Narita's story

How Narita leveraged Cultural Intelligence to cross divides

Narita Hang Chuon, Head of Local Corporates, ANZ Royal Bank

As the Head of Local Corporates for ANZ Royal Bank in Cambodia, Narita constantly works with numerous corporate clients and internal stakeholders that come from diverse backgrounds and cultures.

“Before joining the programme, I faced some challenges in dealing with people from different backgrounds and often faced a clash of priority with some stakeholders. With all these challenges I faced, I almost quit my workplace.”

For Narita, her biggest takeaway was how Cultural Intelligence can help to drive success in a leadership position where she faces diversity and differences in culture every day – whether that’s with work, priorities, language or background.

“After I attended the programme, I learned a new concept – Cultural Intelligence (CQ). I used CQ by first trying to understand the culture of my stakeholders. Only by understanding and listening would I then be able to apply the right strategy at the right time. I realized that by putting myself in other people shoes, helping them to understand my perspective while also understanding theirs was the key in crossing boundaries.”