Swift at 40: Beth Smits
Beth Smits, head of corporate affairs, Asia Pacific, Swift
When did you join Swift?
In April 2001 as a senior communications specialist, as part of the corporate communications team.
How did you see the organisation and how has it changed during your time there?
I only ‘knew’ Swift through Leonard Schrank, the chief executive, and Andre Boico, head of pricing, whom Lenny had asked to help me in a previous job. So because I admired them so much, I thought Swift must be great! Twelve years on, I still feel the same.
What has been your biggest success while at Swift?
Each and every one of the successes I would point to are not mine – they’re all the result of excellent teamwork. And I really hope our greatest success is yet to come.
Since your time at Swift, is there anything you would have changed?
More women staying at Swift, especially mid-career, and many more moving up the career ladder.
What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the financial industry now? Does Swift have a role in addressing that?
Sustaining growth is the biggest challenge, whether in mature markets or emerging markets, or in the East or in the West. Swift has a fundamental role in ensuring this. Thanks to us, the industry can take many uncertainties and pain points off their radar, and focus on growth.
Should there be boundaries to Swift’s role?
No boundary is truly fixed, so what’s the point in making one except to limit our ambition?
Where do you see Swift in the next 40 years?
I’m fairly confident that money, in some form or another, will still be around in 40 years. So, we will be doing exactly what the global economy needs to be done to keep the money moving where it needs to be, when it needs to be there.
