Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters on the ‘reckless path’ that shaped his banking career

Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters reflects on the decisions that shaped his career, from taking an unfamiliar path at J.P. Morgan and being fired by Jamie Dimon to leading the turnaround of Standard Chartered. He explains why, when rare opportunities arise, he believes in taking the “reckless path.”Bill Winters planned to become a diplomat. Instead, a job at J.P. Morgan led him into banking and eventually to a pivotal early-career decision: move into the emerging derivatives business despite knowing little about it.In this episode of Executive Decisions, the Standard Chartered CEO tells Steve Sedgwick why that experience helped shape a career philosophy he still shares with younger colleagues: when rare opportunities arise, sometimes you should "take the reckless path." For Winters, that doesn't mean being careless; it means being prepared to choose the less conventional route when it offers more to learn. Winters also reflects on his 26 years at J.P. Morgan, the lessons of the global financial crisis and what it was like to be fired by Jamie Dimon. He explains why he subsequently ignored advice not to join the UK's Independent Commission on Banking and why, six years after leaving J.P. Morgan, he returned to mainstream banking to become CEO of a troubled Standard Chartered. He also discusses the decisions behind Standard Chartered's turnaround, mistakes he made along the way, leadership, AI and why he believes ambition can sometimes become a curse.Subscribe to "Executive Decisions with Steve Sedgwick" wherever you get your podcasts, or click here.