With a tough career like banking where attending to customer needs is the first priority, 34 years old Nisha Kassam is candid and a picture of cool. She looks quite young as compared to her age and does not seem to be in a hurry.
Coming from Dar es salaam (Tanzania), a city known for its liveliness and charm, Nisha directly landed in Calgary with her family when she was four years old and found this city full of business opportunities. While talking about her family background and education Nisha immediately recalls, “ I have one sibling, my younger brother who is currently a pharmacist”, smiles Nisha Kassam. “When we moved here to Canada, we moved directly to Calgary and my work really has established well here in Calgary. I attended the University of Calgary and I have my Certified Financial Planning (CFP) designation which allows me to provide financial planning services to our clients, ” For Nisha presently a Bank Manager at Scotia bank, Calgary not only provided a new setting but also posed exciting challenges and ultimately helped her grow as a person. She started as a teller here at the Castleridge Branch 17 years back and because of her interest in banking services decided to pursue this career and became more focussed. She progressively worked through many service and sales role until she became Branch Manager in 2005. Nisha remembers that she used to derive utmost satisfaction when she helped the clients in finding solution. Till today, she likes to be in the thick of everyday banking, attending to customer needs and getting the real kick of it. A manager’s job is hectic and people based and of course there is a good motivation that keeps Nisha going. What motivates you to do a good job and why? “ Going back to my cultural roots and the way I have been raised , we have always been raised to achieve meritocracy and mediocrity is just not acceptable in our culture and we always try to strive to be our best,” says 34 year old banker. Nisha is highly involved in the community services and takes pride in organising special events for festivals like Vaisakhi, Diwali and Eid . Nisha reveals that she likes to dress up in traditional clothes during these festivals. In addition to these, she has also organised Stampede Breakfast and recently participated in World Partnership Walk held at Princess Island Park where she won a Toyota Prius Hybrid. Nisha also has a liking for cooking and loves to experiment with cooking, trying new recipes. Managing time between home and work has always been a challenge for Nisha but she tries to manage her time effectively and tries to set her boundaries around the time when she has to leave for her home. She makes it a point to complete important things on time. Nisha values family time and at home likes spending time with her husband, an IT Networking Specialist. She feels that it is always better to plan in advance to accomplish the things at workplace . Nisha points out: At home in the evening after my dinner, I sit up and jot down what it is that I want to accomplish the next day. I find out that if you don’t plan and don’t set a goal for yourself, the following day the things get messier. Not to forget Nisha loves travelling during her vacation time. “ I am a travel bug. Ever since I got married, we have been taking international trips every year.” Nisha has travelled to a number of countries which include Thailand, Malaysia , Singapore, Dubai, India, Australia, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Greece, Belgium and Mexico. I wish her all the best for her beautiful future that lies ahead.
