Leading Through Transformation with Confidence and Foresight

For HSBC’s Dimuthu Dewapura, Ivey Executive Education offered timely perspective on innovation, disruption, and making better decisions in a rapidly changing business environment.

As Head of MI Asia Pacific at HSBC, Dimuthu Dewapura works in management information across risk and compliance, helping support reporting and decision-making in a complex regional environment.

At a time when HSBC and the broader financial services industry are navigating significant transformation, Dimuthu saw Ivey Executive Education as an opportunity to step back from day-to-day pressures and sharpen the capabilities needed to lead through change. He first attended Leading Creative Innovation in a Digital Market, followed by Strategic Planning and Decision-Making.

Both programs came at a relevant moment in his career, as his organization explored new ways of working, greater use of technology, and the potential of AI to improve efficiency and reshape operations.

What motivated you to take these Ivey programs?

The topics were very timely for me. They resonated with where I am currently in my career and with the kind of transformation happening around us.

We are in a very transformative stage, both externally and internally. There is a strong internal push toward innovation, moving from more traditional ways of doing things to exploring how technology can be incorporated into the work we do.

We are also partnering with major external vendors and exploring how AI can be brought into the fold to increase the efficiency of our operations.

Against that backdrop, we are bound to make decisions. Some of those decisions may be difficult, but they are in service of improving efficiency and preparing the organization for the future. That is why Strategic Planning and Decision-Making resonated with me. I wanted to learn more about how to approach those decisions, and how to do that in a structured and thoughtful way.

How did the programs connect to your role at HSBC?

In my role, we are supporting management reporting across risk and compliance. That means the work is closely connected to how leaders understand what is happening, how decisions are made, and how the organization prepares for change.

When you are in a period of transformation, decision-making becomes very important. You need to think about where the organization is going, how technology may change the way work gets done, and how to make choices with both speed and confidence.

The programs connected with that reality. They were not just abstract leadership topics. They spoke directly to the kinds of issues we are facing: innovation, disruption, AI, efficiency, and how leaders help teams move through change.

What stood out about learning from Ivey faculty?

What stood out was the experience the faculty brought into the room.

In Strategic Planning and Decision-Making, Professor Andreas Schotter was not simply trying to go through prepared content in a fixed order. He allowed the discussion to flow based on what participants were bringing into the room.

He made a point of asking us questions and engaging with our line of thought. The more we responded, the more he picked up on those ideas and explored them further. That made the session feel very relevant, because he was trying to relate the material to us and to our own contexts.

You could see his experience in the points he made and in the examples he brought forward. He drew on international experience across different markets and industries, and that helped connect the discussion to a broader business context.

Was there a concept that stayed with you?

One concept that stayed with me was the idea of Type 1 and Type 2 decisions, or one-way and two-way doors.

Even months after the program, I could still come back to that idea. It is a useful way to think about decision-making: some decisions are harder to reverse and require more careful consideration, while others can be made faster because they are easier to adjust.

That matters in an environment where things are changing quickly. With AI and other disruptions, you cannot spend too long pondering every decision. By the time you decide, the next wave of change may already have arrived.

So the question becomes: how do we make decisions with enough structure, but also with enough speed and confidence?

How did the discussion of disruption and AI resonate with you?

Disruption is very real for us right now. AI is changing the way organizations think about work, efficiency, and the future of talent.

There is a clear message from senior leadership that things are changing rapidly and people need to be prepared. Upskilling is important, and people managers have an additional role in preparing their teams, setting direction, and helping the organization adapt.

That is why these topics matter for leaders. It is not only about understanding technology. It is about helping people move through change and making better decisions in an environment where the pace of change is accelerating.

What was valuable about being in the room with leaders from other organizations?

Most of the training we do is internal, and in recent years much of it has moved online. Being physically present in a classroom was already a valuable change.

It was also valuable to speak with professionals from other industries and organizations. You get different perspectives on where others are coming from and what they are seeing in the market.

That is something we do not always get in our day-to-day work. There are restrictions, time constraints, and fewer opportunities to engage with people outside your own organization. The Ivey programs created that opportunity.

How did the Ivey experience compare with other training?

The physical presence and the external perspective were two major differences.

Internal training is important, but it is often focused on internal priorities, processes, or requirements. With Ivey, you are stepping outside your normal work environment and learning with people from other organizations and industries.

That gives you a different kind of perspective. You can reflect on your own context, hear what others are experiencing, and bring new ideas back into your work.

Who would you recommend these programs to?

I would recommend them to senior managers and above, especially those involved in decision-making and organizational transformation.

At HSBC, we are going through rapid internal transformation. There are structural changes, external shocks, and significant disruption from AI. Leaders need to be prepared for that, and people managers need to help prepare their teams as well.

Anyone actively engaged in the transformation of the organization would benefit from programs like these.

What is your overall takeaway?

The experience was definitely valuable.

It gave me time away from my normal work life to think, reflect, and learn. When you are able to step away and hear important ideas reinforced by experienced faculty and peers, it adds something.

You may attend a program and hear many different ideas, but often one or two concepts stay with you. For me, the decision-making frameworks, the discussion around disruption, and the need to move with speed and confidence are the things that stayed in my mind.