"In the future I want to be a professor. I have an ambition to teach," says Deutsche Bank's softly spoken Singaporean head of global markets for Asia. "It's something I never had a chance to do." Unlike many bankers, Boon Chye Loh is self-effacing. He seems embarrassed to be asked to give details about himself. It soon becomes clear that it's not so much the teaching he is interested in as the search for novelty. " If you are right on the mark in your field as a professor you will always discover new things in your job. And that is something to look forward to. But I am not sure I can give anything." But lest Deutsche starts to worry about losing the newly promoted Loh, he quickly adds that he is enjoying the challenges of banking.
None more so than trying to convince investors and analysts that Deutsche had a future in Asia as a top-five bank when its very presence there came into question. Last year, it suffered a severe blow when Barclays Capital lured away 15 of its debt capital markets team. Loh plays down its significance. "If you look at the whole origination team, we have 35 people in Asia.