It’s a common belief that a successful career entails stints with different employers, but on that score Shalini Sujanani would beg to differ.

Now managing director, corporate clients at ING Bank, she has essentially been with the same organisation for the best part of 30 years and, in that time, has certainly experienced her fair share of moves, challenges, tests and triumphs.

“Over the years, the firm has been very loyal, and I believe that merits loyalty on my side too,” she says. “It’s the culture. The company supports your growth and constantly finds new challenges, while also letting you be innovative and entrepreneurial. That creates goodwill and is why individuals want to stick around.”

Born into a “quite conservative” third-generation Indian family in Hong Kong, Sujanani grew up surrounded by conversations about trading, investment, the watch business, and how to make the next dollar.

She studied at the ESF’s Island School before switching to an all-girls boarding school in Montreux, Switzerland – a personal decision which demonstrated an innate spark of independence, ambition and self-awareness.

“I wanted a change after O-Levels, liked languages, and it seemed a good option,” she says. “It turned out to be a fantastic experience, living and travelling in Europe and learning to ski.”

Determined to keep following her own star, she went on to the London School of Economics (LSE), reasonably sure where the three-year degree would lead.

“I was always interested in economics; that was my subject,” she says. “It’s all about the world and ways of raising capital. I loved it and wanted to learn more. And from the LSE, it was then quite a natural move into banking and finance.”

So, in 1985, she returned to Hong Kong to join NMB, which later became ING, as a management trainee, embarking on a series of rotations to learn the nuts and bolts of the main departments.

“The first day, you’re a little nervous, in a new environment, never having worked a day in your life. You have all the anxieties associated with that. It was very challenging, but good, because at that point I wanted to get on with the next phase of my life.” In the early 1990s, though, two significant changes came together. With India going through a significant balance of payments crisis, Sujanani was offered a transfer to the bank’s fledgling representative office in Mumbai to add her expertise. And, newly married to a husband with family business interests in the same city, the move made eminent sense.

A year on, she was assigned to client-facing roles, first in trade finance and then in commodity finance, and basically took it from there.

“I was thrust into the forefront and had to drum up business, presenting proposals for financing bulk commodities and being closely involved with customers,” she says. “That is very exciting for a young person and, in fact, the team is still working with many of the clients we had back then.”

“As a newcomer to the market, it wasn’t easy,” she says. “I couldn’t speak a word of Hindi and was told I didn’t know how to drape a sari, which was expected dress if you were visiting a state firm. But with the teamwork, support and confidence of the organisation, and by engaging and developing relationships, I was able to secure some very good mandates at a relatively young age.”

A subsequent return to Hong Kong pre-1997 opened new doors. Handling multinational clients in Asia, particularly China, Sujanani steadily assumed a broader portfolio covering the origination, structuring and execution of various debt and financial market products.

“I feel firmly rooted in Hong Kong but moving back there’s no doubt you have to make your mark again. At the end of the day, though, there’s a team. You have the foundation in CRM [customer relationship management], lending, and different products, so you can pick things up very soon.”

Later came an extended stint with the global clients group responsible for North Asia and, in due course, a more strategic dimension including recent work to secure investment in new fintech venturesin Hong Kong.

“The firm is now focused on innovation and disruption in the market and the need to be forward-thinking,” she says. “We are constantly looking at ways to collaborate with clients beyond lending money or handling cash management. For me, that creates an ongoing interest in learning about new aspects of the business.”

As part of that, Sujanani maintains close involvement with major Hong Kong companies and privately owned mainland enterprises, in particular advising them on cross-border activities and exploring investments in 40-plus countries. However, in a highly competitive landscape, with abundant liquidity and low interest rates, it is important to keep finding new strengths and ways to differentiate.

Away from work, she stays sharp by swimming and doing zumba dance classes, and family holidays are usually ski trips to Canada or Japan. She also believes in the importance of giving something back through community service. So, after a lengthy stint on the council of Island School, earlier this year she accepted an invitation to serve on the Independent Police Complaints Council.

“That stemmed from an ethnic minority list of professionals who have grown up in Hong Kong and could be considered for government advisory committees,” Sujanani says. “As in my career, I feel some things just kind of happen. You challenge yourself, have aspirations, and have conversations about what to do next. But I remain quite grounded and realise you also have to take it as it comes.”