Meet the Board
Thamesbank’s governance and direction is made by its voluntary board members. The board meets on a regular basis and discusses a range of regulatory issues.
This series introduces each of our current board members.
“When you know that someone has been helped even on the smallest scale and their life is just a bit easier – that’s a wonderful feeling for me.” – Mukesh Malhotra
Mukesh Malhotra, Chair
Mukesh, previously Councillor & Deputy Mayor of the London Borough of Hounslow (2017/18), has a Masters Degree in Management & IT, and also holds a specialist qualification of Certified Information Security Manager.
With particular skills and experience in asset allocation and strategy, he has also acted as Chair of a Local Pension Panel which managed a fund selection in excess of £1.2 billion.
He has also presided as Chair to many charities and Third Sector organisations. In his downtime and through his involvement with Hounslow Rotary, Mukesh – impressively, co-founded “Rotary World’s Greatest Meal to Help End Polio” which helped to save over 16.5 Million children from Polio.
As well as his accomplished CV, Mukesh is a proud grandfather of four and enjoys family life with his wife.
Mukesh, thank you for your time to be spotlighted for ‘Meet the Board’.
Q – To start with, can you give a brief introduction to your background which I can see includes some terrific accolades?
A – I have played a role in the international corporate world in areas such as Risk, Audit, Compliance and Business
Management, with such prestigious names as British Airways, for over 30 years. This has given me an invaluable understanding of the business world which I’ve taken with me in my other capacities, including Deputy Mayor and Councillor in London Borough of Hounslow and now as Chair of Thamesbank Credit Union.
Q – I see from your involvement with Thamesbank Credit Union, Hounslow Rotary Club and pension funds that you regard Third Sector organisations highly. Would you like to tell us why charitable organisations are important to you?
A – My work with these organisations is driven by feeling good when I help others who – through no fault of their own – find that may need that bit of support. When you know that someone has been helped even on the smallest scale and their life is just a bit easier – that’s a wonderful feeling for me and I’m sure for others all to have. It’s also incredibly social and I get to know members of the local community.
Q – What was it that got you specifically involved in governance of Credit Unions, and Thamesbank specifically?
A – I have been involved with the Cooperative movement since I first started working. Credit Unions are an alternative to highstreet banks and pay-day loan companies. If we can continue to grow our membership base by making people in the community aware of the more affordable loans and benefits of saving with their Credit Union, then I believe we’re making a difference to the local economy.
Q – I think you’ll agree that personal finance, savings and loans, is a competitive market. What are your top three reasons for joining a Credit Union as opposed to a high-street bank?
A –
1. Typically, Credit Unions offer higher interest rates on deposits.
2. We’re a community-led organisation with real emphasis on customer service – you can always speak to someone.
3. By design, Credit Union members help other members by enabling those to have access to the financial system.
Q – Money issues and personal finance are often difficult subjects to approach, for whatever the reason good or bad and with either family or friends. What is your approach to managing your money – do you have a tip for saving, and do you think rewards for hitting saving goals work?
A – I’ve had a simple philosophy and have shared this with my children and my friends.
I call it: 50/30/20 or 50/20/30 rule.
Depending on your personal circumstance
a) Use 50% to cover your regular expenses
b) Then use 30% or 20% to cover your incidental costs
c) Then use 30% or 20% to save every month depending on your personal circumstances.
It’s a great tip to list your must-haves and nice-to-haves, an alternative way of looking at this is your emergency and non-emergency funds – those payments which just have to be paid and those which you can buy after a few months of saving. Ideally, I like to save between 3 to 6 months of savings as security in case something happened to my job and I make sure not to touch that.
I always look forward to holidays and special celebrations with the family. To me, those are part of my must-haves and I make it a priority once my other essential payments have been paid out.
Q – And finally, can you reveal any exciting developments happening within Credit Unions, or Thamesbank?
A – Yes, we’re looking at a few new developments for Thamesbank. We’re in the process of launching a new website and hope this will be live soon. It’s been a priority for us to support our Marketing initiatives.
We are also going to support our local communities with revised savings and loans which will support different needs and requirements. We’ve already launched our first new loan – the Key Worker Loan offered at a really preferential rate.
In the long-term, it’s important for us to look at ways to continue to serve our members in the best possible way. There’s potential for a new Debit Card with lots of benefits when you use it.
With thanks to Mukesh Malhotra, Chair Thamesbank Credit Union
Send in your questions to the board: admin@thamesbank.org