Relationship Bankers in Profile / Absa / Nadia Valli — Lionesses of Africa

Tell us a little about yourself and the career path that led you to becoming a Relationship Banker at Absa.

I started my banking career at Standard Bank and filled various roles to uplift myself and learn in various departments. I ended my career at Standard Bank as an Account Analyst and moved to Absa as a support for the Commercial Relationship Manager. I was then promoted to Commercial Relationship Banker and Premium Relationship Banker. I was recently promoted to Area Coverage Manager: KZN Inland.

Tell us more about your role at Absa and how you work with entrepreneurs – what does it entail?

I was recently promoted to an Area Manager role, managing a team of bankers in various roles in the KZN Inland area. So, I essentially manage bankers for start-up businesses up to high-value clients. In terms of entrepreneurs, we have a variety of support structures from new business upward. We essentially want to partner with clients to become their go-to bank to support all their needs. In understanding entrepreneurs, we need to understand their business – this is critical for solutioning each client on a one-on-one basis.

A Relationship Banker has a key role to play in the business life of a woman entrepreneur – what kind of support and services do Absa offer to women entrepreneurs in the Lionesses of Africa community?

We currently have various initiatives supporting women entrepreneurs. Due to the various product offerings and lending solutions, it is critical to understand the business to effectively solution accordingly. Thus, the initial one-on-one engagement is crucial to opening the various opportunities to the entrepreneur.

Do you have any advice to share with women entrepreneurs who are in growth mode and want to establish good working relationships with an expert such as yourself at Absa?

The world is your oyster and we, as Absa Bank, are proud to unpack these opportunities and to become your financial partner. It is critical that we place you with the correct, highly qualified colleague. I therefore offer myself to the women entrepreneurs. They can reach out to me so that I can understand their strategy and business plans. Once I have had the discussion, I will link them to the appropriate colleagues to partner with them and solution effectively.

What gives you the most satisfaction in your role as a Relationship Banker?

The most satisfying thing about being in a relationship role is becoming a trusted adviser to the client and becoming their financial partner in their growth.

What is the single piece of advice that you would give to women who are interested in starting up in business in terms of managing their business finances?

Be clear on what you want to achieve and how to get there. If one strategy does not work, adapt and change accordingly to meet the needs of the market/clients. Be clear on your suppliers, as they will also impact your business – make sure that you don’t have limited suppliers and off-takers and be flexible to change.

How can women entrepreneurs contact a special Relationship Banker such as yourself at Absa in their own region? Where should they start?

It is really difficult to get the right fit for a financial partner and to ensure that the women entrepreneurs are linked to the correct colleague is crucial. Therefore, I am available for the initial contact, whereafter I will partner the entrepreneurs with the correct colleague within Absa. “Together, we can do great things.”

To contact Nadia, see her details below:

Nadia Valli

Area Coverage Manager managing Commercial Relationship Executives, Private Banking and Small to Medium Enterprises

Contact details:

T: +27 34 328 9800

Cell: 063 6821423

Absa Business and Private Banking Suite, 2 Whyte Street, Newcastle, 2940

Email: Nadia.Valli@absa.africa