Token of commitment to service excellence, no matter the challenge, circumstance, or restriction
After more than a year spent amid the Covid-19 pandemic, with personal meetings and business travel still not on the horizon, UniCredit Global Securities Services has, once again, proven its dedication to championing client communication by inviting clients to its annual GSS Virtual Roadshow.
This Roadshow, which took place on May 12, 2021, was the 8th in a row, and the second organized in virtual format. Similar to the live events of the pre-pandemic years, traditionally held in London, the main purpose of the roadshow was to give clients and partners valuable insight around current trends, issues and developments in and around the UniCredit GSS universe in Central and Eastern Europe.
The event was initiated with a welcome and presentation by Julia Barbara Romhanyi, Global Head of Securities Services, who talked about the exceptional flexibility and speed with which UniCredit handled the pandemic situation last year. She stated that the key to this success was due to two factors: “our people and the technology behind them”. As a result, the pandemic has further reinforced UniCredit’s long-term strategy of investing in both.
Following Julia’s introduction, Giovanni Solaroli, Global Co-Head of GTB, and Riccardo Madinelli, Head of CEE GTB, both emphasized that GTB is the backbone of UniCredit and once again confirmed that GSS is a solid cornerstone of the GTB strategy based on mutual cross-selling opportunities with all of its partners. As a much-anticipated returning presenter, UniCredit’s Chief CEE Economist, Dan Bucsa, took the stage and delivered a fascinating perspective on the region’s macroeconomic situation.
The afternoon continued with a panel discussion, involving all GSS market experts, and a rare insight into the “third-leg” of GSS’ business, with Peter Felsinger, Managing Director of the OeKB CSD GmbH. As a final highlight, Securities Services industry legend, John Gubert, talked about what he thinks the future of the industry will look like once the pandemic ends.
In her closing remarks, Julia Romhanyi observed that “current technologies now allow people to connect to such events at any time, from anywhere in the world, from almost any device. Today we had more than 80 connections worldwide, so this is dramatically changing the way we interact and facilitating more intense collaboration between colleagues, partners, and clients across time zones, countries and continents. Nevertheless, as said earlier today by many of us, personal interactions and networking will remain the key when returning to normality”.
Looking back at this event, Julia stated: “The GSS Roadshow continues to demonstrate that the desire for transparent and open communication around regional developments remains a key commodity for our clients. I am extremely proud of the entire GSS team and thankful to all other participants to this event who once again underlined that our Group remains committed to delivering service excellence, no matter the challenge, circumstance, or restriction.”