Westpac is Australia’s oldest bank and first company, one of four major banking organisations in Australia and one of the largest banks in New Zealand. We provide a broad range of banking and financial services in these markets, including consumer, business and institutional banking and wealth management services.

Westpac Group's portfolio of financial services brands and businesses is focused on our purpose which is Helping Australians and New Zealanders Succeed. It’s what we do, who we are and why we come to work every day.

From ensuring individuals can save, transact and borrow with confidence, to supporting the financial needs of small businesses, multi-national corporates, institutional and government clients, our customers are at the centre of everything we do.

We are looking for fill our Grad and Intern programs with original thinkers and innovators from all degrees of study. 

Here are just some of the areas where your uncommon mind could thrive:

• Technology - become a gamechanger, bringing our vision and strategy to life in roles such as system engineers, security, designers, architects or project managers.
• Innovative roles - dream, design and innovate next generation digital experiences, including digital, service, product and interaction designers.
• Financial services - help improve the lives of our customers and make Australian businesses stronger including consumer banking, business banking and wealth management.
• Risk - help keep our customers, our clients and our group safe, in roles such as financial crime analyst, credit manager, cyber risk specialist or fraud specialist.
• Transformation - revolutionise how we help our customers in roles such as project manager, change manager or analyst.
• Westpac Institutional Bank - help corporations and institutions thrive in roles within Financial Markets or corporate banking.
• Specialist roles - be vital to our success in roles such as finance, HR, legal and compliance.

Through our unique portfolio of brands we support and serve over 13.9 million customers.  As the oldest bank and first company in Australia, we have more than 200 years of continuous service to the people of Australia.

Westpac in and beyond Australia

In Australia 

The Westpac Group head office is based in Sydney, Australia.

In New Zealand 

Westpac New Zealand is based in Auckland.  New Zealand Banking operates under the Westpac New Zealand, Westpac Life New Zealand and BT New Zealand brands, with branches and agency sites and ATMs located across the country.

In Asia

Westpac Institutional Bank in Asia provides corporate and institutional customers with foreign exchange, capital markets, treasury, asset finance and syndications as well as finance solutions.  Our Regional head office in Singapore supplemented by Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing, gives our customers stronger relationships and deeper insights throughout Asia.

In the Pacific

Westpac Group is based in Fiji and Papua New Guinea.  Westpac's Pacific business provides financial products and services covering basic transactional bank accounts through to high-end innovative financial solutions for larger local companies and those with business links to Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

In the United Kingdom

Our representative office in London first opened in 1853, and is the oldest surviving foreign bank in the UK. Westpac now operates in London as part of the Westpac Institutional Bank division, with a branch, Westpac Banking Corporation London Branch (WBCLB) and a UK bank subsidiary, Westpac Europe Limited (WEL).

Westpac Institutional Bank (WIB)

WIB delivers a broad range of financial products and services to commercial, corporate, institutional and government customers with connections to Australia and New Zealand. Customers are supported through branches and subsidiaries located in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, the United States and the United Kingdom. WIB is also responsible for the Group’s Pacific Banking operations providing a full range of banking services in Fiji and Papua New Guinea.

Better Banking

Westpac Group is part of the Australian Bankers’ Association Better Banking reform program. We are committed to making changes to the way we do business to earn and keep the confidence of our customers.  We are working with Australia’s other leading banks to ensure we provide products and services that meet our customers’ needs – today and tomorrow.

We have implemented the following initiatives to help our customers achieve their financial goals:

We were the first major bank to ensure all tellers across our branch network are incentivised solely based on customer feedback and quality of service, not the number of products they sell to customers.

A Customer Advocate has been appointed to enhance our complaint resolution process. Your Customer Advocate provides an objective and independent review of the outcome of a complaint about Westpac’s service.

Westpac has implemented procedures to help identify individuals with a history of poor conduct so that they cannot move around the industry and to support whistleblowers that bring poor conduct to light.

Family of Giving

Our family of philanthropic foundations is committed to empowering Australians to create stronger, more prosperous communities.

