Key passions

Technology has long surpassed being just another component to financial industries. In recent years, it has become an integral component to the market, at the epicentre to the industry’s day-to-day workings. The implementation of SEPA, for example, would not have been possible without the recent developments in technology. For Jochen Moeller, CTO at investment bank Dresdner Kleinwort, technology is key. Dresdner Kleinwort has a long-term focus on client relationships and the backbone of the bank’s solutions lies in providing individual consultancy. IT is instrumental in maintaining this focus. “A key success factor for DKIB has always been the speed with which we support our clients exploiting new-found opportunities,” says Moeller.

Having spent the last ten years working for several banks in the European market, Moeller joined Dresdner Kleinwort in March last year. In his responsibilities as Global Head of Infrastructure he oversees the firm’s operating environment in its data centres and at the workplaces of its employees. Working for a company where core values look beyond conventional thinking to devise more powerful client solutions might, for some, be a tall order; but in speaking with him, it is clear that Moeller is more than accomplished in fulfilling these values. “Whilst our IT infrastructure may not necessarily differentiate us, its swift, secure, and efficient provisioning is instrumental in the on-the-dot delivery of our services,” he says.

As CTO, it goes without saying that Moeller is passionate about technology. “The management of IT has clearly become more mature in the last ten years,” says Moeller. As technology has progressed in terms of functionality, performance and reliability, so have the expectations of its users and Moeller is aware that IT infrastructure must be expected to keep up with these expectations. “The role of the CTO changes as well, from operational to strategic delivery. Thinking ahead to provide direction for the business, attracting the right talent and to inspire,” Moeller says. 

For Moeller, IT requires a team effort, both from within the IT organisation and from competent partners within the marketplace. At DKIB there is a certain reputation of being a frontrunner of encouragement in technology innovation, undeniably, Moeller is passionate about this too. Moeller’s belief is that the key to IT success is to manage the balance between change and the stamina it takes to continuously improve existing systems to advance resilience and efficiency. “I strongly believe in industrialisation as the way forward for infrastructure, and that includes obviously taking advantage of sourcing opportunities to stay lean and flexible,” Moeller says.

When asked about the recent risk issues financial services have bared witness to, Moeller has confidence that an appropriate reaction from the industry will come forward. “Regulation constantly evolves, as do markets and financial instruments,” he says. “Where IT can significantly contribute is in mitigating operational risk by protecting against accidental – and deliberate – process breaks. Here we already see across the industry clear consequences and actions in response to recent incidents.”

Moeller’s passion for IT becomes even more fruitful when he talks about what technology on the horizon he is currently excited about. “There are indeed many new technologies I am currently excited about,” he says. “Many of these technologies have the potential of changing the way we use IT,” he says. “One area attracting a fair share of attention at the moment is Unified Communication. We are also heavily engaged in advanced virtualisation and provisioning, testing their limits in order to achieve the utmost flexibility and speed in our response to demands from the business.”