Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters Reflects on Banking Career and Turnaround
Bill Winters, chief executive of Standard Chartered, originally planned to become a diplomat but entered banking through JPMorgan, where he spent 26 years. He moved early into the then-emerging derivatives business despite limited knowledge of the field. After being dismissed by Jamie Dimon and leaving JPMorgan, he returned to mainstream banking six years later to lead a struggling Standard Chartered and drive its transformation.
Bill Winters, chief executive of Standard Chartered, had early plans to become a diplomat but ultimately entered banking through a job at JPMorgan. Early in his career, with limited knowledge of the field, he chose to move into the then-emerging derivatives business. He went on to work at JPMorgan for 26 years. He said that experience shaped the career philosophy he later shared with younger colleagues: to take a less conventional path when a rare opportunity arises. According to him, this does not mean being careless, but rather being willing to take an unconventional route when there is more to learn.
He reflected on his 26 years at JPMorgan, the lessons of the global financial crisis, and the circumstances of being dismissed by Jamie Dimon. Six years after leaving JPMorgan, he returned to mainstream banking as chief executive of Standard Chartered, which was then in difficulty.