In Conversation with Emmanuel Nseghe | Torq Commodities
Emmanuel Nseghe ( Nseghe Ekpo )is AVP - Trade Finance and Projects at Torq Commodities. He has been with the team over the last few months. He brings a plethora of experience from his extensive career as a finance professional.
You may know him better from this video.
Let’s understand more about him, and what working with our team has been like!
I love to play golf. Banking didn't give me time to play as much as I would have liked, but I'm making up for it now. I am also a passionate Formula 1 fan. Watching the Singapore GP live is on my bucket list. Love to travel, and spend time with my family and friends. I can't dance to save my life, but I do enjoy the music of a live band on Fridays.
I'm from Akwa-Ibom in South-South Nigeria. I studied engineering, but I got my first job offer from First Bank of Nigeria. That’s how I arrived in finance.
Yes, I did. My father ran an import-export firm, and I worked with him during all my holidays, as far back as I can remember. I learnt how to issue receipts, record sales, attend to clients and give reports. You could say it was my foundation for customer service and finance in general.
Career Journey
I joined First Bank of Nigeria in 2005 as a Trainee. I worked at a branch for 1 year and transitioned to Head Office - Foreign Operations where I held various positions in cross-border payments and international trade, culminating in my heading the Trade Payments and Negotiations team.
In 2023, I joined transaction banking as a Sales Team Lead covering corporate banking. In this role, I managed Trade, Cash and Value Chain Businesses for clients like Dangote Group, BUA Group, TG Arla, Guinness, and Flour Mills, to name a few. I left First Bank to join Torq in June 2024.
Key turning points, I'd say, have been my move to transaction banking and Torq Commodities. The first was to advance my career within the bank, as growth is limited within operations. The second was the unique opportunity to get involved in real business and work to grow a franchise.
Working with some particularly challenging bosses would be the most challenging. You have to understand and manage your boss to get the best out of them and yourselves.
At the end of the day, experience always helps to build you. In my case, I have worked with some outstanding individuals (on both ends of the spectrum). I learnt the type of boss I wanted to be, and the type of boss I did not want to be.
These include my certification as a Documentary Credit Specialist from the London Institute of Banking and Finance and my award as the most customer-centric staff in the Operations team by the DMD of First Bank.
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Role at Torq Commodities
I am responsible for managing relationships with our bankers, ensuring that our financing lines are available and optimally utilized, engaging with regulators and other stakeholders, and managing payments for procurement and other official needs.
Furthermore, I help ensure our people in the field are covered for their financial needs, executing management's strategy and ensuring that our books are kept up-to-date at all times.
We are abundantly blessed with arable land for farming, temperate climate, and mineral resources. If ethically used, agro-products and minerals will generate considerable value for the sub-region and Torq is uniquely placed to play a vital role in this process.
Infrastructural development leading to value addition is key to West Africa's success. Torq is well on its way to contributing to this with new projects like the Soybean Crushing Factory and Poultry in Nigeria. I'm sure other similar projects are in the pipeline to help extract maximum value for our natural resources.
Strengths and Areas of Expertise
Industry knowledge and analytical thinking are my core strengths. Having an extensive network of contacts is also very handy. I believe my greatest asset is my attention to detail.
Expectations and Aspirations
I expect my role to expand in tune with Torq's plans for expansion, extending from managing finances for the agro-export business to the other value-added facilities in the works. My team will continue to keep the group's strategic goals in sight and support the enterprise as it grows.
As early as possible, identify someone who has "been there and done that" as a mentor. As often as possible, seek advice and guidance on what courses to take and certifications to obtain.
No one knows the road better than one who has already traveled it. Key skills will be a strong analytical mindset, business partnering skills, effective communication, and strategic thinking.
Chief Executive Officer | Operations Management, Logistics, Purchasing Negotiation
4wCongratulations! Bro
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1moAmazing strides