"You can’t create a product that truly resonates with the market by sitting in a room and simply dreaming it up. If you look at history, many successful startups began because the founder faced a real problem, realized others faced the same challenge, and set out to solve it—that’s how great companies are born. But often, their second product fails because they assume they can innovate in isolation, without engaging with the market or understanding real-world pain points. For a company like ours, it’s critical to deeply understand these challenges—what keeps the CTO awake at night. Only then can we create meaningful solutions. But we can’t do that in a vacuum."

Andrew Steadman, Chief Product Officer at SBS

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"One piece of financial advice I wish more people followed is never pay cash for a new car. They're fantastic financial products, leasing and in the UK PCP (Personal Contract Purchase) where you can get a new car with a much lower payment and you don't have to pay for the depreciation of the asset. I would never advise anyone to buy a new car with cash."

What do leaders truly want? In this episode of What Leaders Want, we’re sitting down with James Powell, Chief SaaS Transformation Officer and Head of Specialized Finance Strategy at SBS, to get a glimpse beyond the job title.

We’ll dive into the key moments of his career, debunk the biggest myths about specialized finance, and explore whether SaaS is truly the game-changer it claims to be. James also took on real-world challenges and rapid-fire questions, answering on the spot.

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"When it comes to Gen AI, we can explore some truly fun and disruptive use cases. Ultimately, the banking experience isn’t isolated from the experiences users have with platforms like Netflix. Once disruption happens in one sector, customers begin to expect the same level of seamless, intelligent service everywhere—including in banking. I’m confident we’re heading in that direction."

Looking ahead, Xavier is confident that banking is shifting toward AI-driven personalization, subscription-based services, seamless digital experiences, and embedded finance—and he’s excited about the opportunities this transformation brings to the industry.

From a leadership perspective, he highlights the importance of continuous learning and shared success. In such a fast-evolving industry, he credits his team's support as a key factor in his journey to where he is today.

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