Every career has a moment where a single yes opens the door to something more. “Yes Moments” is a series of blogs that celebrates the choices that sparked opportunity and shaped the journeys of our people.

Dixon spent years building and scaling products in the startup world before joining OCBC. Discover how a builder’s mindset thrives within one of Asia’s most trusted banks to drive meaningful digital transformation as OCBC Hong Kong and Macau’s Head of Digital Business.

People often ask why someone who spent most of his career in tech startups would join a bank.

For me, the more interesting question was the opposite. What happens when you bring founder thinking into an organisation with real scale and diverse customers?

That question was what led me to say ‘Yes’ to OCBC.

Building Startups to Building at Scale

I began my career in Silicon Valley in 2010, during one of the most exciting periods of the tech industry. I was working at Gigya, an Israeli-American startup while studying at Stanford University through the National University of Singapore Overseas Colleges program.

It was a transformative period for the Web 2.0 industry. Facebook was scaling rapidly, the iPhone 3GS had just launched, and startup culture was everywhere. On University Avenue, every student wanted to change the world. That environment shaped my path.

Shortly after graduating, I co-founded Burpple, which grew into one of Singapore’s largest food discovery platforms with millions of users across Asia, before exiting in 2020.

Those years shaped how I think about leadership:
•    Start with the customer
•    Move fast, but with purpose
•    Take ownership end to end
•    Be mission driven. Work closely with our partners (such as Technology, Product, Customer Experience, Control Units and Frontliners) and drive towards a united outcome

After a decade in startups, I wasn’t looking for comfort or predictability. I was curious about something harder: whether founder-level agility could scale inside a large organisation. It was then I decided to seize my next opportunity at OCBC.

Why OCBC Felt Different

OCBC stood out for its openness to people without traditional banking backgrounds. The organisation actively sought diverse perspectives and fresh ideas.

I joined during a pivotal period in 2020 and 2021, when technology, customer expectations, and banking were evolving quickly during COVID-19 pandemic. Digital became the default. There was a real opportunity to create new value alongside improving existing platforms.

That opportunity materialised in the form of FRANK, a digital bank initiative focused on purpose-driven banking and later expanded into broader digital transformation efforts across markets.

What stayed with me was OCBC’s consistent approach to:
•    Trusting leaders with real ownership
•    Investing with a long-term view
•    Holding innovation and responsibility in balance

This was work that mattered, delivered at meaningful scale.

Leading Digital Transformation with Discipline

One of the most important lessons I have learned at OCBC is the role of discipline in sustained execution.

In banking, customer trust underpins everything. Processes such as the New Product Approval Process take time because they are designed to protect customers, the bank, and the broader financial system. Working within that structure while continuing to drive progress strengthened my leadership approach.

During our digital transformation journey, we led the One-app strategy, bringing multiple OCBC apps and capabilities into a single app. Together with our Business, Technology and Customer Experience partners, we also took this opportunity to refresh the OCBC app with a strong emphasis on customer voice. We spent hundreds of hours in customer interviews and labs, partnering closely with teams across divisions.

One thing that surprised me was how differently customers use our banking app. In one lab session, we watched customers struggle with something we thought was obvious. That moment reminded us that great digital products start with humility. Listening to customers changed how we rebuilt the OCBC app. The outcome went beyond feature improvements. Customer satisfaction reached record highs, and engagement tripled.

This combination of entrepreneurial mindset and disciplined execution is where OCBC consistently delivers.

A Regional Role, A Personal Homecoming

Today, I lead the Hong Kong & Macau Digital Business team, a group of digital product owners working on local and regional mandates across markets and systems. Our focus areas include:
•    Driving AI, Digital and Data initiatives for CFS HKMO Digital Business
•    Delivering a multi-year digital banking transformation partnering with Group CFS 
•    Simplifying customer journeys into fully digital, straight-through experiences

The work involves legacy systems, regulatory requirements, and cross-market coordination. These challenges bring depth and purpose to what we do.

On a personal level, returning to Hong Kong felt like coming home. I was born here, and reconnecting with the language, culture, and local community has supported both my professional and personal transition. OCBC’s support during my family’s relocation also played a key role in making the move much smoother.

A Place for People and Opportunities

OCBC is a place for people builders. People who put customers at the centre of what they do and want their work to make a real difference at scale. There is room here for technologists, product thinkers, designers, and problem-solvers to take on meaningful challenges and see the impact of their work reach millions.

That belief is what drew me to OCBC. It is what continues to energise me as I say yes to new opportunities and help shape the future of our bank.

Every journey starts with a choice. When was the last time you said yes? Opportunity Starts Here.