In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, Timothy Matlala discusses how Standard Bank is working with the public sector in South Africa. Matlala is the Head of Public Sector, Business, and Commercial Banking at Standard Bank and has worked in finance for over 15 years. He entered the industry as a Business Manager at Standard Bank South Africa and then briefly worked as a Relationship Manager at Nedbank before returning to Standard Bank. Matlala has remained at Standard Bank ever since, holding notable positions like Senior Manager, Head of Province Business Banking for Limpopo, Head of Business Development for the Public Sector, and Head of Enterprise Development. His stellar performance across these roles eventually resulted in his promotion to his current position in 2021. Matlala holds an MBA from the Henley Business School and a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management, Business Administration, and Management from MANCOSA. In this What’s Next interview, Matlala outlines why banks need to reconsider how they engage with the public sector. He then explains how Standard Bank supports municipalities without overstepping the divide between the public and private sectors. Matlala then reveals how Standard Bank’s public sector offerings are unique, before unpacking the scope of his department - including how lending and liquidity management fit into the business model. He concludes the interview by discussing the biggest opportunities for public-private partnerships in South Africa.