Our
guest speaker was David Martin. David is the manager of the Strathfield
branch of Westpac and he spoke about “Westpac- Back to Basics”. David
was introduced by PP Kevin Freund.
David told us that he had started working in supermarkets when he was 15
years old. After 13 years in supermarkets he was a store manager and
relieving area manager. He found himself working long hours, sometimes
seven days a week, and decided it was time for a change. He moved into
finance and hasn’t looked back.
David told us a bit about the history of Westpac. It is 193 years old.
1992 was a low point in the bank’s history with $1.6 billion written
off. 2000 was a high point with the bank’s involvement with the Sydney
Olympic Games. A recent major development has been the acquisition of
the St George Bank with which Westpac still “competes”.
David advised us that the bank’s CEO Gail Kelly is customer centric and
is bringing back the “local bank manager” of old.
David
has embraced this change and is actively engaging with the local
community. The bank is spending a lot of money on staff training and
branch renovations to develop this new philosophy. It is also closing
down “silos”, self contained sections of the bank which do not fit
within this new approach.
Each branch will run as if it is a separate business paying close
attention to its income, expenses and pricing. Local branch staff will
be encouraged to “own” their customers and be empowered to make
decisions affecting them so far as possible.
David advised us that Westpac can assist customers with their insurance
requirements whether it is for house insurance or income protection
insurance. David encourages people to start planning for their
retirement from an early age. David tells his staff every customer
interaction is a gift and every such interaction should be a positive
experience for the customer.
David Martin was thanked by David Martin.
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