Each customer we serve is wonderfully unique - and so are our people. Our individual strengths, perspectives and backgrounds enable us to connect meaningfully with our communities and each other, creating a respectful place where everyone can feel safe to be themselves. Find out from our people how our values of diversity, inclusion and belonging are lived every day at Bendigo Bank.
Q. In what ways does Bendigo Bank ensure you’re treated as a full person, not a number?
Qaim Rizvi, Senior Analyst, Regulatory Change, Adelaide:
“I moved to Australia in February 2020. Before that, I was in Pakistan. The most important thing for any person moving from a different environment, a different culture, is to fit into that different culture. Bendigo Bank has allowed me to become embedded in that culture and adopt it because the best thing is the people who have been around me, helping me learn more about the Australian culture. I find myself lucky enough to have the opportunity to evolve as a person.”
Justine Minne, Head of Community Banking, Bendigo:
“From both a customer’s perspective and a team member’s perspective, treating people as people has always been a real strength at Bendigo Bank. We’ve always been really great at personalising things, particularly for our customers. I think that’s one of our greatest strengths, and our people in the Community Branch Network in customer-facing roles do it so well.
“We allow people to be who they are, and we continue to evolve and adapt appropriately. We’ve come a long way with our education and the conversations we have to ensure the right behaviours and attitudes so everyone feels welcome and valued.”
Kimberly Dean, Retail Banking Coordinator, Melbourne:
“I feel more than just a number because I’m genuinely supported … I think with every organisation, there’s always room for improvement. But I feel ours is at the forefront of supporting our staff and customers around diversity and cultural inclusion. We all come from different backgrounds, and I know the bank is really supportive of all team members in identifying what their background is. I think we do that genuinely, not just as a tagline.”
Harry Heath, Customer Advisor, South Australia:
“We hire people of all ages, sexes, sexualities and races. It's not only that - Bendigo Bank prides itself on that. I know we've got a Diversity Leader. I know that we are considered bronze status for diversity. I know that our CEO and our executive team are just doing their best to get that up to silver or gold. It's something that Bendigo is really striving for and it's something that you can actively see in the working environment.”
Q. What D&I initiatives are you involved in at Bendigo Bank? Why is this important to you?
Hayley Lister, Project Coordinator, Adelaide:
“Mob@Ben is great because we get together, share our experiences and offer support to those who need it. It’s about supporting our First Nations staff who may be feeling a heavier cultural burden. Where we see a need for more First Nations voices, we can decide as a group who steps into that space.”
Justine Minne, Head of Community Banking, Bendigo:
“I’m the Chair of Bendigo Bank’s access and inclusion initiative, BEN Ability. BEN Ability is a group of volunteers from across the organisation who are passionate about supporting greater inclusion so that people can bring their whole selves to work. That’s a really important thing for us to do because it helps our people and our customers.”
Kimberly Dean, Retail Banking Coordinator, Melbourne:
“All my life, I’ve known I’ve got an Aboriginal background. It’s only more recently that I’ve opened up the journey to understanding my history. When the opportunity came to join Mob@BEN, I put my hand straight up and said I’d love to be part of it. Mob@BEN is about helping our mob within Bendigo Bank to come forward and identify so we can support them. It’s a really safe space. We have a fortnightly catch-up where we have a yarn, create connections and support anyone who might be having issues in their lives.
“I’m also the Retail Banking representative on Bendigo Bank’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) committee. In 2023, I attended a Cultural Immersion Day at Healesville with Bendigo Bank’s executives and a few other people on our RAP, which was an amazing, emotional day. We had an Aboriginal elder there; we had a smoking ceremony and were taken to a sacred burial site, which is something not many people get to do.
“I had a moment where we were all in a talking circle and I thought how lucky I was to be part of this day that will not only help implement things in my work life but in my home life as well. It was eye-opening in the sense of what we can do as individuals and as an organisation to continue to build that respect, understanding and learning to acknowledge the past but move with the present in the right way.”
Q. What could other organisations learn from Bendigo Bank in terms of creating a welcoming, inclusive culture?
Kimberly Dean, Retail Banking Coordinator, Melbourne:
“To do it with actual genuine care and passion. I think potentially, some organisations do things like an acknowledgement of country to tick a box. Don’t just do it to tick a box - do it because you really want to do it. I think having executives who sponsor initiatives around our culture and diversity is really key. It shows that we have genuine care in the things we do straight from the top and people really want to be a part of it.”
Hayley Lister, Project Coordinator, Adelaide:
“I've heard an executive and senior leader say, ‘We really recognise we're not a place where First Nations people want to work right now. What do we need to do to be a place that's more welcoming and inclusive?’ I think it's a lot rarer than it should be to hear people of influence in a large organisation ask those questions and then do something about it in terms of the future direction.”
Justine Minne, Head of Community Banking, Bendigo:
“I think one of the things we do really well is we listen to our people. We give them a voice and an opportunity through our Spark survey and through various channels to contribute and be heard.”
Want to learn more about diversity and inclusion at Bendigo Bank?
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