Commonwealth Bank

We’re excited to announce the launch of our free CommBank Financial Fitness program, available to all, to help you make your money go a little further today and plan for a brighter tomorrow. Created by our Personal Finance Expert Jess Irvine, the CommBank Financial Fitness program will help you learn: 💰 Simple hacks to help cut your expenses and boost your income ⭐ How to set meaningful financial goals ✍ Money management systems to help you stay on top of your cash flow 🌱 How to take active steps to grow your wealth 🔓 Tips to help keep you and your money safe For more information, search for 'CommBank Financial Fitness' or check the comments below for the link 👇

“Nearly every day we can make a positive impact for young people, their families and medical teams. We all work collaboratively to distract and negate trauma responses for young people in otherwise quite painful, and intense scenarios. Our work in hospitals can range from helping make blood tests more efficient (and silly), to bringing joy to young people before surgery. Recently, Dr Fizzy Whizzy and I were working in the Pre-Admission Resource Centre, and we met a young person who was incredibly anxious about her upcoming surgery. We spent a long time together in a sensory room, and a friendship and ridiculous game emerged, where we were sent out on spy missions. Just imagine Clown Doctors attempting to be covert action heroes, rearranging furniture in a hospital waiting room. It was a ridiculous scenario, but when it was time for this young person to be anesthetised, they were excited to go into theatre with us, a dramatic difference to previous experiences. The hospital experience for many is all encompassing, some young people are spending a large portion of their life there. Clown Doctors are a small part of ensuring that young people in hospital are living lives that are still full of joy, imagination and humour. We’re there to make sure lives are continuing to be lived.” - Tim, Dr Lost & Found CommBank is a proud partner of the The Humour Foundation's Clown Doctors program, helping spark brightness and joy in hospitals across Australia for over 25 years. You can help more families experience the magic of the Clown Doctors by donating online or in branch this Smile Month.

“I’ve had two career breaks across 25 years – the first to raise my children, and the second was after my university research department was closed due to a Covid-induced funding gap – it left me wondering, 'What’s next?' I was always fascinated by science, so studying physics and computing felt natural, including a PhD in AI applied to medical images. This set me up for careers in financial software engineering and medical physics. Even with that strong educational base, returning to work after a break felt daunting. I discovered CommBank’s Career Comeback Program on LinkedIn, and it seemed like the perfect bridge from an academic to a corporate environment. I applied for a role in the Systematics Market team and was fortunate to be selected. The support from my manager, team, and mentors was incredible in helping me settle back into a world I left some time ago. Completing my assigned project was a memorable highlight; it felt like a real achievement to have something tangible to show for my efforts, which continues to be used within the bank to this day. My advice to anyone considering the program? Don't worry if you don't tick every box and are worried that Jira, Confluence, DevOps and stand ups are a total mystery. Everyone understands this is a return-to-work program. Be prepared to put the time and effort in, and this will pay off tenfold! Today, I lead the ML Ops Deployment and Integration squad. It's been an incredible journey, and I'm excited for what opportunities lie ahead.” Ruth Oliver x CommBank Product Owner – ML Ops Deployment and Integration Career Comeback Alumni

“Stepping away from a VP position in investment banking to pursue a PhD in Environmental Science was certainly against the grain, and many people around me couldn’t understand why I took that risk and made such a leap at the time. It’s where my instincts were telling me to go and so it was such an incredibly rich and rewarding experience on so many levels. I’m very proud I had the courage to make the decisions that have led me to where I am today, on this nonlinear career path. I’ve always pushed way past my comfort zone – throwing myself in the deep end more times than I can count, and I’ve loved every minute of it.” Yasmina Elshafei, Managing Director, Global Carbon, CommBank, shares an important reflection following #IWD – on how she took a leap and backed herself to land exactly where she wanted to be. “I think as long as you're feeling that constant sense of challenge and inspiration, and you’re striving to stretch, learn and accomplish new things, that's what truly matters. For me, a dream career is about exploring your curiosity and broadening your experience at every stage of life.” #CBAWomeninFocus

