C-Suite: Scott Sandlin
by October 9, 2023 7:32 am 1,347 views
Fast fact: Sandlin joined Signature Bank in 2016 and was promoted to chief strategy officer in 2019. The former Walmart executive created Walmart’s multibillion-dollar Financial Services and Money Services business units and founded Samsclub.com.
Do you think artificial intelligence (AI) can take jobs in your industry? I believe AI will reinvent the types of jobs many humans have. Bankers will not be replaced; banking will be redesigned. Today many people don’t want to do entry-level jobs. AI can assist with jobs humans don’t want to do and create efficiencies for basic tasks, freeing subject matter experts to provide more 1:1 financial counseling.
What is the best business advice someone has ever given you? Listen. In order to learn, you need to be willing to hear what other people are saying. Some of the greatest lessons I have learned in my career came from listening intently.
What are your thoughts on working from home? I have always believed productivity was the most important thing in a flexible working environment. I personally started a flexible schedule for my team back in 1999 at Sam’s Club/Walmart. We had highly skilled young mothers who needed to be available to raise their children. It proved to be very successful for all involved.
What’s your favorite movie or television show? “Suits” certainly caught my attention, finding a way to improve or change the outcome of any situation seems to me to be the writer’s overarching theme.
Which skills do you think are most important when it comes to leadership? Communication, visionary thinker, emotional intelligence, problem solving, strategic planning, people skills, decision making and patience.
How significant to you is developing a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) culture within your organization? Today it is the most important aspect I can influence. Learning to be inclusive in thought, habits and actions can reshape our world. You can never have too many friends.
If you could trade places with anyone for a day, who would it be and why? Thomas Jefferson, I would like to understand the thoughts and intentions he had when he wrote the Declaration of Independence. I believe we have really strayed from the original creation.
If you had $1 million to give, what would you support? Educating young children. Ensuring our future generations have all the skills necessary to be successful in life is our legacy.