Westpac Group’s Post

Exec Chats: A message to new graduates In the photo you’ll see two gents: Shaun Letswee and Ago Othusitse. Both of them have come through the FNB graduate program and both are a testament to what deep commitment and consistent hard work can achieve. They have grown from trainees to department heads in just a few years, and I had the privilege of witnessing their journeys. I want to share their advice for any new graduate entering the workforce: Shaun: - Be patient with yourselves - you won’t know everything and that’s ok. - Don’t downplay the importance of learning. Ago: - Don’t neglect horizontal relationships - you’ll spend more time with your peers and learn more from them than from your boss. - A great thought comes from several good thoughts. Good luck to all those entering the workforce this year (and those striving to!). We will watch with pride as you put your best foot forward. #ExecChats Claudia Scheepers 🙏

As a Leader in the Philadelphia Community Bank for M&T Bank we pride ourselves on the way show up in the communities we serve! To see these results and know how much our teams are doing to better themselves and those around them is inspiring! At M&T, our people are, and always have been, our greatest advantage. As key difference makers in their communities, our employees make M&T a fulfilling place to work. In turn, our focus on Sustainability Priorities to attract, develop, and retain employees helps us create an environment that effectively supports their efforts. Through this cycle, we’ve attained amazing results such as: - 9.6 years average employee tenure - Nearly 250K hours volunteered by employees - 63 employees joined through apprenticeship programs since 2020 We continue to be inspired by our employees and believe you will be too. Dig further into the stats on page 23 of our latest Sustainability Report to see the full impact we’ve been able to make: http://ms.spr.ly/6047lnoAc #sustainability #sustainabilityreport #GreaterThan40 Chad PalankDell DinglePaola GaitanChad ShankLeo Pedrotty Jr.Dan HilbertRebecca ShugarSean TiganiDenise LinnJulian GentileSharon McCarthyLisa WeeksBernie ShieldsMiguel BaptistaKristen LaDowDenise MonahanAnthony Rosado

🥳 Happy New Year everyone! 🎉 As I reflect on the events over the past 12 months, I can honestly say that this has been quite possibly the most challenging year I have ever faced, and I am extremely grateful for it. ▪️I started the year joining the NatWest Rainbow Network as a Global Pride Co-Chair, leading the Comms workstream for the 2024 season. ▪️I successfully defined and implemented a small project to revitalise an existing PMO dashboard, that centralised and simplified the presentation of essential data points across multiple Programmes. ▪️I continued my Professional Development with the APM PMQ apprenticeship, (hopefully passing both the Exam and End Point Assessment by the start of Q2 2025). ▪️I was diagnosed with ADHD in May, which has helped me find new ways of working to get the best out of me, but also use it to get the best out of the work I do. ▪️I led a small project within Cash and Self Service, which allowed me to hone my coaching and leadership skills a little more. (Unfortunately cut short by the next point). ▪️I navigated through the risk of redundancy, which surprisingly was the easiest part of this year. ▪️I supported the delivery of NatWest Pride 2024, which was one of the most engaging seasons ever, and had an NPS of +82! This pride season included some incredible events and panel led discussions, including a cross-industry event that explored the reasons why LGBTQ+ people are 42% more likely to distrust financial institutions, and how we can bridge that gap. ▪️I secured a promotion in the NatWest Bank of APIs as a Scrum Master, really pushing me out of my comfort zone, and has motivated me to do greater things in 2025! ▪️Following the success of NatWest Pride 2024, I accepted a role as Global Pride Co-Lead and can't wait to kick start the preparations for Pride 2025. When I write down everything that I have achieved this year, I want to acknowledge that this did not happen overnight. I have consistently challenged my own mindset - reflecting on whether I am in a growth or fixed mindset. I have learnt to accept that changes can't happen immediately, even if I want them to - there is a time and a place for everything, and sometimes I just have to be patient. I have also combatted that "Imposter Syndrome" feeling we all get. It lingers sometimes, but then I look back at how nervous I used to be, and think to myself "2022 Ry wouldn't have been able to do this". Ultimately, I am proud of what I have done to get here. I want to finish by saying a huge thank you to everyone professionally who has supported me (I won't tag you all as there are so many of you!). Whether you gave me advice, taught me new skills, coached me, just listened while I ranted, or made me belly laugh until I was crying - thank you! You have made 2024 one of the best years of my career! Now, I'm logging off and going to welcome the new year with my partner and my cats. Have a Happy New Year folks, and may 2025 be your best year yet! 📣

Compass Group UK & Ireland and Street League have joined forces to create learning and job opportunities for young unemployed people, giving them skills for future success. Street League launched this partnership in the Compass Scotland business with the help of Scottish Event Campus (SEC), securing training and roles for ten candidates. Read more in the link below... Chartwells Universities Chartwells UK Compass Group UK & Ireland

According to the Institute of Student Employers Conference, early career hires are less career-ready than ever. 🤯 Solutions? a) Buddy/mentor schemes 🤝 b) Training for Gen Z in effective communications/culture and managers in generational differences ❤️ c) Use #skills assessments and verification to help new starters feel valued and connected to their team/organization. Whilst also placing them in their best role fit 🧠 🚀 NatWest's Dr Anna Koczwara summed it up perfectly, stating that we need to be empathetic as we help graduates move from the schoolroom to the boardroom or "from being right to being effective. They no longer need to provide an academic answer. Instead, we're now asking graduates to be pragmatic solution providers." 🙏 A key takeaway blog from the #ISE event - coming soon on the Spotted Zebra page! 👀 (Shoutout to Shraddha Gohel for being my selfie buddy 😉)

