Torsten​ Kleine​ Buening​ holds​ a​ degree​ as​ Diplom​ Wirtschafts-Informatiker​ /​ Master​ of​ Science​ on​ Information​ Systems​ of​ Westfaelische​ Wilhelms-Universitaet​ Muenster​ (Germany).

Torsten​ is​ a​ risk​ practitioner​ with​ over​ 20​ years​ of​ experience​ covering​ conventional​ and​ Islamic​ Finance​ in​ developed​ and​ emerging​ markets.

He​ started​ his​ banking​ and​ finance​ career​ in​ 2002​ after​ becoming​ Basel​ II​ Group​ Project​ Manager​ for​ Volksbanken​ Group​ in​ Austria,​ covering​ Austria​ and​ Central​ Eastern​ Europe.​ In​ 2006-2013,​ Torsten​ shaped​ the​ risk​ management​ of​ Samba​ Financial​ Group​ in​ Saudi​ Arabia​ and​ headed​ Capital​ &​ Portfolio​ Risk​ for​ Emirates​ NBD​ in​ Dubai,​ UAE.

In​ 2013,​ Torsten​ moved​ to​ Asia,​ becoming​ Head​ of​ Governance​ for​ Enterprise-Wide​ Risk​ Management​ for​ Standard​ Chartered​ (Singapore).​ In​ 2017-2019,​ he​ served​ as​ Chief​ Risk​ Officer​ and​ Chief​ Compliance​ Officer​ for​ Tenger​ Financial​ Group​ (Mongolia)​ covering​ Banking,​ Leasing​ and​ Insurance.

In​ 2019-2020,​ he​ contributed​ as​ Chief​ Risk​ Officer​ to​ the​ operations​ of​ Deem​ Finance,​ UAE,​ supporting​ an​ ambitious​ digital​ agenda.

Torsten​ joined​ ABA​ Bank​ in​ November​ 2020​ as​ Chief​ Risk​ Officer​ and​ as​ Compliance​ Advisor​ to​ the​ Chief​ Executive​ Officer.

What have been your journey leading you to RULE?

Personally, I do think that teaching and knowledge sharing are the best and easiest way to give back. Therefore, I have always enjoyed opportunities as those offered by RULE.

Can you describe how the course(s) you teach are relevant in the current context?

Cambodia follows a steep developing curve and has a great talent pool. Teaching students on credit risk and risk management in general is quite relevant as the country’s development needs risk managers and leaders that can steer it safely towards a bright future.

Can you tell us about your experience as a teacher for an international program in Cambodia? 

My experience is outright positive. The dedication of the participating students to come in person, after work, during the rain (as my courses take place partly in rain-season), and with the Phnom Penh-traffic, and when in class to raise good questions, that is a most positive experience.

But also the great support of the team at RULE that helps with the administration, logistics, and preparations so that one can focus on teaching and knowledge sharing.

What do you like the most in teaching at RULE? 

The level of curiosity and engagement of the students, which really turns teaching from monologue into dialogue. The challenges raised by the students show that they are not just consuming the material as shared, but that they really want to learn and understand.

Do you have any recommendations for future students and graduates?

Never ever give up on the curiosity and desire to understand. Yes, some topics are not as obvious and easy to grasp, but the satisfaction of eventually understanding (when the coin drops) is most rewarding. And for that, it is always the right thing to ask. – Never forget, we teach for you.