A Banker for the Ages – Ms. Tina Marquez
By: Neil Nepomuceno
When asked about her career, UnionBank’s AVP and Credit Card Collections head, Ms. Tina Marquez was quick to describe it as a “Roller-Coaster ride”.
Her path to Collections
Coming off from a local bank, she joined Citibank back in 1996. Her tasks with Citi were the same, but it was her first time working at an actual bank.
Tina was nervous because in a local bank, the work process was purely manual. At Citi, the big shift was all about handling automated set of tasks.
In order to overcome her doubts and deliver her best work, Tina went through rigorous training which opened a lot of career opportunities for her. “It was fun, stressful at times but definitely rewarding. Citi has played a very important role in my career, it has been my training ground, especially in the field of collections,” she shared.
For over six years, Tina worked her way up from Credit Cards Collections Officer and became a Team Leader in 2002.
Tina left Citibank in 2003 to tend to her sick mother and help manage their family business. After a year and a half of taking a break, she returned to the corporate world and joined UnionBank in 2004.
Career and culture shift
Going back to the corporate world wasn’t easy. Joining an organization from a career would usually mean you would need to over or wait for a better opportunity to come along. But UnionBank took a chance on her and with her accomplishments with Citi for 6 years, she was given an opportunity to work as a Recovery Officer in 2004.
Tina admitted that the role given to her was outside her comfort zone because it was a totally different task, but with the help of her leaders and co-workers at UB, she was able to ease herself into the new role.
She also felt the need to collaborate and share her knowledge her new colleagues and they were receptive enough to what she has to offer
“They were very welcoming, that adjustment working in a corporate role was something not to be worried about. I am very grateful for all my colleagues and my previous head.” Said Tina.
Similarities between UB and Citi
“The ultimate goal is to provide positive customer experience. Both companies also reward their employees with excellent performance. Employees are rewarded at all times. Lastly, UB and Citi value the work-life balance for all the employees.”
– Tina Marquez
With her previous role in Collections, she catered to delinquent customers. Despite their standing, she made sure that the best customer experience is delivered, “Both Organizations, (UnionBank and Citibank) values customer experience at all times. They need to cater to customer needs, regardless if the client is a good, or a not so good client – regardless of the account status.”
The mindset of an achiever
Tina believes that teamwork is the key to achieving goals. Despite all her accomplishments, she remained humble.
“Even when I was given a promotion after 2 years of being with UnionBank, I kept my feet to the ground. My mantra has always been “walk the talk.” To give guidance to my direct reports and value teamwork.”
She attributes this lesson to Citibank and still holds true today in UnionBank.
Personal achievements
Citibank – One of her most memorable projects was being part of the Phone Monitoring System. In the late 90s, Citibank established a Phone Monitoring System where the bank monitors the calls of every collector.
UnionBank – From 2016 onwards, the goal of UnionBank was to digitally transform. And while the bank continues to succeed in this vision Tina witnessed and experienced the “brick and mortar phase” of the bank.
“I remember our office at the SSS building in Ayala, and most of our work are manual since we’re at the remedial side of Credit collections. Most of the letters and endorsements of the accounts are done manually and require a lot of paperwork.”
“The most rewarding project was when they were able to automate sending letters to their clients. They were able to save a lot of money and paper equivalent to ten trees a year.”
“The second was the implementation of SMS and email notifications,” Said Tina.
“Last but not the least are the GoBeyond Projects where they help out the community through public service, tree-planting projects and more.” she ended.
Tina’s advice for Citibankers joining UnionBank
“My advice is to continue to be passionate with your work. Embrace all the wonderful opportunities along the way. Rest assured that UnionBank will take care of you.”
She also highlighted that, “No one in UBP will be left behind. You just have to be passionate, show your love for work, be positive, and everything will follow.”