Compliance Influencer of the Month of October
Emma Badman
Global Head of Wholesale Banking Compliance, ING Bank
Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Emma Badman and I am the Global Head of Wholesale Banking Compliance at ING Bank.
Why did you choose a career in your field?
I initially chose a career in compliance as I liked the mix of intellectual challenge and needing to engage with people to understand what drives human behaviour.
What has been the most important skill set you believe is necessary for a role in your field?
Being willing to take the initiative and constantly learn from new insights.
What is the best thing about your job?
The people I work with - I am constantly inspired by how my team stretch themselves and support each other to achieve their career goals and aspirations.
We all have learning experiences during our careers, what was your greatest learning experience (something you worked on, a career move or even something someone said)?
Being brave! It's easy to take on what you already understand but real growth and achievement comes from those moments where you put yourself forward without necessarily knowing what the outcome will be. Every time I have said 'yes' to an opportunity and put aside concerns about 'will I be good enough' or 'what will happen' have been the most rewarding in both a personal and professional sense.
What has been your proudest moment(s)/achievement(s)?
Working with a mentee whom I was able to support through a significant career change.
What is the biggest risk you've taken in your career?
Potentially taking on my current role. At the start it involved spending time each week in both Amsterdam and London, as well as wider international travel, so was logistically challenging given we also have 2 primary school aged children. We discussed how to make it work at home and with the support of ING we also made it work professionally. I made a conscious decision to take on the opportunity as it involved a global change programme so was incredibly exciting but equally had to make sure it worked for my family. Thankfully it did.
Who has been your role model(s) during your career?
I've never really had one specific role model as I think it's important to think about who you are rather than try to emulate others.
What inspires you?
For me, inspirations comes from moments when I can clear my head, such as going for a run through the woods; or new experiences, such as travel (when permitted of course).
Work can sometimes be a 24/7 job. How and what do you do to make sure you switch off?
By focusing on quality time, whether this is with family, friends or for myself. Eating a family meal together without mobile phones or laptops nearby and just having a moment to be together and share stories, or hear about each other's day, is probably the most important part of my personal time with family.
What advice would you give to aspiring individuals in your field?
The easy part of the job is to spot the problem, what makes it interesting is when you're willing to be part of the solution.
What is something people don't know about you?
That I view dark chocolate as an essential food group. Then again, anybody who has ever spent more than a day with me probably knows that already so perhaps it's not such a secret after all!
My name is Emma Badman and I am the Global Head of Wholesale Banking Compliance at ING Bank.
Why did you choose a career in your field?
I initially chose a career in compliance as I liked the mix of intellectual challenge and needing to engage with people to understand what drives human behaviour.
What has been the most important skill set you believe is necessary for a role in your field?
Being willing to take the initiative and constantly learn from new insights.
What is the best thing about your job?
The people I work with - I am constantly inspired by how my team stretch themselves and support each other to achieve their career goals and aspirations.
We all have learning experiences during our careers, what was your greatest learning experience (something you worked on, a career move or even something someone said)?
Being brave! It's easy to take on what you already understand but real growth and achievement comes from those moments where you put yourself forward without necessarily knowing what the outcome will be. Every time I have said 'yes' to an opportunity and put aside concerns about 'will I be good enough' or 'what will happen' have been the most rewarding in both a personal and professional sense.
What has been your proudest moment(s)/achievement(s)?
Working with a mentee whom I was able to support through a significant career change.
What is the biggest risk you've taken in your career?
Potentially taking on my current role. At the start it involved spending time each week in both Amsterdam and London, as well as wider international travel, so was logistically challenging given we also have 2 primary school aged children. We discussed how to make it work at home and with the support of ING we also made it work professionally. I made a conscious decision to take on the opportunity as it involved a global change programme so was incredibly exciting but equally had to make sure it worked for my family. Thankfully it did.
Who has been your role model(s) during your career?
I've never really had one specific role model as I think it's important to think about who you are rather than try to emulate others.
What inspires you?
For me, inspirations comes from moments when I can clear my head, such as going for a run through the woods; or new experiences, such as travel (when permitted of course).
Work can sometimes be a 24/7 job. How and what do you do to make sure you switch off?
By focusing on quality time, whether this is with family, friends or for myself. Eating a family meal together without mobile phones or laptops nearby and just having a moment to be together and share stories, or hear about each other's day, is probably the most important part of my personal time with family.
What advice would you give to aspiring individuals in your field?
The easy part of the job is to spot the problem, what makes it interesting is when you're willing to be part of the solution.
What is something people don't know about you?
That I view dark chocolate as an essential food group. Then again, anybody who has ever spent more than a day with me probably knows that already so perhaps it's not such a secret after all!