Beyond banking

"Having been the longest serving executive in the HSBC Group worldwide,” Zarir J. Cama will be retained as non-executive director of three of its banks — HSBC Bank Bermuda Limited, The Saudi British Bank and HSBC Private Banking Holdings (Suisse) SA. He will thus be able "to give back 44 years of knowledge, experience, wide view of the world,” Cama conveyed in a joint interview with Jam-e-Jamshed and Parsiana at his office in London a few months prior to retiring as Group general manager, Group Management Office.

To Cama goes the distinction of being the first Indian to head the Group’s operations when he was appointed as chief executive officer of HSBC in 1999. Yet another honor was his tenure in Malaysia as deputy chairman and CEO of HSBC Bank Malaysia Bhd in 2002, the first Asian to hold this post. Whilst in Malaysia he enjoyed the honor of being the only foreign banker to have been twice honored with the title "Dato” when he was conferred the Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri by the governor of Penang and the Dato Paduka Mahkota Perak by the sultan of Perak.

Zarir Cama

In the last five years when he has been with the Group’s head office in London, he set up a new International Division overseeing the Group’s business worldwide, was given overall responsibility for the Group’s Continental European business comprising 19 countries in which HSBC is represented and ultimately assumed responsibility as Group general manager, notes his career profile. "When I joined there were 10,000 working for the Bank, today the number is closer to 300,000,” revealed the banker who perceives HSBC as "a unique organization caring for its people. They like to stay with HSBC. People’s careers have grown much bigger than they would have elsewhere. The young like to join us, respect us and value our culture.”

According to him, to succeed at HSBC an individual needs to be "ambitious, hardworking, see and accept challenges. When he looks at the wall he should not consider it as an obstacle but climb over it to see what’s on the other side. Besides being straightforward with no hidden agenda, he should be someone whom people can trust…

"Trust is at the heart and soul of this Bank. The great thing about our culture is that if after making a mistake, you come out with it, you will find 100 hands to help; you hide it, and you could be in trouble. Openness and truthfulness and trust are fundamental; they are at the core.” People learn attributes through example. "I have learnt the most from my bosses. When things go wrong, I would ask, ‘How would Mr X have dealt with it?’ And the answer comes. Hopefully people will see you as a leader.”

Among the other challenging assignments Cama has held are as director of HSBC Global Resourcing (UK) Limited and HFC Bank Limited (UK), and as chair of the Governance Board of the Group’s Islamic Finance Business and the Global Indian Initiative. During his posting to Hong Kong in the 1980s-90s, he worked in the then head office and an HSBC associate, The Saudi British Bank where he was deputy managing director.

Post retirement, Cama will continue as non-executive director of Tata Capital UK, Tata Capital Singapore, Strategic India Infrastructure Fund Pte Limited Singapore, Intelligent Energy plc UK.

"Culturally inclined,” 65-year-old Cama looks forward to playing an active role in Asia House where he was recently elected to the board of trustees. A non-profit, non-political pan-Asian organization in the UK, Asia House provides unique insights into culture, policy, business and education through exhibitions, talks, programs. Cama declares, "I want to do more in London because this city is culturally the best in the world, enjoying a range and diversity of people and minds.” Also on the committee of the British Malaysian Society and the Royal Society for Asian Affairs, Cama says, "I pushed conservation of heritage in a big way when I was in Bombay and Malaysia.”

Sharing his time and experience for philanthropic work through charities and nongovernmental organizations is on his radar too, as also making time for himself and his family. "If you are a busy person, you want to remain so,” he adds. A great hero of Cama’s was his great-great-grandfather Sir Nowroji Pestonji Vakil, one of the biggest railway contractors in Gujarat who was a great philanthropist and contributed to charity from the time he started earning at the age of 12 or 13.

