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Page 1 of 4 Each article in this series features an interview with an expatriate living in Mexico. SolutionsAbroad has sat down with many fascinating and successful expats who have made Mexico their home. They share their experiences and offer advice to newcomers in Mexico. Tulien Tallas Executive Director for HSBC Premier SolutionsAbroad sat down with Tulien Tallas who heads HSBC Premier's global division from Mexico City. HSBC Premier is a unique way of managing all your finances irrespective of where you live and we asked Tulien what benefits it had for expats living in Mexico.
What's so good about HSBC Premier?T: HSBC Premier is about how we can help expats wherever they are. The services we offer will help them with their move, their day-to-day finances and also when they decide to return to their home country. Does HSBC Premier differ from country to country?T: Absolutely not. HSBC Premier offers exactly the same services wherever you are - that's the beauty of the scheme. We have the same brand, the same proposition, the same standards in more than 40 countries around the world. So a crude analogy would be like McDonalds where a Big Mac tastes the same in any country?T: Well yes ... but I'd liken us more to Starbucks! How long has Premier been operating?T: In Mexico since 2004 but we rebranded globally last September. Premier was originally conceived back in 2000. It's a relatively new product aimed at the internationally-minded client with a certain economic profile. Meaning?T: It's basically geared at an affluent customer who has an account with a million pesos or approximately 100,000 dollars. We do take on clients with a little bit below but it depends on the customers' needs. Apart from working as a checking and savings account, what else does Premier have to offer?T: Well, Premier is essentially made up of four components. The first is that wherever you are around the world you'll be recognized. So if you're a Premier customer we'll give you a Branded Premier card as well as a credit card and a debit card and you'll be able to make any ATM withdrawal around the world free of charge. You'll also have your own dedicated relationship manager who will ensure that you get first-class service whenever you go into an HSBC branch and you won't have to wait in line. Thirdly, Premier offers emergency cash to its clients in case they have their wallet or handbag stolen and are a long way from home. Finally, the idea behind being a global bank means you'll have access to your money anywhere in the world and any cash transfers from one HSBC account to another are completely free of charge. So the idea is to make your banking experience as hassle free as possible?T: Exactly. HSBC Premier has been devised to be a seamless proposition where the client is undoubtedly number one but is also afforded extra benefits that a normal HSBC client is not privy to. Basically, we can open up an account for a Premier client in any country before he or she lands there which is a highly attractive benefit for an expat. Plus, if you have children studying abroad we'll make sure you can open an account on behalf of them without you having physically to be there and, as I said before, any money transfers from your account to theirs is without charge. Any other benefits you get with Premier?T: The HSBC Branded Premier card offers a "Home & Away" program. This means whether you're travelling or in your home country, you will receive preferential interest rates as well other exciting opportunities. Another important service we provide our clients is wealth management. We'll provide you the best advice on how to optimize your money in your account and what investment opportunities you should pursue according to your personal requirements. So how would you sum up HSBC Premier?T: Basically, Premier boils down to service. If you match a certain economic profile we'll make sure banking with us is like flying first class. Tulien, thank you for your timeT: Thank you Return to top
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