Attorney Antonio Santese, Head of Human Resources at Banca Popolare di Puglia e Basilicata. A law graduate with a specialization in labor and trade union law, Antonio Santese has 30 years of experience in human resources, holding positions of increasing responsibility in various companies.

Some banking scandals and the search for new, albeit highly risky, ways to generate profits (such as investing in foreign markets or lending money) are putting banks in a difficult position. What is your perspective on this situation?

The difficult situation facing Italian banks is essentially the result of a lack of due prudence in lending policies, which, combined with the economic crisis that has gripped us for several years now, has created significant management problems. This calls for a general strengthening of banks' capital, but also for a different approach to costs, primarily labor costs, which has led to a reduction in employment in the sector; a trend that, moreover, is unlikely to stop anytime soon.

Can training somehow alleviate this climate of uncertainty, for example by providing banking professionals with the tools to manage risk?

Certainly, and not just to prevent damage. Following the crisis, we are forced to address a regulatory overhang: we are subjected to a barrage of provisions, both from European and national sources, essentially aimed at strengthening control functions. Furthermore, there is a need to plan and implement widespread risk management training initiatives. For example, at BPPB, we recently organized courses for the entire sales network to develop a culture of risk management and compliance at all levels.

In some banks, risk and anti-money laundering selections are handled directly by the heads of those functions. How does your bank operate in this regard?

Our Bank has a specific internal policy regarding staffing, both qualitative and quantitative, the appointment of managers, and the rotation of personnel within the three control functions. For operational roles, all of which qualify as professionals, in the audit, risk management, and compliance functions, the heads of these functions are directly involved. For positions of responsibility, the Risk Committee, which represents the Bank's Board of Directors and Board of Statutory Auditors, is also involved.

In your experience, what are the characteristics of the perfect candidate for anti-money laundering and risk management roles?

Regarding the anti-money laundering function, which we include in our compliance function, typical banking experience is essential, ideally if partially performed within a sales network. In my opinion, the ideal candidate for the anti-money laundering function must have a solid understanding of online operations; therefore, they may have worked as a decentralized controller or have professional experience in collections. Regarding the risk management function, however, the perfect candidate need not be a typical banker; they absolutely must be a professional who studies and understands numbers, and who is capable of performing complex analyses: a statistician, for example.

You've relied on ESB for the training and development of your network. How and why did you choose our business school?

Our relationship with ESB began about 15 years ago, before I joined BPPB. In recent years, the relationship has strengthened and, I would say, intensified: the European School of Banking Management has become our go-to business school for anti-money laundering training, offering master's degrees, specialized courses, and seminars (including in-house ones) with leading speakers.

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