Misadventures of a Corporate Flunky
If you remember, a few weeks ago I went out with a director from my new unit, for my first actual meeting with clients (instead of being chained to a desk forever).
Well, the meeting was an informal one held in a coffeehouse at one of KL's posh hotels.
Neways, things were goin well for my first meeting until the conversation came around to Islamic Banking.
The scene:
Our clients from Hong Kong are interested in listing their company on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange. At the meeting, we were trying to convince them why listing in KL would be a better idea compared to listing in Singapore. My director was exclaiming how Middle Eastern money was coming into Malaysia in droves after 9/11 'cos their money were getting frozen by US and European authorities over there due to suspected involvement with terrorism.
The director further explained how all this billions of Middle Eastern petrol money was being funneled into Islamic Banking, and how our client should list here to grab a chunk of those billions.
At this point of the conversation, the client asked what Islamic Banking was all about and suddenly, all eyes on the table turned to the lone Muslim feller sitting at the table: ME !
Heh heh
Having zoned out from the conversation (talking business gets boring after awhile and I have a tendency to zone out at the most inopportunate of moments ;-p)
HK Client: "So what is this Islamic Banking"
Corporate Flunky: "Errrr....it's an alternative to the Jew-based banking system which works on interest rates....In Islamic banking, an agreement is made between the client and the bank and instead of receiving interest...they receive something akin to interest which is legal in the eyes of God...i think so..."
HK Client: *Blinks eyes and nods head* in a sign of mock understanding
My Director: Err....*smiles nervously* I think what my trainee here was trying to say is..blablablablablalbalab (tries to save the moment by talking some financial gibberish)
*sigh*
Note to self: read up on current events and general knowledge before I go out and meet clients in the future lest I look like an idiot again....
;-p
Well, the meeting was an informal one held in a coffeehouse at one of KL's posh hotels.
Neways, things were goin well for my first meeting until the conversation came around to Islamic Banking.
The scene:
Our clients from Hong Kong are interested in listing their company on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange. At the meeting, we were trying to convince them why listing in KL would be a better idea compared to listing in Singapore. My director was exclaiming how Middle Eastern money was coming into Malaysia in droves after 9/11 'cos their money were getting frozen by US and European authorities over there due to suspected involvement with terrorism.
The director further explained how all this billions of Middle Eastern petrol money was being funneled into Islamic Banking, and how our client should list here to grab a chunk of those billions.
At this point of the conversation, the client asked what Islamic Banking was all about and suddenly, all eyes on the table turned to the lone Muslim feller sitting at the table: ME !
Heh heh
Having zoned out from the conversation (talking business gets boring after awhile and I have a tendency to zone out at the most inopportunate of moments ;-p)
HK Client: "So what is this Islamic Banking"
Corporate Flunky: "Errrr....it's an alternative to the Jew-based banking system which works on interest rates....In Islamic banking, an agreement is made between the client and the bank and instead of receiving interest...they receive something akin to interest which is legal in the eyes of God...i think so..."
HK Client: *Blinks eyes and nods head* in a sign of mock understanding
My Director: Err....*smiles nervously* I think what my trainee here was trying to say is..blablablablablalbalab (tries to save the moment by talking some financial gibberish)
*sigh*
Note to self: read up on current events and general knowledge before I go out and meet clients in the future lest I look like an idiot again....
;-p
posted by NiK! at
2:56 PM
