engage with the Chevening community and influence and lead others in their chosen profession. Please explain how you build and maintain relationships in a professional capacity, using clear examples of how you currently do this, and outline how you hope to use these skills in the future. (minimum word count: 100 words; maximum word count: 500 words)

As Market Risk Management staff in one of the biggest banks in the world, I have responsibilities to monitor treasury activities in Jakarta branch and make reports to regional branch in Singapore. Thus, I have to get used to build a professional relationship, both within Jakarta branch and other branches since sometimes we have discussion related to market risk.

At that time, there was a new senior staff for Market Risk Management in Singapore Branch. He was in charge of market risk tool that related to my daily job. Thus, sometimes we discussed if there were any irregularities about our daily job. One day, he has a project to did market risk tool migration from Singapore Branch to Jakarta Branch. Then, he delegated me and my unit head as Jakarta representative, while from Singapore Branch was him and his unit head. In order to made the migration process succeed, they came to Jakarta Branch to demonstrate how to operate the market risk tool. After the session done, we proposed to them to do simulation process before migration process. During trial, I examined the system while running it daily to monitor if there were any inappropriate events in the system like improper data, failure in calculation process, etc. Every irregular occasions, I reported to him immediately so that he could find the best solution regarding those matters and I could fix them quickly by following his instructions. Finally, after 3 months simulation process, the market risk tool migration to Jakarta Branch done officially without unnecessary troubles. Through this project, I was not only accomplish one of my targets, but also establish a mutual relationship that represent Jakarta Branch to Singapore Branch.

Within Jakarta Branch, I have strong professional relationship, especially with Money Market Unit since almost all my jobs related to them. One of the reports that linked to them was JIBOR (Jakarta Interbank Offered Rate). Around 3 years ago, BI invited us to came to socialization for 7 Days Reverse Repo Rate (7DRRR) as new benchmark for JIBOR's setting. I represented the Market Risk Management Unit with 2 others Money Market Unit's members. After socialization done, we have a little discussion what possible impacts that may occurs. Then, we agreed that I would see if there are any concerns related to market risk, while Money Market Unit would try to see market behavior and rate calculation. After examined this new regulation, I was not found any concerns to market risk except revise the manual procedure. Meanwhile, Money Market Unit already did adjustment successfully. All in all, we did the change a benchmark for JIBOR to 7DRRR smoothly.

I would love to broaden my network overseas in the future through Chevening community, especially related to my job as market risk management by having discussion, exchange information, and update the latest events. Then, I wish I could do some research with them related to financial risk for the development countries since most all of them are not aware about risk culture.

Scholarship / Reference Letter for Scholarships and To Get a University [3]

Please help me to review my reference letter.
This reference letter originally written by my supervisor in February 2019.
That time, I used this letter for Australia Awards Scholarship (AAS). But, if it is possible, I wanted to use this letter for other scholarship and to apply to the universities.

positive opinion about aas candidate

I write this letter on behalf of Mr. HYW who is applying for Australia Awards Scholarship (AAS) in order to continue his study for postgraduate degree. I have known him for over three years during the time he worked as an administrator in Market Risk Management Unit, MMM Bank.

I have recognized him as an employee who is very diligent and responsible in every task and job given. He is also very quick to adapt to new environment and job descriptions. In addition, he has high enthusiasm in each learning process. In the early years of his career here, he showed his willingness to learn and had high curiosity in his task/job. He learned tirelessly and often had a discussion with his senior or other departments in order to master his job.

Currently, Mr. HYW is responsible for daily report to regulator, monitoring derivative profit/loss, position and risk, daily profit/loss on fund report, etc. He has made 2 important improvements on his job. First is monitoring tool for derivative's transaction. Second is creating a macro to calculate bank's monetary claim and generate option data for regulatory report. These 2 improvements have made the reporting process become simpler and less prone to human error.

Thus, based on my experience working with him, he has a high interest in finance and banking. Also, he has an attribute to learn eagerly and tenaciously in order to gain more knowledge related to area in which he is interested. Therefore, without any reservation, I think he is already well prepared to continue his study for postgraduate degree.

Scholarship / Academic Reference Letter for Scholarships and To Get a University [2]

Please help me to review my reference letter.
This reference letter originally written by my supervisor in February 2019.
That time, I used this letter for Australia Awards Scholarship (AAS). But, if it is possible, I wanted to use this letter for other scholarship and to apply to the universities.

I supervised his works for final thesis in order to got a bachelor degree with the title is,"Efficiency of Promotional Fees And Services In Raising Third Party Funds In Sharia Bank". Mr HMW came up with this title as a result from his research, both in the library and on the field. As a methodology to measure efficiency, I was surprised that he used the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach with DEAWIN as main tool (software). Because at that time, this method was rarely used by student as most of them are more familiar with BOPO (Operational Cost-Operational Income) approach. Thus, in order to be familiar with DEAWIN he tirelessly learned from his senior in faculty about how to operate DEAWIN, how DEAWIN do a calculation, and analyze DEAWIN's output.

During my time guided Mr. HMW, I know him as a person who has a good motivation and hard work in order to achieve goals. In my case, it could be seen when he collected the data and earlier studies that related to his methodologies. He tried to collect the data from one bank to another, until he got them from "X Bank". Beside that, he was also did a research from previous studies eagerly, even though the previous study that used DEA were rare.

The scope of his thesis was 10 branches of X Bank with 7 variables as a benchmark of efficiency such as advertising, promotion, publicity, personal selling, automated teller machine (ATM), frontliner, and space convenience. As there were many variables that Mr. HMW used it, it was necessary to collect the data carefully and they have to meet with the criteria based on the theory. The purpose of his works to identified operational cost which branches were efficient according these 7 factors and which variable were efficient between those 7 variables in order to collect a third party funds. Variables or branches are called efficient if the output of DEAWIN shown 100%, other than that they called inefficient. The result from his works showed that operational cost for ATM, frontliner, and space convenience were efficient. On the other hand, only 2 branches out of 10 that identified were efficient.

He finished his thesis about 6 months, fast enough regarding the number of variables and objects that he involve in his works. It proved that he could works under pressure without wasted more times. Thus, I believe that Mr. HMW is ready enough to continue his study since he has an ability to understand in a short time and able to do an individual or teamwork commitment in order to fulfill his tasks.