Michael Kühl: From Berliner Sparkasse to Indonesia
1. In which institution of the Sparkassen Finance Group did you start your career and what brought you to the Sparkasse?
At Berliner Sparkasse - at that time a division of Landesbank Berlin. The main motivator was my deep conviction that classic retail banking, which the Sparkasse, as an institution deeply rooted in the region, provides to everyone and anyone, is the foundation of any financial system. The more than 240-year history of the Sparkassen impressively demonstrates that regional retail banking generates great benefits for people and businesses and promotes the community. This benefit combined with the claim that the corporate goal is not profit maximization for the owners, but the healthy growth of the financial institution to help even more people and businesses in the region, makes the Sparkassen model 'irresistible’.
2. How long did you work for this institution? Please describe your Sparkassen-career briefly.
For 10 years. From September 1994 to 1997, I successfully completed my training as a bank clerk at Berliner Sparkasse. Subsequently, as part of a personnel development measure, I completed a business degree with a focus on bank management at the University of Applied Sciences. The Berlin banks sent their students to this non-public course of studies, who had to fulfill a 50% part-time employment contract with the bank during the entire time. During my studies, I initially worked in retail customer service in the branch business. I later specialized in the lending business after completing in-house internships, including in the foreign business of Landesbank Berlin. There I first worked as a junior credit analyst for Berliner Sparkasse in the credit department for small business customers. From there I moved on to become a credit officer for Landesbank Berlin dealing with medium-sized trading company customers. Before moving to German Sparkassenstiftung in January 2006, I worked as a consultant for Landesbank Berlin in the credit risk management department for medium-sized corporate customers, which were at risk of default.
3. When did you start your career at German Sparkassenstiftung and what motivated you to work in international cooperation?
Sixteen years ago. I started working for German Sparkassenstiftung in January 2006. At the time I was 30 years old and working as a long-term expert for the Sparkassen- Reconstruction Fund for South Asia in the Indonesian province of Aceh. The region was devastated by the tsunami in December 2004 that claimed 150,000 victims. I wanted to use my know-how as a rehabilitation specialist in the lending business at Landesbank Berlin for German Sparkassenstiftung to help rebuild the economic existence of Aceh's microenterprises on site. In the follow-up project with the provincial government-owned development banks, the so-called BPDs (Bank Pembangunan Daerah), I was interested in illustrating the win-win situation of a business policy of regional banks geared to the common good, using microfinance as an example. Nearly 99% or more than 64 million businesses in Indonesia are classified as microenterprises. These often have limited access to financing from formal banks.
4. What valuable experience have you taken with you from your work at Sparkassen Finance Group to your project region?
I brought with me my in-depth knowledge in lending to small and medium sized enterprises as well as my experience in loan restructuring support. I can also contribute my work experience in staff representation at Landesbank Berlin. In this regard I have worked both in youth and trainee representation as well as in the staff council. The ability to analyze challenges in depth and develop action plans is also very helpful. Combined with my negotiation experience from the staff council, this ability is particularly valuable for understanding situations and the corresponding individual needs of the stakeholders. This combination often enables me to find the best solution for all involved.
You can learn more about our projects in Indonesia and the Philippines here.
