Bernard Lim

Experienced in driving business growth and expanding partnerships in the payments and financial services industry. Proven track record of managing key financial institution partners, increasing merchant adoption of Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC), and successfully selling multi-currency and gateway solutions. Key focus areas include: • Building strong relationships with acquiring banks and payment service providers to enhance merchant services. • Developing and executing sales strategies to promote multi-currency pricing and payment gateway solutions. • Leading business development efforts across APAC region, collaborating with partners to expand hotel and retail gateway solutions. • Training and supporting acquiring sales teams to boost DCC adoption and merchant engagement. • Hands-on approach to account management, with a strong focus on revenue growth, retention, and cross-selling opportunities. Passionate about driving innovation in payments, strengthening partner ecosystems, and delivering results through collaborative strategies.

• Defines opportunities and develop account specific strategies. • Creates strong relationships with key stakeholders in every account. • Increase discount business through effective execution of account plans. • Maintain American Express value positioning through effective business reviews and creating solutions using proprietary assets (online, fraud management, payment consulting group) that merchants will find meaningful. • Identify additional revenue opportunities within the portfolio. • Ensure welcome acceptance at all payment channels within these accounts.

• Deal Origination. Identifying new regional commercial card opportunities for TTS. • Business retention /utilisation. Providing proactive business retention /utilisation at product level. Support revenue realisation from deals won. • Prospecting and client calling at senior level with regional and global clients (GSG or TTLC). • Work with Regional Product Sales Manager, proposal writing team, coverage partners and other colleagues across the network for RFP and non-RFP deals. • Regional and Global Network management, sourcing deals and co-ordinating responses. • Manage overall account servicing including monthly account reviews, working with implementation managers to assist with contract negotiations, hosting weekly client management calls with account updates.

• Managing existing merchant accounts, identifying opportunities utilising Citibank’s infrastructure to meet client requirements. • Responsible for portfolio growth, merchant acquisition, sales and relationship management activities including analysing sales performance and profitability reports. • Developing and leveraging on existing merchant relationships. • Implementing B2B solutions, cross-selling to corporate cards and marketing initiatives. • Monitoring chargeback and fraud volumes of merchant accounts and ensuring follow-up programs are implemented in response.

Key responsibilities include: • Establishing and maintaining business relationships with key decision makers and identifying new business opportunities within the portfolio. • Driving negotiations with merchant partners in the context of a financial discussion. • Working closely with marketing, defining promotional programs to achieve growth objectives for both parties. • Thorough understanding of the competitive landscape, building defensive/ offensive strategies to retain clients. • Engaging with internal stakeholders to facilitate delivery of initiatives. • Delivering different solution models to various industries (B2B and B2C).

Key responsibilities include: • Increasing merchant coverage in Australia and New Zealand through outbound telephone acquisition and cold calling on strategic campaigns. • Understanding merchants problems with superior negotiation and objection handling skills. • Building strong relationships, influencing key decision makers and enabling conversion of merchants who may have formed a viewpoint not consistent with our delivered values. • Generating New Booked Discount Billing Volume (NBDBV). • Significant contribution to overall new Locations in Force (LIF) and NBDBV goals. • A high level of knowledge of American Express Merchant Value Proposition, our value story, acquisition policy, systems, operations, merchant compliance, processes and related products.

• Managing a team of four Business Advisors. • Maintaining a high level of discipline and coaching to achieve and deliver on sales and targets. • Prioritising in a busy inbound and outbound call centre environment. • Consultative selling across a variety of industries (public and private sectors) • Fielding to SME’s, mid-market and large corporations. • Introducing technology solutions. • Converting calls into new subscriptions and tender opportunities. • Monitoring and handling B2B account enquiries. • Cross selling and up-selling Online products, service subscriptions, seminars and workshops.

• Coordinating supplier relationships in a call centre environment. • Sourcing new suppliers and contracting. • Creating beneficial long-term partnerships with travel companies, airlines, car rental firms, hotel groups. • Online product management. • Pro-actively developing product offerings and implementing them. • Working closely with marketing department with promotional plans and advertising campaigns. • Regularly interacting with rate loading and product operations team. • Writing and editing web-content to a high level of accuracy. • Ensuring comprehensive representation of products to aid in the capture of online bookings. • Carrying out price competitive checks, understanding demands and ensuring inventory availability during peak times to enhance conversion.

• Telephone sales consultant specialising in long haul tailor-made itineraries. • Maintaining corporate and repeat clients. • High level of customer service skills. • Attended training seminars/travel industry functions • Consistently achieving and over-exceeding sales goals.

• Face to face and telephone sales consultant. • Specialist in Australasia, long haul flights and tailor-made itineraries. • Maintaining various corporate and repeat client accounts. • Handled and processed pre and post departure customer service enquiries. • Awarded company Top Seller Profit 2004 sales person of the year.

• Sold domestic/international travel (land and air products). • Maintained various corporate accounts (domestic/international travel). • Managed accounts receivable/payable. • Regularly attended wholesaler road shows and seminars. • Managed refunds department.