ISFB Insight
Developing a Big-Picture View to Better Manage Banking Projects
October 27, 2026
At the intersection of many different fields, a banking project manager must navigate professional realities and challenges that can sometimes be very different. The success of a cross-functional project depends as much on the ability to manage it effectively as on the ability to understand these different areas and bring them together toward a common goal.
With this in mind, Ludovic North, Senior Project Manager at Pictet, decided to pursue the ISFB Certificate in Staff and Support. In this interview, he discusses the realities of his job, the lessons he has learned from this program, and how it benefits his professional practice.
You recently completed the ISFB Staff and Support Certificate program. What led you to pursue this training?
In my role as a project manager, I often work on cross-functional projects with various teams—including Business, Audit, Compliance, Risk, and IT—each of which operates in very different contexts. So I wanted to step outside my usual scope and broaden my skill set by developing the big-picture perspective that this certificate provides, in order to better understand the challenges surrounding my projects and better support my internal clients. I was fortunate to be able to pursue this opportunity thanks to my employer’s support.
Which lessons or tools you learned during this training do you find most valuable in performing your duties, particularly in developing a cross-functional perspective on the bank’s operations?
Above all, the training allowed me to build a solid foundation in areas I don’t encounter as directly in my day-to-day work, such as banking operations management and the fundamentals of banking strategy. It also gave me a better understanding of the realities and constraints faced by my various counterparts and how their activities interrelate. For me, this is particularly useful in a project manager role, where I constantly have to serve as a liaison between different departments.
How has this training deepened your understanding of the strategic issues and mechanisms that govern the overall operations of a bank?
In particular, it has given me a better understanding of how a bank’s various functions are interconnected and how each contributes, at its own level, to the bank’s overall operations. I also have a better grasp of the various factors that influence decision-making—whether strategic, operational, regulatory, or risk-related—to ensure that the entire organization functions coherently.
What aspects of the program did you find particularly enriching?
I really appreciated the program’s practical focus and the real-world scenarios based on actual cases. I was particularly interested in the modules on data management, IT challenges, and crisis management, as they address very current issues I encounter in my projects—especially given the rapid evolution of technology and AI. I also found the discussions with speakers from diverse backgrounds and with varied experiences to be very enriching.
What added value does the ISFB Staff and Support Certificate bring to your career path?
Above all, the certificate has helped me enhance my approach to my role as a project manager. A large part of my job involves bringing together people with different areas of expertise, understanding their needs, and moving forward on issues that often extend beyond the scope of a single function. The ISFB Staff and Support certificate has given me additional tools to ask the right questions, take a step back, and identify the elements that are truly relevant to decision-making. This is particularly valuable in helping me better support my management team in steering and making trade-offs related to cross-functional issues.
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