I want to keep developing the ecosystem for entrepreneurs

Özge Özen Zink takes over the responsibility for SEBs entrepreneurial collaborations. “In my new role, I hope to make an impact in areas that I am passionate about, such as entrepreneurship, inclusion and diversity. In addition, I love doing business”, Özge says.

Leading up to the new role

Özge Özen Zink began working at SEB as a customer service advisor while studying at Linköpings university. She later wrote an essay for the bank and SEB Trygg Liv with the title ”Bank & Insurance”, which took a deep dive into customer experience, wholesale banking and private/corporate insurance.

Leading up to the position she has today, Özge has gathered experience from several different perspectives and areas. After a trainee year at a competing bank, she went on to work with large and institutional companies, credit analysis, interest rates, currency trading and questions regarding equality and diversity. She also studied to become a health developer and mindfulness instructor and started her own business as a health strategist. However, Özge missed the bank and was therefore back at SEB ten years later, in 2018, this time within Private Banking.

– I missed the bank, macroeconomics and business! So, when the Private Banking for Entrepreneurs Core (PBE) concept launched, I returned to SEB. With my experiences working as a health strategist, I came back with meaningful insights and corporate mindfulness as an important tool. I see this as a great strength. Thinking sustainably with myself and also in meetings with customers creates genuine relationships and good, long-term businesses. Therefore, working with health is still important in everything I do, especially at the bank.

Two years later Özge became a business manager for PBE, which primarily targets founders and partners in companies experiencing strong growth. At this time, the desire to make a difference in questions concerning inclusion and diversity grew stronger, which Özge describes as a natural progression.

– Being different is good, and it is by thinking about and acting based on diversity and inclusion that we can reach our full potential - both in private and business matters, Özge says.

What interested you in this new role?

– SEB together with Belgin Alalinli, among others, have done an excellent job with creating Entreprenörstrappan, and all the fantastic collaborations tied to it. I want to keep developing the ecosystem for entrepreneurs and also integrate business into these collaborations.

– Many are passionate about entrepreneurship, so at SEB we need to coordinate the investments being done towards entrepreneurs to an even bigger extent than today. This needs to happen both between internal divisions in the bank as well as externally. That way we can keep building, and also challenge, the ecosystem that the Wallenberg sphere is part of, and at the same time become a stronger competitor for future generations, Özge says.