Westpac Foundation

Westpac Foundation is a charitable organisation that has been helping people for the past 140 years.  We support social enterprises and community organisations creating jobs and opportunities for people overcoming barriers to work.

Westpac Scholar Trust

Westpac Scholars - Awarding 100 scholarships and fellowships every year, forever, to those individuals with the drive, vision and ambition to shape Australia.

Westpac in Community

In addition to our family of philanthropic foundations, Westpac is creating stronger communities through many other initiatives.

Grants and Scholarships

Our foundations offer a range of grants and scholarships for social enterprises, community organisations and individuals helping to build a stronger, more inclusive Australia.

Natural Disaster Recovery Grants

We offer grants to support the recovery and long-term resilience of communities. This includes partnering with the Foundation for Regional and Rural Renewal (FRRR) to provide grants to local community organisations to assist with the medium and long-term needs of communities impacted by natural disasters.

Financial solutions and support

We offer a range of products and services to support community organisations and social enterprises.

Indigenous community organisations

We have many initiatives to partner with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community organisations to help build stronger, more prosperous communities.

Employee giving and volunteering

Matching Gifts is one of our company’s best-loved community programs. Every dollar donated by our eligible employees to Australian-based, registered charities with Deductible Gift Recipient status (DGRs) is matched by Westpac Group. 

We're looking for uncommon minds who expect to contribute from day one and have an impact. Challenging and rewarding - our programs will get your career off to a flying start

When you start: You'll start with us as a permanent employee in February each year. Your program will vary based on the business area where you choose to work. 

Throughout the program: The program is structured to help you identify your focus areas. Tailored training sessions build and strengthen your technical and soft skills - accelerating your personal and professional career development.

What to expect?

• To contribute from day one and have an impact on the business.
• Plenty of opportunities to get involved in grad life where you can build your networks and friendships with those you work with, including business leaders, project leads and program sponsors.
• To be able to give back. Join numerous communities, volunteering and sustainability initiatives - rounding out your whole work life experience.

Business Area Choices as explained by our Grads

Find out where your 'uncommon mind' could fit. During your application, you can submit up to 2 preferences in the areas that are most aligned to you. To give you a better understanding we've asked our recent Grads to explain their business area in their own words, provide an overview of rotations and where they ended up post Grad Program.

Maren from Brand & Marketing

Explain what your business area does or their function within the group.

Generally speaking, the Marketing division focuses on understanding consumer behaviour and the market environment in order to enhance customer experience and product/ service offering. There are different teams that feed into this overarching goal and that work closely together to deliver key marketing activities. Core marketing activities include: market research and identifying customer needs & wants, formulating strategies upon these insights, designing product/ service offerings, customer testing, and advertising creation. A big part of what we all do is optimisation - tracking and enhancing our offers, services, advertisements, and overall customer experience.

Please provide an overview of the rotation(s) you have completed and, if cross functional, which business areas/groups you have worked in.

I completed my first rotation in the Branding and Advertising team and then my next rotation was in Market Research & Design. While working with the Brand and Advertising team I was given the opportunity to co-lead multiple advertising campaigns across Everyday Banking and Housing for both print and digital channels. I was also involved in managing brand partnerships and brand governance.

Please describe your business area in three words.

Data meets creativity.

Where are you now?

I am now part of the Insights & Analytics division within the Chief Brand & Marketing Office.  I work as a brand researcher conducting both quantitative and qualitative research to help track Westpac’s brand health. 

Lachlan from Business

Explain what your business area does or their function within the group.

The Business Division are responsible for looking after SME, commercial, agribusiness and private wealth customers across the Westpac Group. We work with a massive variety of customers, from small family-owned businesses to complex commercial entities.

Please provide an overview of the rotation(s) you have completed and, if cross functional, which business areas/groups you have worked.

I have worked in the Business Chief Transformation Office, which is responsible for delivering innovative change across the division to support our bankers, deliver great experiences for our business customers and help Westpac Group to become a simpler organisation.

