Standard Chartered and INSEAD, one of the world’s leading graduate business schools, have teamed up to launch a multi-year client engagement and wealth management global education programme for the bank’s relationship managers and wealth specialists.

Jointly created by financial and business academic experts from the two organizations, the Wealth Academy aims to support the bank’s strategic agenda to grow its affluent banking business by deepening the relationship teams’ capabilities, particularly in the areas of wealth advisory and client engagement such as behavioural skills.

The bank will invest over US$15 million in the multi-year programme, which will start with its first cohorts of relationship managers and wealth specialists in Singapore and Hong Kong this December and extend to teams in other markets over time. The plan is to chart the progressive career path for the bank’s over 3,000 relationship managers and wealth specialists across 26 markets.

The full programme comprises three parts – diploma, graduation and masters. It is structured and yet offers flexibility to allow for the development of individual preferences and goals.

It seeks to provide a strong foundational appreciation for finance and banking as well as distinctive expert knowledge and skills. Other components offered by the Academy will include wealth engagement modules curated and delivered by Fitch Learning, and a prestigious on-campus programme for top learners at INSEAD’s Europe campus in Fontainebleau, France, or San Francisco Hub. The modules offered for masters will include specialized electives such as sustainable investing and multi-generation wealth transfer, in partnership with the industry’s leading educational and professional institutions.

“As one of the largest wealth managers in Asia and given our presence in markets with almost 100 million affluent individuals, Standard Chartered is in a privileged and unique position to help our affluent clients grow and protect their wealth,” says Judy Hsu, the bank’s chief executive officer for consumer, private and business banking. “By investing in our people, the Wealth Academy reinforces our commitment to deliver top quality advice to our clients.”