Frank Owiredu-Yeboa is a Chartered Banker who currently heads the Account Maintenance, Origination and Servicing (AMOS) unit within the Technology and Operations department of Stanbic Bank Ghana Ltd. Prior to this, he had managed six (6) branches of Stanbic bank and 2 branches of Merchant bank (now UMB) across the length and breadth of Ghana. He is an international facilitator and part of the team that supported Standard Bank in the rollout of their core Banking software across Africa.

Frank is a pharmacist and has experience in hospital practice, community pharmacy practice, and pharmaceutical sales (Repping).  A consummate lover of knowledge, Frank Owiredu-Yeboa is a member of five (5) professional groups: Member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana, PSGH; Associate Member, Chartered Institute of Bankers, ACIB; Member, Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK, and Ghana (CIM and CIMG); Member, Ghana Academy of Christian Counsellors, GACC; Member, International Coaching Federation (ICF) and; Association of Coaching Practitioners (ACP), Ghana.

Frank believes nothing is impossible once you put your mind and efforts to it and this must be backed with sound knowledge. He also believes that the knowledge that one accumulates must count in helping society.

1. Kindly tell us about your work life.

After completing my BPharm degree in 1999, I underwent housemanship at Police Hospital where Prof. Joyce Addo-Atuah served as my mentor. She encouraged me to take up a position as NeoPharma where my passion for sales and marketing began. Later, a position became available at Wyeth Nutritional and I joined in. The business model at Wyeth was different from the sales experience I had in marketing pharmaceuticals and so I decided to build extra capacity in sales and marketing by enrolling with CIM-UK, culminating in my becoming a chartered marketer. I moved on to BRI where I was involved in the export of medicinal plant products. When news got to me that Merchant Bank was hiring, I applied and moved into banking. Here, I realized that I needed to improve my knowledge base in banking, so I became a chartered banker. I managed Merchant Bank branches in Koforidua and Ashaiman before jumping to Stanbic where I have managed 7 branches to date.

There are other sides to my work life too. I obtained a certificate from the College of Counselling and further pursued a Master’s degree in theoretical counselling. Currently, I serve as the Executive Secretary of the Ghana Academy of Christian Counsellors.

2.Can you walk us through your time as a member of the GCPCUL, beginning from the circumstances that culminated in your membership, your most memorable experience(s) with the Union and eventual membership on the BOD?

I got introduced to the GCPCUL in 1999 after completing my Pharmacy degree. I have always considered the credit union concept to represent a culture of saving for a rainy day and being able to access loans at competitive rates. I was at the GCPCUL office one day in 2010 or so to make a withdrawal when the then General Manager (David Guat) asked me to be interested in serving on the committees of the GCPCUL particularly because of my background in banking. Nana Yaa Appiah (Equity Pharmacy) was also instrumental in my membership to the BOD.

The credit union is a good tool that all pharmacists should be interested in, and looking into the future, we must see it as the official bank of pharmacists in Ghana.

3.How has your work experience shaped and guided your decisions as a BOD member?

My work experience has helped me to have a broader perspective in advancing arguments and taking decisions on the BOD. The counselling and coaching experiences have helped me to understand human behaviour and enables me to work well with the staff and management of the GCPCUL. I try to bring these lessons to the staff whenever I have the opportunity to train or have workshops for them.

4. What nuggets of wisdom would you like to share with GCPCUL members, so they maximise the benefits of membership?

The objective of the credit union is not merely for profit. Ultimately, the GCPCUL offers better competitive rates when it comes to interest on savings and interest on loans. In terms of collaterals, our guarantor system is relaxed, bringing ease in access to loans. Additionally, monies get paid out in a matter of days. Members should find it as a useful tool in building wealth. In fact, it should be the first port of call for all pharmacists in their financial endeavours.

5. What recommendations would you make to the next BOD of the GCPCUL to make the union even better?

Structures and policies have been well established by the current BOD. Operational controls require further strengthening through a rich human resource. The next BOD should continue to hold management accountable to ensure adherence to policies and guidelines. The market is currently diverse. Developments in the finance space keeps changing, and the new BOD should adapt to these changing scenarios. These include integrating our systems into other payment platforms. You are doing very well for yourself and for your community in your chosen field of practice.

6.What are the highlights (highs and lows) of your professional and entrepreneurial journey?

People refer to me as the fireman. It appears I do well in dealing with units which have issues/challenges that require special management. I think that this feeds well on the strengths in my temperament and human skills. Transitioning from pharma to banking required unlearning, learning and relearning new techniques, skills and strategies. That adjustment was a sharp learning curve, but I am grateful that I have sailed through without scars.

7. What has been your key driving force to coming this far?

My keen interest in learning and keeping abreast with the times. Continuous learning is the key to growth, and this is non-negotiable.

8. What didn’t you know prior to your current position in your chosen field of employment that you wish someone had told you?

You cannot know everything from day 1. Most important thing is to do a reflection of each day. I don’t think you should have a mindset of knowing it all before you embark on your journey. You should embrace introspection, and strive to be better each new day.

9.What do you enjoy most about your work?

Engaging people. Challenging people. I love seeing the shift in the outlook of people (staff and customers) when I engage and address their challenges. We should not be overly focused on a task-orientation outlook. We ought to balance task-orientation with people-orientation to derive fulfilment in the work we do.

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10. What skills, abilities or personal qualities are essential to becoming a successful entrepreneur?

It is a tough business space down here. The data and reality can move in opposite directions. I think that a successful entrepreneur will need to hone their power of intuition. You need it to have a sound balance between data and reality. Also, you need to be tough, and at the same time you need to be mild. It’s a difficult balance; you need to strive to be tough with your business execution, and mild with your performing team players.

11. If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?

I would still want to read pharmacy and end up in banking. Perhaps what would have changed would be the rate of acceleration.