Bankwest

Earlier this month, some of our tech team stepped out of the office and into Perth Children’s Hospital to mentor young patients at an offsite CoderDojo event. By partnering with Child and Adolescent Health Service and the School of Special Educational Needs: Medical and Mental Health, the kids learned the fundamentals of programming, helping improve digital literacy through hands-on activities with coding tools and robots. For our mentors, it was about more than teaching code, it was about sparking curiosity and showing what’s possible in the world of tech. As Tech Grad Melissa Frattura (pictured in the third photo) shared: “I’m basically a big kid at heart, so getting to work with kids and see their excitement as they bring their ideas to life by using programming tools and working with robots is so rewarding. If I’d had access to experiences like this when I was younger, I might’ve found my way into this career even sooner.”

Natalie Brown didn’t start her career in tech but today she’s helping us shape the future of digital banking. With a background in journalism and marketing, Nat has moved from product and payment roles, into projects delivering our new app, and now, helping manage how we speak with customers in the app. Her recent Women in Technology WA Inc. (WiTWA) award nomination (pictured below at the awards night with fellow colleague, Rachael Jennings) recognises the impact she's made towards our digital ambitions. “We’re moving from a period of transition into building more interesting and innovative features. Personally, I’m excited to see our customer communications get even smarter and more personalised.” It's our colleagues like Nat, who bring fresh perspectives and help us build more innovative, useful and inclusive digital experiences.

Access to technology provides so many opportunities, especially for young people who are on their high school and further study journeys. That’s why we’ve donated over 70 laptops this year to students from the Polly Farmer Foundation Follow the Dream program, supporting First Nations students across Western Australia. This initiative is part of how we’re supporting future digital leaders, repurposing equipment to empower upcoming talent and reduce digital barriers. It’s just one of the ways we’re committed to supporting First Nations people and communities and creating inclusive pathways into education and technology. As Ryan Conway, Senior Desktop Support Analyst puts it: “Giving a laptop might feel like a small gesture to us, but for someone else, it can change everything. We often don’t realise how much our actions today can shape someone’s future. It’s one of the things I’m proud of about working at Bankwest.” (Ryan pictured below with students, Tillie-Essa and Makaylah).

Last week, our User Experience team joined the UX community at UXCamp Perth | Boorloo. Presenters pitch their ideas, participants vote, and the most compelling topics take the stage, a real example of UX principles in action. Helen Whattler and Richard Jones pitched a session on “The Deceptiveness of UX” which was voted in as the lock note, the closing presentation where all attendees tuned in. Their session explored how UX is unintentionally fuelling fraud and scams by prioritising convenience over caution. “Working in the frauds and scams space at Bankwest has reshaped how I think about UX, it’s not just about great experiences, but safer ones. It's exciting to share this perspective with the incredible Perth design community.” says Helen, Experience Design Lead. It’s great to see our team take such an active role in conversations around thoughtful design and sparking meaningful dialogue in the UX community.

We've taken home multiple awards at the Good Design Australia Awards - including a Gold Award for App Design and Green Awards for our Transformation and Design Strategy and Website Design. It’s a proud moment that celebrates not just great design, but the vision, strategy, and teamwork of our colleagues to redefine digital banking for our customers. "Our team really put in the hard yards to bring the refreshed app to life in a way that empowers customers to manage their money better than ever." says Crew Lead Everyday Experiences, Charles Street MBA

Supporting Telethon7 since it started 58 years ago, our colleagues are once again excited to volunteer their time this weekend. Volunteering more than 20,000 hours of support over the years, our teams bring their workplace skills, combined with enthusiasm and empathy, to help make a difference, helping raise funds for medical research, vital equipment and essential programs for WA kids. It’s colleagues like Lisa Demarte from our Customer Engagement Centre who will be ready to take your calls and donations. To donate to Telethon this year, head to https://lnkd.in/dB3PDNWu

A career at Bankwest can take you anywhere when you’re curious, driven and open to learning. James Jeffs from our Social Media Team chatted to us about the different roles he’s had during his 16 years with Bankwest, and how his ambition has been matched with opportunity across the business.

Speaking directly to customers about what's important to them when it comes to their everyday banking has been the foundation for our redesigned app. That’s what Senior Product Owner Sean MacDonnell has to say about launching our new app.

Doing good goes hand in hand with doing great work. That’s why our colleagues have access to paid volunteering leave so they can give back to the causes they care about.   Last month, teams stepped away from the workplace to step into their communities, giving back more than 1700 hours to 30+ volunteering events. It’s all part of May by Us, our volunteering mega month. 

We’ve just launched something special for our broker network – our Bankwest for Brokers LinkedIn page. We’ll share what it’s like for brokers to work with us, and how we can support them in growing their business. This is all part of our commitment to innovating and improving our experience for brokers and customers. If you’re interested in following us there, visit our Bankwest for Brokers page: https://lnkd.in/gmM6k2ek