Bombay born Cama’s schooling was at St Paul’s in Darjeeling after which he graduated from St Stephen’s College, Delhi. He hoped to go to Oxford for higher studies but lack of foreign exchange in those days made that dream an impossibility. Living with his wife Shelialla (née Damania), and 28-year-old daughter Nyresa and 24-year-old son Yashan whom he describes as "young executives,” he thinks it "marvelous that both live with us.”

A member of the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe, he appreciates that "they are very kind and call me for their functions. But we don’t go regularly as we live at the other end of town. Being very busy and frequently traveling” precludes his participation too. His interest in community affairs though made him start a little club, "Parsees on the Wharf (POTW),” initially motivated to find out how many Parsis were working for the banking sector in London. There are 70 professionals who are members, paying an annual subscription of £ 10. They meet four-five times a year over talks and dinner where they are welcome to bring their spouse, boyfriend or family. The venue is always Café Spice Namaste "to support Cyrus (Todiwala) who is a Parsi.” Restricted to professionals who are working, "the very subtle purpose is to bring young people together. If something comes out of it, it would delight me further.” With enquiries coming in from mothers, "I have started looking at myself as a marriage broker,” he jests. POTW even has a website (www.parsees onthewharf.com) but there is no bureaucracy lest it invite factions. As detailed on the website, "The society brings together Parsis working in and around Canary Wharf together… However we in no way want to restrict this forum and welcome anybody who would like to participate to please get in touch...”

Viewing himself as "a strong liberal” he clarifies forthwith, "I don’t think being a liberal or orthodox is as clear-cut as people like to make it out. I, for instance am religious enough to say my prayers every day. But I don’t say my kusti prayers on Sunday because I feel God needs a break.” Coming from a background that was "fairly religious,” Cama recalls how his father fighting in the North African desert during World War II had to improvise and make sudrehs of khaki when there was no muslin available. Whilst the orthodox may view it as a travesty of faith, to the son, his father chose the practical solution. "What is better?” he asks rhetorically before adding, "I strongly believe in religion but I don’t believe in constraints; exclusion of people who may want to profess the faith.”

According to him there are "a lot of problems because we are unable to distinguish between being a Parsi and a Zoroastrian.” The Parsi ethnic restrictions that necessitate birth into a community to be recognized as its member, he equates to his being "a British citizen but I cannot be an Englishman. Zoroastrianism is a religion. It is not just for one set of people. It never was. So can someone who is not a Parsi be a Zoroastrian? The answer is yes, of course. If that Russian (referring to Herbad Mikhail Chistyakov) wants to be a Zoroastrian, I am all for it…” In the case of a Zoroastrian woman who has married out of the community, he feels "110 percent that their children could be brought up as Zoroastrians and so too could their non-Parsi husbands” join the faith if they are so inclined. "I am concerned at the end of the day there won’t be anyone left. We should be letting people know more about our religion. The more we hammer like this, the more we alienate our young…

"Why are Parsis getting so worked up?” he asks before giving his own response: "Because people have very small minds. They are led unfortunately by my old friend Khojeste (Mistree). He did a lot in the early 1970s to set up Zoroastrian Studies, did a fantastic job in reviving the religion, bringing in awareness. Suddenly he went off on a path of ethnic purity…” Seeing the recent community issues being dragged to the High Court and Supreme Court in India made Cama comment, "This is an issue of sadnesss. People look to us as a shining example. Why are we tearing ourselves apart? We are meant to be like sugar in milk but we are turning sour...Our religion is a joyous one. It doesn’t stop us from eating, drinking…”

Advocating a community that is "vibrant and tolerant,” Cama says he has told the Bombay based Association of Inter-Married Zoroastrians, "Why are you trying to bring a change in the other side? You are wasting time and causing ‘aggro’ to the community. Instead, put together a crore of rupees to set up your own fire temple” where spouses and children of interfaith marriages can pray with the Zoroastrian partner. His advice to the community? "Be like (the Afro-American civil rights leader) Martin Luther King.”