Times are changing and we’re changing with them – to grow and help more communities across Australia. That means better tools, better resources and greater innovation for our customers and our people. Read on as some of our team members reflect on Bendigo Bank’s meaningful journey of change and transformation.
Q. Why would you encourage people to join Bendigo Bank now rather than at any other point in time?
Justine Minne, Head of Community Banking, Bendigo:
“I think the opportunity now is the fact that we have got some really exciting pieces of work in front of us. We are at a point where we are going to really make a difference and we’re at the next stage point of who we are from an organisational point of view. I think we’re ready to flourish in the modern world.”
Qaim Rizvi, Senior Analyst, Regulatory Change, Adelaide:
“You basically are helping the organisation become better for the customers. And because there's a value in that change, you enjoy that change. Yes, there are challenges that come across with it, but at the same time, it's something you would cherish in the long term, which is much more important. To be part of that customer mission, and at the end of the day, being a customer myself, I feel that. It gives your self-achievement a kind of thumbs up.”
Ann Nguyen, Delivery Owner, Gippsland:
“The great thing about Bendigo’s size is you can get things done a lot faster. If you see there's a gap or something that needs to be improved, you can get stuck in and say, ‘Hey, why don't we do this a bit differently?’ The attitude I find at Bendigo is, ‘Let's let's try to be better. How can we be better?”
Ryley Verley, Agribusiness Relationship Manager, Adelaide:
“We are a smaller bank and you can take advantage of that. You know all the people that work here and you can take advantage of some of the changes that are happening and some of the transformation that we're involved in, and you can really be a contributor to that.”
Q. Bendigo Bank is focused on making better, bigger. In your area, how do you see Bendigo Bank changing and evolving?
Justine Minne, Head of Community Banking, Bendigo:
“Now is a really exciting time because we are in such a growth phase. With the journey we’re on, the digital transformation and the tools and resources we’re going to be able to provide our customers and our team members - there’s a lot of great work ahead.
“Our end-to-end lending platform is an example - that’s going to be a real game changer. It means our people out in the network are going to be able to service their customers and turn around decisions much more quickly than we have previously, so therefore, we can serve more customers, deepen relationships and spend more quality time with our customers doing the work we want to do and are here to do. As a result of that, we are going to get bigger because we are able to be better.”
Hayley Lister, Project Coordinator, Adelaide:
“We've got a really dynamic team. Some people have seen the bank from its infancy through to now in terms of change and growth. It's a 300 people-plus team at the moment and the person who heads it is a female in her 50s. She's a huge inspiration to us because she's been in leadership roles long before it was acceptable to be a female leader in a bank. So, she probably advocates a lot heavier for women in leadership.”
Harry Heath, Customer Advisor, South Australia:
“I believe that service is still going to remain the priority here in the branches. Of course, we're looking at digital inclusion and how we can better our customers’ lives and put things online - not so that they don't come into the branches, but just to make their lives easier in general. But at the forefront, we're still going to be focusing on service, and I see that every day.”
Q. Why is it important Bendigo Bank evolves for the future?
Ryley Verley, Agribusiness Relationship Manager, Adelaide:
“The agricultural industry, over the last 30 years, has had significant growth - not by accident, but because technology has changed dramatically. And it's so important that the bank is at the cutting edge of that. How do we finance that? How do we structure this growth in technology? And how do we keep really at the cutting edge of it all? That’s what’s exciting.”
Kimberly Dean, Retail Banking Coordinator, Melbourne:
“There's been so many changes and it's all for the positive; it's all just setting us up for a really strong future and moving with the times. It's amazing to see the transition and the change that is forever happening. Probably the biggest thing is the way our branches look and operate. We have to get used to this digital world that we're in. We're not just your old fashioned, you know, deposit money, withdraw your money. We are so much more than that. It's really an institution for people as well.”
Harry Heath, Customer Advisor, South Australia:
“We can't really see what's 10 years ahead at any given time, but we can definitely prepare for it.
Q. What are you excited about when it comes to that change and transformation journey?
Justine Minne, Head of Community Banking, Bendigo:
“I’m excited that we are going to have greater and better technology. We’re continuing to embrace innovation, but we’re doing it while staying true to who we are, retaining our identity and still making a difference in the communities in which we operate, so I think that’s what I’m most excited about.”
Ann Nguyen, Delivery Owner, Gippsland:
“There are absolutely scenarios where I I believe Bendigo Bank is more advanced and more sophisticated. A lot more agile, a lot more nimble and how they do things - more so than the big four because they've got a lot more red tape, a lot more process that they need to go through. So, I think Bendigo can do things better.”
