Rohith Murthy came to Singapore to pursue his university studies in 1999 and completed them on a full scholarship. After graduating from university, he worked in a bank for a decade travelling and living abroad (including four years in Romania).
He met his wife while living in Romania. Rohith returned home to Singapore with his wife and their beautiful baby daughter to launch his startup.
Rohith leads SingSaver.com.sg , a financial comparison site aimed at helping consumers in Singapore save money and time by finding the right products at the best prices online. SingSaver.com.sg is Singapore’s comprehensive price comparison site for financial products.
The website empowers consumers by providing information on financial products such as credit cards, personal loans, and insurance, enabling them to make informed decisions and save time and money.
Rohith was also Head of Digital Banking at Citibank for Central and Eastern Europe where he led various e-channel initiatives, including the Internet, mobile, phone banking, ATMs and the digitisation of branches.
He successfully led and managed the launch of the Smart Banking Digital Branches in Romania and EMEA, the launch of the first mobile banking application and the digitisation of product onboarding.
Rohith started the Online Acquisitions Channel for the Bank, working closely with various comparison sites. He also conceptualized and launched Citibank’s Online Bank Branch to enable customers to video chat with sales consultants in real time. Rohith joined Citibank Singapore in 2003 and was part of the Asia-Pacific Regional Operations and Technology team where he played a key role in the end-to-end implementation of contact centre key tools to track and leverage all aspects of inbound sales for contact centres in the Asia Pacific.
During his ten year tenure, Citibank was awarded ‘Best Consumer and Corporate Internet Bank’ by Global Finance magazine in 2011 and 2012. He also received the Citibank Country Award in 2011 for the launch of various digital initiatives for the bank.
“These unique worldly experiences have opened my mind and showed me that opportunities could be anywhere if you choose to be hungry, humble and honest when pursuing them,” he says.
The New Savvy: Tell us more about your business. How did you get started in this business?
Rohith: SingSaver.com.sg is a leading financial comparison site in Singapore. We are a repository of all credit cards and personal loans in the market, and we help consumers in Singapore save time and money when shopping for these products.
When I was offered the chance to start and lead a Fintech comparison website, I thought to myself – this is the role of a lifetime – to share my expertise and views as an ex-banker, on how Singaporeans can better manage their personal finances. I grew up watching relatives and friends struggle to make payments on loans and credit card bills they could no longer afford.
I want to educate every Singaporean on how to make the best-informed choices when it comes to deciding what loan to apply for, or which credit card suits their lifestyle needs. As a family man, my wife and I share a strong bond in ensuring we plan our finances well and live within our means.
The New Savvy: What are the Unique Selling Points of your business?
Rohith: We are the largest repository of credit cards and loans in the market. There are more than 100 credit cards on the market, and it will be excruciatingly time-consuming for consumers to understand each of these products before picking one. We help them save time by presenting all this information in a simple and easy to comprehend manner.
We work closely with all leading banks to provide consumers with the best products and deals in the market. Through our blog and podcast, we educate them on how to use these products in a responsible and safe way and provide tips and tricks on how to maximise the benefits of these products thereby helping them save money.
The New Savvy: What do you love about your job?
Rohith: Our mission is simple—to help people save time and money. This is my biggest motivator and part of my job I love the most. I have a young and terrific team I work closely with every day to execute this mission.
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The New Savvy: Who is your typical customer or website, visitor?
Rohith: Our customers range from young jobholders to retirees to families—anyone who is looking for a financial product solution. We also plan to work closely with schools and colleges this year to educate students on personal finance.
The New Savvy: What are some interesting statistics of SingSaver.com.sg?
Rohith: We are the first ever price comparison website that has a TV commercial in Singapore. After celebrating our first anniversary, we now have more than 400,000 visitors per month.
The New Savvy: What is different about your business, in comparison to your competitors or similar businesses?
Rohith: The banks also see the fact that users really like coming to our website and checking out different financial products and they offer exclusive promotions and offers for our SingSaver.com.sg users.
The New Savvy: How do you keep in touch with your customer base?
