HAMPSHIRE TRUST BANK
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“ We ’ re not on a digital journey to replace human interaction – this is a digital journey that enhances the human interaction ”
— Russ Fitzgerald , CIO , Hampshire Trust Bank
strategy ,” he says . “ HTB has turned out to be everything that I ’ d hoped for .” The CIO ’ s role involves managing IT , security , business transformation , facilities , operational resilience and supplier management .
With an impressive growth trajectory in terms of staff and revenue , the bank targeted digital as the key to its expansion . “ In line with our growth and to support this development , the next stage of our transformation relied heavily on technology . This initiative launched our digital transformation journey ,” says Fitzgerald . “ Fortunately , the bank was built on robust foundations – this is a credit to those who established the business in 2014 . It runs on a core banking platform called Phoebus , which provides all the services the bank has needed to date . The team at Phoebus also provide a first-rate service , delivering dynamic support for smaller banks . They ’ re less rigid than mainstream suppliers , which works particularly well for us and suits our agile operating style .”
When Fitzgerald joined HTB , he established a strategy for the board and prioritised plans for technology and infrastructure development . The bank introduced an application programming interface ( API ) infrastructure as part of its high-level architecture , which enables data services and collaboration capabilities . This infrastructure involves consuming data services to improve operational efficiency , credit risk processes , and customer and broker experience . With this infrastructure in place , the bank can maximise the potential for fintech collaboration opportunities .
“ Integral to our strategy was the introduction low-code tools into HTB . Having assessed the marketplace , we forged a strategic partnership with MatsSoft ( Netcall ) to use their low-code environment to develop workflow and front-end integration with data and services , such as Phoebus which can help improve operational efficiency and underwriting capabilities ,” he adds . HTB found that MatsSoft ( Netcall ) enabled
JUNE 2019