I started my first rotation in the Strategy & Design team, who are responsible for shaping and designing the implementation of the strategic initiatives for the business division. In this role, I had the opportunity to work on the design of the digital offering for our microbusiness segment, as well as scoping and managing opportunities for cost reduction across the division. This rotation allowed me to engage with teams across the business division in customer engagement, digital, cash management and business lending.

Please describe your business area in three words.

Dynamic, Connected, Customer-Focused.

Where are you now?

I am now part of the Enterprise Platforms & Banker Tools, Chief Transformation Office within Consumer & Business Banking.  I work as a Strategic Analyst in the Enterprise Platforms & Banker Tools team. 

Trina from Consumer

Explain what your business area does or their function within the group

Consumer Banking involves everything that happens between the customer and the bank. Our objective is to optimise the customer journey process and remove customer pain points along the way.

Please provide an overview of the rotation(s) you have completed and, if cross functional, which business areas/groups you have worked.

My first rotation was in Customer Care. I was exposed to our front-line branch network of bankers and customers. During my time in this rotation, I helped to review the processes we have in place for our customers going through key life moments, worked with strategists to revolutionise our current processes and identify ways in which we can deliver a seamless customer journey experience.  
I also did a product manager rotation within the Everyday Banking Line of Business. Their function is to improve our product offerings for different types of customers and assist them in building their wealth and manage their finances in better ways.

Please describe your business area in three words.

Exciting, fast-paced, lively.

Where are you now?

I now work within Cash and Transactional Banking.   As a product manager in the Transactions team, I assist the team with identifying and implementing uplift opportunities to better serve our customers .

Linda from Corporate & Institutional Banking (CIB)

Explain what your business area does or their function within the group.

In Acquisition Finance, we provide debt financing to help Sponsors acquire mid-market companies in the private market.  

Please provide an overview of the rotation(s) you have completed and, if cross functional, which business areas/groups you have worked.

Real Estate (Customer, Insights and Analytics) - Coverage lending for institutional and mid-market property customers including REITS and developers.  Sustainable Finance (Debt Products) - Provides Institutional customers with sustainable finance solutions including green and sustainability-linked loans and bonds.  Corporate Loans (COO) - Responsible for structuring and negotiating complex bilateral loan transactions.

Please describe your business area in three words.

Diverse, Supportive, Connections.

Where are you now?

I am involved in all stages of the transaction process from customer relationship management and correspondence to credit analysis and documentation.  On a day to day, I would be working on 1-2 deals that are at different stages of the transaction. 

Ria from Customer Service & Operations (CS&O) - New Stream 

Explain what your business area does or their function within the group

Business Lending Operations (BLO) is a division within Group Operations. We’re a diverse team of people, leveraging onshore and offshore talent and working in a fast-paced environment to deliver customer service excellence for business, private and institutional banking customers across all Westpac brands.  We are responsible for onboarding New Lending deals into Business Lending and for the ongoing Servicing and maintenance of ongoing relationships with our customers. 

Please provide an overview of the rotation(s) you have completed and, if cross functional, which business areas/groups you have worked.

In Global Transaction Services, Wealth and Institutional Bank (WIB) I co-pitched the development of a Corporate Digital Wallet solution for WIB clients.  In Commercial Services, Marketing and Digital Team I co-coordinated the 2018 Supplier Showcase Event, involving the attendance of 80 external suppliers from 46 unique businesses, building stronger supplier partnerships.  

Please describe your business area in three words.

Diverse, Agile, Fast-paced

Where are you now?

I work as a Senior Manager and as the Business Manager and Strategy Coordinator for the Business Lending Operations team. No day is the same as the last and this is what I love about my current role. 

Kye from Digital - New Stream 

Explain what your business area does or their function within the group.

Our business area exists to deliver exceptional digital experiences for our customers, delivering solutions and capability to meet their changing banking needs today and in the future.

Please provide an overview of the rotation(s) you have completed and, if cross functional, which business areas/groups you have worked.

The graduate program taught me how to be adaptable in constantly changing work environments. Given the rotational structure of Westpac's graduate programs, I was exposed to several different roles throughout my time as a graduate.

Please describe your business area in three words.

Exciting, Collaborative & Engaging.