Rohith: Through social platforms and emails. Our users also often call us directly as well to share their financial tips and experience.
The New Savvy: What is an interesting story about a customer interaction you had?
Rohith: During Christmas last year, I handled over 100 calls from our users who were looking for financial products. This was an eye-opening experience as consumers shared with me their struggles and needs when looking for a right financial product. These conversations enlightened me on how much more we can do to help consumers here find the right product.
Every conversation was a unique story and with the insights gleaned, we further enhanced our site, launched our podcast, and worked more closely with banks to introduce better products and deals.
The New Savvy: What’s your greatest fear as an entrepreneur?
Rohith: Complacency especially when things are going well.
The New Savvy: What are some patterns you’ve noticed over the years about women in work or business, and things they could be doing better to advance their careers?
Rohith: Majority of my team members are females, handling various roles from Analytics to Business Development to Marketing to PR. This is a testament to the fact that women today can, and should, pursue any career option. Having worked in various global locations, I have seen more and more of this diversity over the years.
The New Savvy: Can you share some advice for female entrepreneurs?
Rohith: There is no particular skill or job or business idea meant only for men. If you believe strongly in something and are passionate about it, then go for it and give it a real shot.
The New Savvy: In a team environment, what role do you usually take on?
Rohith: I take on various roles depending on the individual and task at hand. Some days I am the Coach, and other days I am the Supporter, or the Mediator, or the Challenger.
The New Savvy: How do you define success and how do you measure up to your definition?
Rohith: Success to me is not an outcome or consequence but a process. I like to obsess, dedicate, and enjoy the process to be successful in anything I do or pursue.
The New Savvy: Which of the two animals would you say you are most like — a sheep or a wolf — and why?
Rohith: I am told wolves develop strong social bonds and that once a wolf finds a mate, they usually stay together for life. I would like to consider myself a wolf in that aspect. Also, you may spot a lion in a circus, but never a wolf 🙂
The New Savvy: What is on your perennial to-do list?
Rohith: I am blessed with a beautiful daughter, and I want to travel with her and show her the world. Everything else on the to-do list can wait.
The New Savvy: How do you take advantage of your strengths? How do you compensate for your weaknesses?
Rohith: Practice. I get stronger and better at anything I do by practising over and over again. This is also how I compensate for my weaknesses.
The New Savvy: Describe some of the toughest situations you’ve faced in this job.
Rohith: The most important and hardest aspect of running a startup is the people. Sometimes you make great hiring decisions and sometimes you don’t. The hardest thing to do is realise the latter and remediate it quickly. Often, these situations are the toughest.
The New Savvy: If you could do things all over again, would you choose the same path for yourself? Why?
Rohith: I am happy and grateful where I have gotten to in my life and career. The only thing I might change is the pace. There have been times I could have paced myself a lot better.
The New Savvy: Do you think women are financially smart?
Rohith: Yes.
The New Savvy: How can we improve women’s relationship with money?
Rohith: Make it a top priority. And as a couple starts having conversations around it.
The New Savvy: If you were a new addition to the crayon box, what colour would you be and why?
Rohith: Red. It adds power.
The New Savvy: What is your best childhood memory?
Rohith: Summer vacations when we used to travel as a family and spend time with our cousins.
The New Savvy: What is the funniest thing that has happened to you recently?
Rohith: Getting drenched in the rain before an important client meeting and sitting in the office blow drying my shirt. I still don’t know why we had a blow dryer in the office!
The New Savvy: Any tips on how to choose the right partner for life?
Rohith: Choose someone with whom you can share anything. Knowing you won’t be judged or patronised.
The New Savvy: What are the last three books you have read? Tell us how you related to one of the characters.
Rohith:
- At the Existential Cafe: Sarah Bakewell
- The Rise and Fall of Nations: Ruchir Sharma
- Chaos Monkeys: Antonio Garcia Martinez
I relate a lot to Sartre’s character in the first book and his relationship with Beauvoir.
The New Savvy: If you could only keep five possessions, what would they be?
Rohith: My Kindle, my Music, my Photos, my Diary, and my Pen.
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