Upon his appointment as Standard Chartered Malaysia’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on 18 August 2022, Mak Joon Nien became the first Malaysian CEO of the country’s oldest operating bank. For Standard Chartered, which has been present in the country since 1875, Mak’s appointment, following a sterling career with the bank for more than 25 years, feels pre-ordained, given that Mak has always risen to challenges, given his mantra that a lot of what life is revolves around giving your best because “regret is painful when you don’t place enough importance in doing your best”.
This year, the Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon, which took place on 4 and 5 October, also saw Mak participate in the half-marathon category. He shares parallels in financial and physical fitness, and why it’s important to build resilience to bounce back from the worst of times.
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“For me, financial fitness gives us clarity and focus in life—so we’re not worrying about where the money is coming from, and you’re not distracted by economic turbulence. All this means you can live life in the way you wish—too often, I think money worries take up a big chunk of people’s time.
“When I was younger, I’ve had my fair share of financial mistakes, but over time, once you’re able to manage your finances well, you remove a big burden from your shoulders. A lot of what it takes is simply discipline and willpower—you need to get into the frame of mind to invest, save, and plan.
“It’s the same with sports—the first key thing is simply in showing up, just like making that first investment or savings. When you put on your shoes to go on a long, challenging run, it may seem daunting. But with repeated actions and muscle memory, you start experiencing the more interesting aspects of your run.
“I was in the UK a few months back and, on a Saturday morning, I decided to join my friend for a morning run of five kilometres through the village and, suddenly, we were joined by 300-plus runners, many of them older than me and some even running with their dogs. And at 5km, I was overtaken by a much older person and her dog!
“I ended up being 278 out of 350, and that made me realise that physical fitness is also a great marker for success. Patience, for sure, is a key element. It’s what got Standard Chartered in Malaysia to carry on for more than 150 years and today, we are present across 54 markets. The lessons learnt and best practices become the key for the bank to avoid mistakes, and build a solid bedrock to be a safe and balanced advocate for our clients.
“Much in the same way, I don’t add a time target for my run—I find that, as long as I do my best, ultimately that’s what matters. And even if I don’t achieve a desired time this year, there’s always next. You do the run as an investment.
“My greatest inspiration really is my wife—she began exercising when she hit her 40s and, literally, went from zero to full marathons in two years! That has taught me that starting small, and starting early has great traction. And when you think about doing your best, that is what will drive your ambition to achieve all you can, so you won’t ever look back with regret.”
Illustration by Tan Eng Huat
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