Cecilia likes to drive around her neighbourhood in Switzerland when no one else is awake. The streets are empty, and the light shines just so on the water, a perfect moment for a hobby photographer and night owl.

Cecilia joined Julius Baer in 2019 in Singapore until an internal move in October 2024 brought her to Zurich. “The HR team made sure my move went smoothly. From the time my permit was approved to when I landed in Zurich was barely three months. It was seamless.” She’s felt at home in Switzerland ever since. “For me to walk to the water takes five minutes – and it was the first thing I did after I arrived.”

At Julius Baer, Cecilia is Head Foreign Exchange (FX)/Precious Metals (PM) Nightshift within the Global Products and Solutions unit. “All the clients that need FX and PM in the night come to us.” She and her team work from 4.00 p.m. to midnight. “People who work at night have different souls,” she says. “You need to be able to work alone and solve problems independently. My job is to keep things running in the background while everyone else sleeps.” 

Back in Julius Baer's office in Singapore, Colin is also making sure things run smooth in his position as Head of the Cyber Fusion Centre Asia, which connects various teams in cybersecurity. Colin began with Julius Baer as an apprentice in Zurich more than ten years ago when he was 16. “I began in IT Support and subsequently transitioned to Systems Engineering,” he recalls. “After my apprenticeship, I was offered a position in the Cyber Operations Centre and completed my bachelor’s while working. Eventually, I had the opportunity to spend time in India and move to Singapore, where I am now.” 

Colin’s skills are crucial in a hyperconnected digital world where new threats continually emerge. “I focus on identifying malicious behaviours and actions on a device. One day I’m finding new exploits hackers might use against us, the next day I’m integrating new systems, and the next I’m collaborating with a team member to analyse a critical incident. It’s always something new.”

While their roles differ, Colin and Cecilia have both benefited from moving across locations at Julius Baer to grow professionally.

Colin values his strong global network. “If I have a problem with something, I can reach out to a friend from a past team or role, and we come out with a better solution because of our collaboration.”

For Cecilia, the move has made her feel more connected to colleagues and has brought alignment between teammates. “It made sense for us to be on the same side of the world. We can collaborate in a different way in person. It’s made our team dynamic more cohesive.”

When asked why she got into finance, Cecilia admits she never excelled at maths in school. “I saw it as a challenge and decided to prove to myself I could do it, so I signed up for finance classes. Out of that moment of rebellion, I eventually majored in financial trading.” While already with Julius Baer, she seized the opportunity to further her education and completed a Master’s in fintech through the company’s broad learning and development offering.

Colin also benefited from development opportunities at Julius Baer by participating in the mentoring programme. Before Singapore, he had the chance to take a short-term assignment in India for two and a half months to train teams. “I appreciated having someone to approach with career questions, such as when I needed to decide if I would make this first international career move.” 

Internal mobility has also helped Colin integrate the various cultures of his global team. Moving to Singapore was a chance to discover a new part of the world while working in an important market for the organisation. “All of my experiences in new cultures have taught me how to approach teams with different skillsets or different views. In my experience, Singapore tends to be very structured, while India has a very different, vibrant energy. Getting the chance to experience that in a real-world setting has opened my eyes and created better communication and teamwork across our organisation.” Even with the differences, he finds similarities across the offices he’s worked in. “The Julius Baer DNA of openness, helpfulness, and looking out for each other is everywhere.”

Similarly, Cecilia has seen her move has improved her team. “Now, Zurich understands what Asia clients need, and Singapore knows I’m here and that I know what needs to be done for Asia booked clients.” For her, personally, the job is rewarding. “No two nights, no two hours, are the same,” she says. And moving globally was the perfect opportunity for her. “I embrace changes. That’s why I’m here. On the first day we met, my new manager in Zurich told me I was very brave. I said to him that change is the only constant. There’s nothing to be afraid of.” On her own internal mobility journey, she only sees opportunity. “I can only be grateful. Julius Baer has provided me with opportunities for growth, education, and exploration. I can’t wait to see where this new stage takes me.”