Kaspar Kalvet took on the leadership of Holm and its more than hundred-strong team in late 2022. He was attracted to the opportunity to shape the young fast-growing bank based on his best beliefs, knowledge, and experience. Kaspar has worked in various positions in the financial sector for almost 20 years, primarily outside of Estonia in Germany, Italy, and Latvia, at banks with different business models and sizes.
"The common thread that has engaged me in my previous positions is the challenge – I enjoy working on solving important issues, whether from the perspective of the company, clients, or on a wider scale," says Kaspar.
Finding the right solutions is a team effort
"As a financial company, Holm has been on the market for a long time, but as a bank, we are only at the beginning of our journey and we have a lot of interesting challenges. To be successful, we need to understand what lies ahead in the banking market in the future, and what steps to take and in what order," explains Kaspar. According to him, ways must be found to be a successful small bank whilst competing with financial institutions that are much larger today. "My goal is to find the right solutions with the team and build a strong and competitive organization together," Kaspar doesn't hide his ambitions.
"Throughout my career, I've learnt a lot from others and had some first-rate examples to follow. Yet I’m also convinced that the key to success, whether you’re a manager or a specialist, is first and foremost remaining yourself,” adds Kaspar, who is described by his colleagues as a quality-conscious, goal-oriented, forward-thinking, and analytical person. “I focus, think and make decisions quickly,” he continues. “I appreciate it when people tell it like it is. I prefer short sentences to long ones. I believe in mutual trust: the way I approach my work is to give others a lot of freedom to act, but I expect transparency and results in return," Kaspar shares his expectations for himself and his colleagues.
The employees are the company
Kaspar takes the view that in banking, the company is largely equal to the people working in it and how good they work together. “I value the contribution that everyone makes, and the experience they bring to the table,” he says. “My job is to ensure that everyone in Holm has the chance to be successful in their work and can achieve their goals and develop as professionals, but at the same time, to make sure that Holm as a whole is successful and achieves its goals,” Kaspar explains his expectations.
Kaspar doffs his hat to all the bank’s current and former staff, pointing out that Holm has grown significantly in recent years, with an above 50% increase in 2022. He sees Holm as one of the most dynamic and rapidly growing banks in Estonia – and that growth is set to continue in 2023.
Clear targets
"I am working towards the goal that in five years, we will be a significantly larger and profitable small bank, well recognized in Estonia, Latvia, and perhaps even beyond, compared to today. In the market, we are known to be a future-oriented agile bank of good plans that reacts quickly and is always quick to make the right changes and decisions. We are an attractive employer people want to work for, we have a great team, supportive working culture, and ample opportunities for personal and professional development," Kaspar feels proud of the company.