Asia's new head of financial markets research at Rabobank discovered that a senior position with a leading bank is no guarantee of a secure job when unforeseen events intervene. While working as an economist with a major Asian bank, based in Singapore during the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre, Adrian Foster suddenly found himself without a job when the department he worked for was abruptly closed.
Recalling the experience as a time of surprise and an emotional jolt, Foster is now philosophical about the events that led to the next stage of his career. 'At the time it was fairly unpleasant, but it is one of those things in life you have to overcome. It is something I still think about but, having been through the experience once and realising it was nothing personal, if it did happen again I would handle the situation as it happened,' Foster said.
'I moved back to Australia and made use of the time to read some classic books including those written by Joseph Conrad and do a PhD in economics,' he added, casually referring to his doctorate awarded by the University of New South Wales.
He said he used a Chairman Mao Zedong approach of one-step at a time, as the late Chinese helmsman recommended for embarking on a long journey, to complete his dissertation topic.
The father of a 14-month-old son said studying for a PhD provided a new impetus for setting his career back on track. 'Financially, I was probably a bit worse off for taking the time to study. But, in the long run, I feel I have learned a lot more than I would have if I had continued with the day job,' he said.
At a time when the world economy is showing signs of recovering from its biggest post-war slump, Foster believes he has joined Rabobank at an opportunistic time.