Value every job. We never saw ourselves working in retail but we did, we never saw ourselves being teachers but we did, we never saw ourselves volunteering but we did, we never saw ourselves working at gyms but we did, we never saw ourselves in learnerships but we did, we never saw ourselves being bank tellers but we did, we never saw ourselves being student assistants but we did. The fact is that life did humble us and we learnt from it. Even now we not where we want to be in terms of our career goals but we are working hard to get there. The truth is one day we shall be Dean's of faculties or Directors of Research and Innovation. However, to get there, we shall prioritise learning from others and appreciating the experience acquired. #noticeme #sharing

📢 A BIG thank you to everyone involved in yesterday's Workplace Safari for Abraham Moss Community School! 🙌 At Aldermore Bank, a key part of our talent strategy is to provide equity of opportunity in financial services. By opening our doors for students to explore the various roles in finance, we aim to equip them with the knowledge and skills needed for success. These workplace experiences significantly boost student engagement and readiness for the world of work. Thank you Keely, michael, Hannah, Andrew, Tasmin, Mace, Anthony, Diane and Sophie, without your support, these events could not happen! We received fantastic feedback from the students: • Best parts of the day: speed networking, careers monopoly (and lunch!) • 93% would recommend the experience to their friends • 62% are now considering an apprenticeship • 85% agree that the day will help them transition from education to employment • 85% are considering a career at Aldermore Group This is especially remarkable as none of them had planned a career in finance before today! 👏 Here’s what the students had to say: “I enjoyed getting to know people who work here.” “I enjoyed the networking task—speaking to people to understand their roles.” “I enjoyed talking to colleagues.” “I enjoyed learning new things and going out of my comfort zone.” Together, we are making a difference and inspiring the next generation. 🌟 #SocialMobility #FinancialEducation #WorkplaceSafari #MoreEducation #FutureLeaders #EquityOfOpportunity #BackingYou

*** Grad Appreciation Post!!! *** Eight months ago, Emma Duggan joined me for her first rotation in the Bank of Ireland grad program. This very quickly turned out to be a gift. Despite running early talent strategies for years in my career, I hadn’t yet had a chance to experience these programs directly in my own work. Emma changed all that, and seeing her shine these past several months has been truly rewarding. Hybrid work is an emerging space that we are all still trying to understand. For those of us who have been in the workforce for a while now, it pushes us, evolves us, challenges us, energizes us. In the ongoing effort to translate the hybrid landscape for our own organization’s purposes, Emma’s contributions have been invaluable. I write this today to thank Emma, first and foremost, and to recognize her impact. I wish Emma the best as she moves into her next rotation. I also write this to remind us all what a new graduate can bring, something we often cannot achieve on our own — a different lens, a fresh perspective, a willingness to look again, to look beyond, to look ahead, rather than behind us. 💙 #hybridwork #flexibility #careers #growth #leadership #management

Our upcoming Networking Nights focused on Banking & Finance and Consultancy & Advisory Services are deliberately designed to enable students to explore beneath the surface of roles available in these industries - to see beyond those areas they may see promoted. We want to bring together individuals doing all sorts of roles in employers big or small - so whether you're a start-up, SME or multinational, we want to hear from you! Are you a King's College London Alumni keen to help current students broaden their understanding of roles in these areas? Are you working in an organisation that perhaps doesn't recruit graduates at scale - but focuses on an area of work that you don't think students understand enough about the future growth or scale of that area and you want to educate them? We want you to join us! OK - How else can we entice you? 💰 It's FREE to join these events! 🍲 We'll ensure you're fed and refreshed during the evening 🏙 We're in Central London, with both evenings held in our rooftop Bush House space with fantastic views across London Register your space today: Banking & Finance - https://lnkd.in/eyYbqaFc (1 October) Consultancy & Advisory Services - https://lnkd.in/eV5FdDCS (3 October) So... what are you waiting for? #BuildingSuccess #KingsCareers #NetworkingNights

I couldn’t agree more with Hazel Tinsley (MCIPS) and Mark Gadsby's posts. The SMEI is a great way of highlighting the work organisations are doing to improve social mobility (and exemplifies the impact that the The Social Mobility Foundation are having across industries). I joined HSBC 18 months ago and the work being done within the Bank to improve social mobility and support people from a lower-socio economic background is outstanding, which is reflected in the jump in our SMEI ranking this year (David McIntosh Jr. and Jo Meehan we’re coming for you 😀). Nadeem Mahmood shared his story earlier in the week – one of the things that makes a real difference for people from a lower-SEB is sharing stories. Lots of you know my story, but I now work at a Bank, which would surprise pretty much all of my teachers. It’s because of mentors at work (who know who they are) that I’ve got to where I have, plus some financial support from EMA at school and grants at university. Sharing stories and being visible role models for others from lower-SEB is so important to move the dial on social mobility, so I would encourage everyone to share their story where they can. I said a couple of years ago that social mobility to me means providing everyone with the opportunity to progress and be successful, regardless of their background, which is still true today. Hopefully #HSBC and others can continue to support this and Strive (our Employee Resource Group, which it's a pleasure to be on the Management Committee of) can continue to play a leading role in this. #HSBCStrive #SocialMobility #SocialMobilityFoundation #HSBCUK #DiversityAndInclusion