Where are you now?

My role as a Digital Operations manager focuses on managing key operational processes to support the Digital team. 

Praneet from Finance & Accounting

Explain what your business area does or their function within the group.

The Finance team spans across various divisions in Westpac and helps to manage the company's performance and continuously works with different areas to both maintain and grow the business.

Please provide an overview of the rotation(s) you have completed and, if cross functional, which business areas/groups you have worked in.

In my first rotation in Program & Change Delivery it involved working alongside various Finance & Technology teams. The role requires engagement with stakeholders across the business to transfer information but also to ensure requirements and timelines are met for the projects in the bank.

Please describe your business area in three words.

Stakeholders, Value, Change

Where are you now?

Currently I am still in the Graduate Program (the Finance & Accounting program runs for 18 - 24  months) and work within the Consumer Customer Engagement – Productivity & Insights division.

Nick from Finance & Accounting (Group Treasury) - New Stream 

Explain what your business area does or their function within the group.

Group Treasury is responsible for managing the funding and liquidity position of the Westpac Group.

Please provide an overview of the rotation(s) you have completed and, if cross functional, which business areas/groups you have worked in.

By rotating through several teams in such a diverse organisation, the exposure to people, information, and ideas, is unparalleled. The highlight of my time as a graduate was being in the deal team in Westpac's off-market share buy-back. It was complex, high-profile transaction, the likes of which I didn't expect to have such a primarily role in, so early into my career.

Please describe your business area in three words.

Dynamic, Technical, Rewarding.

Where are you now?

I am a part of the Structured Funding & Capital, within Group Treasury.  My team is responsible for the planning, structuring and execution of Westpac’s strategy in capital markets, as it relates to equity, convertible equity and subordinated debt securities.

Thuy from Financial Markets & Treasury

Explain what your business area does or their function within the group.

Financial Markets manages Westpac's relationship with clients from governments to institutions from a finance perspective. FM facilitates the sale and trading of financial products, such as foreign exchange, debt and derivatives. We also provide insightful research to our clients on the future of the Australian economy in our Economics and Strategy teams.

Treasury manages Westpac's balance sheet, to ensure the bank has enough money to fund its operations and to keep our deposits safe. Through its funding practices, Treasury is exposed to, and therefore manages, our interest rate risk, FX risk and liquidity risk.

Please provide an overview of the rotation(s) you have completed and, if cross functional, which business areas/groups you have worked in.

I have rotated through Treasury and Debt Capital Markets (DCM). Both teams are very different but complement each other nicely.

Treasury funds Westpac's balance sheet. It can do this in several ways, including onshore and offshore bond issuance. DCM represents clients, such as Westpac Treasury, as well as the government, other banks and corporates, to raise money in the debt market. DCM provides expertise in the bond market such as pricing and investor interest.

Please describe your business area in three words.

Dynamic, thought-provoking, exciting

Where are you now?

I now work as part of the Credit Trading team in Financial Markets.   The team trades credit bonds which are issued by large Financial Institutions such as Westpac, the other major banks and corporate bonds.

Sahan from Risk

Explain what your business area does or their function within the group.

Being in Risk is a unique role as it impacts every aspect of the organisation at every level.  The role of Risk is to quantify uncertainty, protect the bank against adverse events, and more generally ensure day to day operations are in line with a certain risk appetite and do not impact the financial soundness of the bank in the short and long term.

Please provide an overview of the rotation(s) you have completed and, if cross functional, which business areas/groups you have worked in.

Credit Card Fraud Analytics- Working within this team was quite different to anything I studied, and it really challenged my problem-solving skills and ability to make inferences based on data.  There is no right or wrong answer, and you really are required to think creatively to develop solutions to protect the groups customer base in a meaningful way.

During my time here, I learnt about fraud detection and mitigation measures using analytics and contributed to the development of a scam identification and reporting framework.

Please describe your business area in three words.

Objective, dynamic, challenging

Where are you now?

I work in Model Risk (Credit and Advanced Analytics) and  my role entails model testing and review to ensure Credit Risk models are performing as expected and compliant with regulatory requirements.

