As we reflect on International Women’s Day, Police Bank spoke to Chief Information Officer (CIO) Lyndall Bushell about her impressive career, her thoughts on how to empower women in the workforce, and her tips for members who aspire to be leaders.
For technology trailblazer and Police Bank CIO Lyndall Bushell, empowering women at work means supporting women to make the choices they want.
From the ability to work flexibly to ensuring we’re advocating for women and ensuring inclusive processes and opportunities at a senior level, Ms Bushell said she’s seen progress across her career in banking and technology, but much more work is needed.
“We need to put women in positions where they have choices to do what they want to do and what they need to do, without feeling like the cost of that is too high,” she said.
One example Ms. Bushell gave related to childcare, where she feels the conversation must shift away from linking women’s decision to go back to work with the cost of childcare.
“Childcare is invariably angled as a problem associated with women, and we often hear about trying to rationalise the cost of childcare with a woman’s income, rather than contemplating the whole household income or support arrangement. This is an unfair burden society puts on women,” she said.
Ms. Bushell stressed she is in a position of privilege, with earlier access to higher education, support at home, and the ability to access help – which both the Police Bank CIO and this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) recognise many women don’t have.
This year’s IWD theme is Inspire Inclusion, which captures “the sense of belonging, relevance, and empowerment” that comes with being included. It also calls for more diversity in leadership and decision-making positions.
Reflecting on her leadership, Ms. Bushell said it’s important to recognise the change you can create.
“I can’t change the whole world, but I can change what happens within my own team; today, I can influence what happens in my own team,” she said. “I think as leaders, that’s the most important thing we can do.”
Ms. Bushell began her career at Westpac in 2008 and joined the bank’s graduate program the following year.
For a while, she worked as a bank teller, which she described as a “great experience” to gain insight into the behaviour of customers. In her early career years, Ms. Bushell developed her interest in consumer behaviour.
“I could see there was an unmet need around financial literacy,” she said.
Later, Ms. Bushell became involved in transformations and said she developed more of a curiosity about how people experience change especially as we moved through digital transformation. She has been involved in early mobile banking experiences and working on systems that help customers to enable their self-service needs.
Through her 12 years at Westpac, then later roles at Neobank 86 400 and BNPL provider Humm, she said she was reminded of the importance of putting the customer experience at the centre of the way financial providers operate.
For that reason, the CIO was excited to join Police Bank last year and about what’s next for the customer-owned bank.
“The thing that appealed to me about the transition is the opportunity to continue to be involved in transformation,” she said.
“There is a huge opportunity for mutual banks to challenge the majors, increasingly using technology, coupled with a real purpose-driven focus, to drive better experiences for customers. Police Bank is doing just that.”
Advice for other aspiring leaders
For future female leaders, Ms. Bushell has several pieces of useful advice, particularly around the importance of knowing your worth and finding the right support.
“To people up and coming, I would say ‘feel empowered to advocate for yourself knowing the value that you drive’,” she said. “You have to back yourself.”
Ms. Bushell said it’s also important to align yourself with the right leaders.
“Seek out support, seek out mentors, look for people you can identify with; you will need those,” she said.
“I feel like my career has been supported by great leaders along the way… I think Greg (Police Bank CEO) is a great leader.”
Finally, “If you’re in a position to do so, find work with purpose,” she said.
Spotlight articles are prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs and are published for information purposes only. You should consider the appropriateness of any content for your circumstances.
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