Access Interview: Nino Kevlishvili, Head of Learning and Development Unit at Credo Bank
By Ivana Mitrovic
Nino is a people-oriented HR manager with effective communication skills possessing expertise in recruitment, training and development, and communications. Commitment to putting people first is a fundamental tenet of her personal credo.
Nino, as a Head of the Learning and Development unit, you are responsible for preparing the most suitable learning paths that will facilitate the professional development of your colleagues. Could you tell us more about your team and how you develop the skills Credo employees need?
The most crucial component of any business is the team; the more diversified the team’s skill set and the more different its members are from one another, the higher the likelihood of success. Everything done and accomplished in the Learning and Development Department has been made possible thanks to my team, who have truly excelled in this area. Regarding the development requirements of Credo employees and their satisfaction, I think our team has a finger on the company’s pulse. We pay attention to both, the employees’ needs and the management’s business orders. Customized development programs for various lines are produced by combining precisely these two. Although the company is a young organism, there is a lot of work, and we are not going to fall behind the pace – on the contrary, our motivation is to meet business challenges.
We first listen to the business and then decide what will work and not the other way around; perhaps this is what leads to success.
Credo Bank has its Campus. How did you organize learning on Campus, and what is currently your focus?
We are the only bank in Georgia with Campus and the ability to relocate staff members to the state capital, let them reside on Campus, and provide the ideal learning environment. Right now, our focus is on the development program for the branch managers and service center managers. Eighty branch managers will receive training in finance, strategic management, marketing, and soft skills as part of a curriculum we’ve devised called “Strategic Management”. This is a unique program for which we invited the top lecturers of the country. During two weeks, our managers will go through the mentioned subjects in a summer school format and pass exams, as a result of which certificates will be issued. We are immensely proud of this program and hope that the managers will successfully use what they have learned in it regularly.
You are responsible for internal communication in the bank, which is no surprise since you are a journalist by vocation. How do you enhance internal communication in the bank, and which goals do you set when designing a communication plan?
As the organization expands, it becomes more challenging to have detailed information on all matters. A platform needs to exist so that efficient employee information sharing can occur in the future. Effective internal communication strengthens employees’ participation in various processes, eventually impacting work quality. On the one hand, we ought to build a platform for communication, and on the other, we need to instil the habit of sharing knowledge with one another .
One of the projects you have led to foster internal knowledge sharing is Credo Talks. Could you please tell us more about it?
Offering staff a platform where they could share their accumulated knowledge and experience in a Ted Talk format was an idea of how we could improve internal communication. The concept worked well – we have already organized the third Credo Talk, which has generated much interest and motivation among the staff. Since our business has been around for more than 25 years, we think the expertise and experience we have amassed are truly unique, and passing it on to newcomers is a great motivator.
Would you like to share what made you who you are today? Is there something you are particularly passionate about?
Continuous development – I constantly learn something new academically and in other life directions. I am the person I am because of my drive continuously to improve, my unselfish compassion, and my willingness to help others whether or not I am asked to. Development and the pursuit of improvement are, in my opinion, crucial aspects of life.
What would be your advice to young professionals regarding learning and development during their careers? Would you like to share the most important lessons you have learned in your career?
The ability to listen to business, customers, stakeholders, and employees, and the capacity to analyze what you hear, are, in my opinion, the most critical skills in any field. If you have such ones and a good team, you will unquestionably be able to identify the best route for progression.