Melissa, Matt & Rianna from Technology

Explain what your business area does or their function within the group.

Melissa: Tech covers all things technology within Westpac group. It's one of Westpac's biggest business areas, with over 900 teams. Anything you can think of - they probably do it. From network security, to technology risk management, architecture, infrastructure, to agile ways of working, to software and application development; they have a range of functions. Tech is the entire back-end of the bank, keeping Westpac's systems, applications, and banking services running 24/7.

Please provide an overview of the rotation(s) you have completed and, if cross functional, which business areas/groups you have worked in.

Rianna: I was in the Reporting and Streaming team under the Open Banking Program that falls under Westpac's Data Platforms. To provide a bit of context, Open Banking is a program that gives consumers the ability to share their banking data with various third parties such as banks and fintechs. During this rotation I have been working with big data in the context of Open Banking - this has involved building data pipelines, completing data analysis, reporting and dashboarding to help the business understand how consumers are using their data.

Matt: The Group Technology program provides the opportunity to rotate through different business areas. If you think a team or area might be interesting, you can work there without any prior experience and see if it's the right fit for you.

Please describe your business area in three words.

Melissa: Cross-functional, integrated, innovative.

Rianna: Disruption; fast-paced; innovative

Where are you now?

Melissa: As an Engineer in an Agile-based role I get a taste of everything. This can include PowerBI reporting and data analysis, curating learning materials and session plans, facilitating sessions, support and coaching, and much more. 

Matt: I’m a robotics developer so I’ll work with the business units to gather requirements and develop automations that will provide operational relief and faster turnaround times for customers.

Rianna: I work in the Information Security Group uplifting the software we use to resolve the incoming security alerts.  

Todd from Transformation

Explain what your business area does or their function within the group.

Transformation takes what we do today and aligns it with the needs of tomorrow. Whether it's improving existing processes, creating new services, or delivering projects, people in Transformation are agents for innovation and change. We strive to make people's experience easier, simpler, and better.

Please provide an overview of the rotation(s) you have completed and, if cross functional, which business areas/groups you have worked in.

In one of my rotations I was largely working in Strategy & Planning for ATMs, looking at how to transform daily operations, and the broader strategic outcomes we want to achieve in that space. It involves everything from engaging 3rd party vendors and adjacent projects to mapping different customer journeys through our back-of-house IT architecture.

Please describe your business area in three words.

Fast-paced, forward-thinking, people-centred.

Where are you now?

In Automation & Digitisation, we’re focused on finding ways to enhance customer experiences and business capabilities through digital solutions.  As a Business Analyst, I help identify these different use cases, their benefits, and generate the requirements needed to build them.

Property, Procurement & Protective Services (PPP) Graduate Program - Brand New Stream

Discover the various functions within a banking organisation and gain insight into how the bank works structurally.  This program will provide a unique opportunity to participate in a function that supports the Westpac Group, from its crisis and incident response, the suppliers it does business with, its corporate property footprint and its physical security strategy (including business continuity and crisis response).

PPP graduates enjoy a flexible program with support to pursue rotations of interest to them. Given the breadth of PPP, each graduate has had a unique experience and the opportunity to find an area of passion. 

When you join Westpac Group, you’ll be empowered to make a difference, speak your truth and discover what success means to you. We value difference so our people bring their whole selves to work.  But best of all you’ll be joining a whole organisation of people who love helping others find their success.

How our Grads feel about us

We reached out to a recent group of Graduates in the Westpac Group Grad Program from a variety of degree disciplines and within different rotations, to talk to us about their experience thus far.

What is one thing you love about Westpac Group?

Lachlan: "I love the spirit of community that is present here at Westpac. Whether it is the support that you are offered from your peers and leaders, the passion for helping customers or the culture of community involvement - it is noticeable how the Westpac Group is built on a strong sense of community."

Melissa: "The people I’ve met at Westpac have all been nothing but amazing. Not just in my team and close networks, but everyone I’ve come across! You can quite literally start a conversation with anyone and they’ll be more than happy to have a chat with you (and go for coffee!)."

