For Loderick Lubisi, the motivation for steering Nedbank clients towards better money choices, whether in business or personal banking, is to help them meet their financial goals. After 15 years at Nedbank, Loderick now leads Relationship and Business Banking in Gauteng. He believes that he and his colleagues should create lasting relationships with clients to provide banking solutions that meet their ever-changing financial needs.

Loderick started at Nedbank in 2007 as a credit risk manager in Business Banking. Supported by the bank, he has focused on training and self-development consistently, creating a career arc of regular promotions across various divisions of the bank, relocating to different functions and provinces several times, to reach his current position.

Today, he leads a team of bankers servicing the needs of personal clients and small, medium and large businesses. It’s a job he has boundless enthusiasm for, and he’s a firm believer in agile banking: ‘We are a reflection of the ecosystem around us,’ he says. ‘As long as the world around us continues to change rapidly, we as bankers have to adapt to those changes quickly in order to stay relevant to our clients.’ 

Relationships are central to delivering tailored banking solutions

He tells a story that illustrates how important personal relationships can be in banking, even with big business accounts. Some time ago, Loderick and his team helped a client of 25 years secure the acquisition of an additional Pick n Pay store. This represented a significant scaling in the client business, and given the size of the transaction, it required a financial partner that could not only provide timely financial assistance and expertise, but also advice at each step of the process.

‘When the client met the team to present his plan, he used a napkin to illustrate the proposed structure in terms of the deal. Once the transaction was concluded, we framed the napkin and presented it to him as a gift. It now hangs in the office in the new store and serves as a reminder and a token of appreciation for the role we played in helping him fulfil his dream.’ 

The story doesn’t end there. Loderick and his team also offered their client advice on reducing his electricity bill, so he could save costs and minimise disruption to his operations during the frequent power failures. The client agreed it was a smart money choice, so he used a Nedbank loan to install solar panels on the roof of the store. ‘By doing so, he introduced a sustainable and affordable energy source and saved on future costs,’ Loderick says.

Meeting clients’ current and future needs

This is a key component of relationship banking – offering a relevant service that meets each client’s unique needs and helping them every step of the way on their financial journey. ‘We demonstrated a deep connection with the client. We listened and understood his needs and then structured a deal that was suitable for both the bank and the client. We delivered value and helped him fulfil his dreams by offering him financing that will save him money in the future and help him manage his energy consumption.’

Despite being a seasoned banker, Loderick still gets surprises in his day-to-day work. ‘If you are in a relationship business, every day poses a different challenge. No business or client engagement is exactly the same,’ he says. He draws inspiration from Gandhi’s words: ‘The future depends on what we do in the present,’ and maintains that a bright future relies on careful planning. ‘We need to plan for our goals,’ he says. ‘We need to get serious about the future and our financial affairs.’

Planning involves 2 key components, he adds – budgeting and saving. ‘Budgeting is a useful habit on a personal as well as a business basis. If you look across the bank, we have many value-adding tools such as MoneyTracker from Nedbank to assist clients to reach their financial goals. The second component is saving for unforeseen circumstances. The Covid pandemic has shown that individuals and businesses need to practise healthy saving and investment habits. Saving provides the financial security we all yearn for.’

Loderick applies the same advice to his own life. ‘I bank with Nedbank. I have a private broker and a private banker. I sit with them every year to plan my immediate and long-term needs, whether it’s retirement or my will. I have set up a family trust to ensure that all my assets are in the right vehicle for the future benefit of myself, my wife and the kids. We may take these things for granted in terms of planning, but it is important to plan as individuals or businesses. As a family, we have benefited greatly from Nedbank’s sound advice over the years.’

To find out how Nedbank can help your business thrive in Gauteng, please contact Loderick Lubisi at LoderickL@nedbank.co.za or his team at business@nedbank.co.za, or send an email to smallbusinessservices@nedbank.co.za