Selasi’s baking an impact

Meet Deutsche Bank’s very own celebrity, Selasi. He won the UK’s heart with his chatty, chilled-out charm on the nation’s most popular TV show, The Great British Bake Off. Now he’s making waves in our Global Transaction Banking department, helping his clients move money around the world, making sure payments go through on time and managing their liquidity.

People pleasers and networking naturals are made for our client-facing roles. As a self-confessed extrovert, Selasi is thriving as a Client Manager. Looking after 15 corporate accounts, he has plenty of opportunity to put his people skills into practice.

His motivation? It’s twofold. Firstly, it’s the nods of personal appreciation he gets from his clients every day. After all, he explains, they’re the reason we do what we do. Secondly, it’s all the support he gets from colleagues across the bank. From his managers’ open-door policy to all the good luck letters he received from colleagues (and their children) during his Bake Off days, the support is something he says he’ll never forget.

So where does the banking meet the baking? Well, Deutsche Bank is committed to charity work, economic growth and societal progress. We want all our people to have a positive impact. That’s exactly what Selasi has been doing. From Mount Mulanje to Machu Picchu, he has run marathons, trekked mountains and climbed skyscrapers, all in the name of charity. To raise donations for his charity work, he calls in a willing team of volunteer bakers from his department and hosts legendary cake sales. His team of helpers have earned the unofficial title, Selasi’s Angels. With matched donations from the bank and volunteering leave (an entitlement of all employees), he’s made a huge impact.

The Bake Off has opened a lot of doors for Selasi. Besides meeting the Royal family, promoting blockbuster movies and getting media attention for his European motorbike trips, he recently finished a sabbatical at Switzerland’s Culinary Arts Academy. He wasn’t surprised that ‘no one said “no”’ when he pitched the idea of a baking sabbatical. Instead, his managers helped him seize the new opportunity, learn new culinary skills and get a taste of a new country. Now he’s the proud owner of a diploma in Swiss Pastry and Chocolate Arts.

How many bankers can say that?