Sahan: "The culture.  The guidance and advice I’ve received has been invaluable, and I’ve met some incredibly intelligent and funny people who have been extremely welcoming and supportive. You really are encouraged to bring new ideas to the table and your input is valued."

Why did you apply for a graduate role at Westpac Group, and why your chosen business area?

Maren: "I first decided to apply to the Westpac Grad program after hearing about the company’s great culture and development opportunities from previous grads. I was eager to kick start my career in an inclusive and stimulating environment, with a company that invests in their employees and the broader community – Westpac ticked all those boxes for me. I chose to apply to the Digital & Marketing stream as it best aligned with my interest and background in Marketing and Psychology." 

Todd: "I’m not a finance or business guy. I studied Arts and Science. When I reflected on what I wanted at the beginning of my career, I wanted to leverage the size of the company I worked for to gain experience in different fields, create a strong professional foundation and work with people I could respect. Choosing Transformation was the conduit to all of those things – it offers exposure to all areas of Westpac. I’m learning about fields like Change Management and Human Centred Design with great people, and everything we do has an impact on potentially millions of Australians (even better). "

Rianna: "Westpac really appealed to me for three primary reasons; the first would be that the purpose and values of the organisation really resonated with me. Secondly, the support of women internal and external to the organisation – exemplified through strong female leadership and the Ruby Connection Community. Finally, for the organisations willingness to help and support the community – through environmental initiatives and the Westpac choppers.   I chose to apply for the Technology Graduate stream because I’m intrigued by the various applications and developments of technology within the world of finance. As technology becomes ever present within our lives, I think it’s interesting to learn about how technology can be leveraged to provide seamless experiences for both internal and external stakeholders."

So far, what has been the highlight of the graduate program? 

Trina: "Being involved in meaningful projects that has the potential to change and improve Australian lives has been a rewarding part of the graduate experience."

Praneet: "The highlight of the graduate program so far has been meeting the many different and interesting people within Westpac."

Thuy: "The highlight of the Westpac Program is definitely the constant support you receive from your managers and colleagues. As part of the FM&T program, you are assigned a grad manager, mentor, and buddy (who was a grad the year before you) to help you with any questions you may have / guide you through the year."

Employee Truths

Our people are always our best advertisement for what is so special about working within Westpac Group. Hear how we’re creating an environment in which all our people can succeed.  

This is what some of your potential co-workers really think of working with us.

Manjula - hiring beyond banking
Manjula explains why we’re always keen to hear from candidates from other industries and backgrounds.

Jessica - cross-skilling for growth
Learning new skills to help you take on greater responsibilities - Jess shares how she’s continued to develop since joining us 14 years ago.

Tiep - room to grow
Hear how Tiep has been supported on his journey and encouraged to pursue his academic and professional goals.

Lucinda - leaders who listen to lenders
A culture of support, leaders who listen and guidance to help you grow - Lucinda shares her thoughts on what sets us apart.

Join our paid 10-week program. It’s a great way to explore a career with Westpac Group, and get a taste of what it’s like to work with us. Designed so that you get a real insight into the diverse opportunities at Westpac Group – the summer intern program gives you what you need to make an informed career decision.

The program runs from late November to February for 10 weeks and gives you the opportunity to be considered for the graduate program.

You can apply if you’re in the second last (penultimate) year of your degree. You also need to be an Australian or New Zealand Citizen or an Australian Permanent Resident when you apply.

What you can expect  

Summer Intern Programs are offered in 3 areas:

• Corporate & Institutional Banking (CIB)
• Financial Markets & Treasury (FM)
• Global Transaction Services (GTS) - New Stream

Fast-track your career with CIB, by building relationships and developing relevant market expertise to tailor solutions to meet our customers’ needs.

Play your part in FM supporting our customers navigate the complexity of financial markets while managing the bank's key market and funding risks.

Work in a dynamic GTS environment centred around delivering working capital solutions for the nation’s largest corporate and institutional clients, as well as innovative and cutting-edge payment solutions for all of Westpac Group.

