Over the past two years, JSC OTP Bank has changed its approaches to managing its retail branch network and planning horizons, increasing the emphasis on the results of the team as a unit. This was stated by Lesia Syrota, team leader of the OTP Bank Helps Ukraine charity project, Director of Retail Sales and Network Management at OTP Bank, during the EBA Women's Club, an event dedicated to women's leadership in business.

According to her, the Bank used to single out the best employees and encourage competition, but now it is much more important to form powerful teams united by a single goal - to make the Bank even more convenient and closer to the customer. "OTP BANK has a network of branches throughout Ukraine, which are located in different conditions and circumstances, taking into account the security situation. We have changed our management approaches and planning horizons. Every Monday, the teams set their own goals for the week. This has brought the teams together. This position proved to be effective," said Ms. Syrota.

As noted by the Director of Retail Sales and Network Management, the Bank aims to further develop in several areas, including the use of the latest technologies. "We already use artificial intelligence in our products and services. In the OTP Bank Information Center, the latest technologies are involved in many processes, which made it possible to work with customers' emotions. And this allows us to increase customer empathy, which turned out to be especially important in Premium banking. This is now a separate rather deep and extensive research and ongoing implementation," she emphasized.
Ms. Syrota shared her experience with the audience on the process of making important decisions. Usually, a team is involved in a brainstorming session to consider the details of different cases. "We carefully study the situation, form hypotheses, and then confirm or refute them. There should be at least three proposals. As life shows, the latter options will be better than the first fastest. We don't make decisions instantly, because it's better to think carefully. This encourages colleagues to offer interesting and progressive solutions," she said.

As the participants of the event emphasized, the role of women in business and teams is becoming increasingly important. Women's leadership and soft skills, including emotional intelligence, communication, and teamwork, are becoming key success factors. "The modern world requires us to constantly develop. We should not be afraid to take responsibility. You need to move forward and build your business. Today, there are important and interesting financial support programs for businesses owned or co-owned by women, such as the joint program of OTP Bank and UASID, which offers unique lending terms. In particular, an important component of this program is to support companies with women in their ownership structure," added Ms. Syrota.