“I always loved making people laugh, and connecting with kids, so being a Clown Doctor was a perfect career change. Plus, it was a great compromise, I always wanted to be a clown, and my parents wanted me to be a doctor. Sometimes people think we only affect the little kids, but laughter is the best medicine for kids of all ages still. Our presence allows for some normalcy in the sterile and series spaces of hospitals. One of these surprising and heart-warming interactions was in the burns clinic with a 15-year-old teenage boy. While the young person’s dad was having all the serious conversations with the health professionals, I entertained him with magic tricks, he was smiling but still in pain, so I thought he was just being polite with my larger-than-life ways. A couple of weeks later, I saw him again at the burns clinic, for his wounds to be reinspected, and they were almost completely healed. He remembered me and asked me to repeat all the terrible magic tricks for his older brother with him. I could tell in that moment that I did leave quite an impression, just to be able to give someone a happy memory in a time of distress feels like a huge win for me! - Sunanda, Dr Bing Bong CommBank is a proud partner of The Humour Foundation's Clown Doctors program, helping spark brightness and joy in hospitals across Australia for over 25 years. You can help more families experience the magic of the Clown Doctors by donating online or in branch this Smile Month.

“The women who inspire me the most are those who have accomplished something remarkable despite the cards they’ve been dealt. Achievement is relative, because we don’t all come into the world with the same opportunities available to us.” To celebrate #IWD over the weekend, we’re sharing notes from some of CommBank’s female leaders. For Sarah Lalor, General Manager, ESG and Sustainable Finance, her greatest inspiration comes from those who aren’t necessarily in the spotlight. “Seeing relativity and that success doesn’t look the same for everyone is important. Women who are defying the odds given their circumstances, like being the first generation in their family to break a cycle or to complete a higher level of education, really deserve our recognition. It’s something I consider deeply in my role at CommBank, but also in how I move through the world and support others. I never assume people experience a situation, or even arrive there, in the same way as me, because it’s usually different." #CBAWomenInFocus

If you live in Tropical Cyclone Alfred affected locations, we have support available through our Emergency Assistance. We are closely monitoring the developments and our priority will be to support communities and our customers. Find out more here: https://lnkd.in/gQBTQNY

“I got to experience the incredible work of Clown Doctors when my youngest child was a toddler. He had been at his grandparents, there was a horrible accident with hot water, and he suffered severe burning to his body. I remember waiting in a small room of the hospital for his burns to be treated when the Clown Doctors popped in. They instantly lifted the mood and sparked a moment of joy during a terrible situation. In the following weeks we returned to the hospital a few times to monitor his recovery, and we came across the Clown Doctors during some of those visits too. They played ukelele and did little tricks to entertain the whole family. I noticed the CommBank logo on their coats right away and as a new employee at the time, I felt incredibly proud to see this display of CBA’s values in what was such a vulnerable moment. Although they could only spend a few minutes with us, the distraction was so appreciated. No one wants their child to experience pain, but I am grateful that the Clown Doctors were there for us during our hospital visits. My hope would be that any family entering a hospital could experience the joy that the Clown Doctors bring. Your support can help them spark more smiles in hospitals across Australia.” – Rachel, Mum and Customer Banking Specialist CommBank is a proud partner of the The Humour Foundation's Clown Doctors program, helping spark brightness and joy in hospitals across Australia for over 25 years. You can help more families experience the magic of the Clown Doctors by donating online or in branch this Smile Month.

“Being part of the CommBank's Regional and Agribusiness Graduate Program in Tasmania has been an incredible experience. Originally from Sydney, I planned to stay in Hobart for just six months but loved it so much I extended all my rotations here. The team has been incredibly supportive, and the program offered unique opportunities, like working in credit risk and engaging directly with clients, which fast-tracked my learning. As the only grad in Hobart, I also valued the national events where we could connect and share experiences. The focus on curiosity and growth has been key to my development.” – Henry, Business Banking Graduate

“The best part of being in the CommBank Graduate Program is the strong sense of community it brings – you’re surrounded by people who started the journey with you, sharing experiences and supporting one another. The structure, including activities like annual conferences, really helps build skills beyond the day-to-day work while creating a fun and collaborative environment. My advice to future grads? Speak up and ask questions. Finding your voice makes all the difference.” – Yumna, Technology Graduate