Perks & Benefits

Westpac Scholars Trust

100 scholarships every year. Forever.

Westpac Scholars Trust awards 100 scholarships a year to outstanding university students, researchers and social innovators to help them reach their potential and make a difference in Australia. Scholarships that shape our future

We’ve centred our scholarships around the focus areas we believe are at the heart of Australia’s future growth and prosperity – We offer five scholarship programs to Aussies at different stages of study and work. 

• Westpac Young Technologists Scholarship
• Westpac Asian Exchange Scholarship
• Westpac Research Fellowship
• Westpac Future Leaders Scholarships
• Westpac Social Change Fellowship

Backing a new generation of leaders

Westpac Scholars are everyday Aussies with the drive and ideas to help create a better future. They are a new generation of leaders, thinkers, innovators and changemakers – people from all backgrounds who are united by their generosity of spirit and courage to act today for a better tomorrow.

University Partners

Keen to find out more?

• Register your interest
• Visit our website
• Drop us an email

Connect with us on Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter by following @WestpacScholars.

Meet our Grad Alumni

Why did you apply for a graduate role at Westpac Group, and why your chosen business area?

Linda: I was attracted to the level of support, training and exposure I would receive in a large institution like Westpac. There are so many different divisions to explore and there is a wealth of learning resources and opportunities for junior people. I chose CIB because I wanted to make a profound impact through helping large corporates and institutions achieve complex financing needs.

Maren: I first decided to apply to the Westpac Grad program after hearing about the company’s great culture and development opportunities from previous grads. I was eager to kick start my career in an inclusive and stimulating environment, with a company that invests in their employees and the broader community – Westpac ticked all those boxes for me.

Lachlan: I applied to the Westpac Graduate Program because I was drawn to the significant role that the bank played in the lives of so many Australians. In the business division, we have the opportunity to positively impact the experiences of customers and this is the leading reason for why I chose to join this area.

Todd from Transformation: I’m not a finance or business guy. I studied Arts and Science. When I reflected on what I wanted at the beginning of my career, I wanted to leverage the size of the company I worked for to gain experience in different fields, create a strong professional foundation and work with people I could respect.

Rianna from Technology: Westpac Group really appealed to me for the purpose and values of the organisation, the support of women which was exemplified through strong female leadership and lastly due to the organisations’ willingness to help and support the community – through environmental initiatives and the Westpac choppers.

So far, what has been the highlight of the graduate program?

Ria: The highlight of my Graduate program experience was working with the Procurement team and being able to independently manage a comparative review of our existing Record Management suppliers and identified $50m in annualised cost saving measures.

Trina: Being involved in meaningful projects that has the potential to change and improve Australian lives has been a rewarding part of the graduate experience.

Thuy: The highlight of the Westpac Program is definitely the constant support you receive from your managers and colleagues. As part of the FM&T program, you are assigned a grad manager, mentor, and buddy (who was a grad the year before you) to help you with any questions you may have / guide you through the year.

Sahan: The program is a great opportunity to learn from others, see what they do, and find your calling while getting to experience different parts of the bank

Nick: The highlight of my time as a graduate was being in the deal team in Westpac’s off-market share buy-back. It was complex, high-profile transaction, the likes of which I didn’t expect to have such a primarily role in, so early into my career.

What is one thing you love about Westpac Group?

Melissa: The people I’ve met at Westpac have all been nothing but amazing. Not just in my team and close networks, but everyone I’ve come across! You can quite literally start a conversation with anyone and they’ll be more than happy to have a chat with you (and go for coffee!).

Linda: Westpac is a great place to seek new opportunities and there is a strong culture of trying new roles through secondment opportunities. 

Praneet: My favourite aspect of the Westpac Group is the people that I have met and their willingness to help.

Maren: I think it’s great how Westpac stands by its values and encourages community involvement. Within my first few months, my team and I took our annual volunteering leave and spent the day working with Little Wings in Bankstown. It was a great opportunity to learn about our partnerships, to give back to the community and also provided a chance to bond with my colleagues.  

Kye: I received the Digital Superstar of the month award. Westpac is great at recognising employee achievement, and I was very fortunate to receive this award within my first two months in the role.

What is unique about your ‘Uncommon Mind’?

Thuy: I’m in FM&T but I studied law and have no experience in Finance or with trading. 

Rianna: Although I’ve studied quite a technical degree in engineering and am in the Technology stream, I would say that I’m quite a creative individual. I really enjoy photography and taking/creating videos in my spare time as well as sketching from time to time.

Todd: I work in Transformation but I love history, mythology and ancient things (ruins, old books, and things with a story).

Ria: My education, background and previous work experience all make me unique! My experiences across my career to date have further helped to set me apart in a unique way from others. 

Sahan: I’m driven to understand the mechanics of how things work and why something is the way it is.

Take a walk in a day in the life of some of our present grads.

A day in the life of Fiona - 2022 Risk Grad at Westpac Group

7:00am

Thursday is my team’s allocated day at the office, so I wake up a bit earlier than usual. I set my alarm for 7:00 but always wake up 5 minutes before it. I think this may be because, on a subconscious level, I feel that the iPhone alarm is truly alarming (pun intended), and I want to get it before it gets me. I quickly check my phone, get ready, put on my makeup, and run out the door to catch the train.

9:00am

I arrive at the Kent St office in Sydney. I walk into the library, greet my team, and choose a seat—we have flexible seating, and I am not yet emotionally attached to a particular spot. I check my emails, messages, and calendar to prepare myself for the day. I notice that a previous Risk Grad, Aly, is also in the office so I send him a message. We decide to catch up and grab my first (and hopefully last) coffee of the day. 

9:30am

When I return to the office with my coffee and breakfast, I speak with an Executive Manager about a task that I have been assigned. I am working on creating a summary of the risk profiles for Quarter 1 using a slide deck and I am waiting to receive validation of my information from a number of relevant stakeholders. Following our discussion, I decide to book a room on the floor. I like to book out a single room so that I can have meetings or complete my tasks without distracting others as well as myself. 

11:00am

I am a part of the Graduate Engagement committee as one of the Editors for the Westpac Graduate magazine, Gradient. It’s time to have a meeting with my fellow editor, Matt, and Graduate Committee Chair, Angele. We are setting up a SharePoint site so that we have somewhere to upload our published editions. This way other graduates and Westpac employees can access and read them at any time. 

12:00pm

Everyone’s favourite time of the day—lunch time! It’s hard to choose where to eat lunch because there are so many options close to the Kent St building. Usually, I head downstairs with my team to the food court and we all choose our preferred food and sit together. But today, I have a Toastmaster’s meeting hosted by the Westpac Cultural Leadership Toastmasters (WCLTM) Club. I joined the club in the hopes of developing my communication and public speaking skills as well as to share ideas and stories. Before I head to my meeting, I stop by the library to have a chat with my team. Our CRO, Chris, Head of, David, and Senior Managers, Artie and Jack are discussing risk management of third parties. 

1:00pm

Within the Graduate Engagement Committee, there is the magazine, but there is also a group of people who organise marketing and events. My fellow editor, Matt, and I have set up a Teams meeting with Annabelle and Sophie from marketing, so that we can organise communication to go out to all the Graduates about Gradient.  We want to inform everyone about the changes we have made to the magazine as well as what they can look forward to in our first edition.

2:00pm

It’s time for my monthly catch-up with my People Leader, Cath. This meeting would usually be in person, however, today we are having our catch-up online. It’s hard to believe it has already been two months since I started my first rotation. In this meeting, we discuss how I am settling into my role and progressing against my Motivate goals. The conversation isn’t always just about work. We also get to know each other by talking about our plans for the weekend, how her boys are doing in school, and any new updates about our life. I love having a People Leader. Cath has really helped launch me into the world of Westpac and it is wonderful to have a mentor to discuss all things work, life, and everything in between. 

3:00pm

I am lucky enough to be able to shadow my Head of, David, by dialing into some of his meetings. A lot of what is being said in the meeting goes straight over my head as it is such high-level content but having exposure to wider teams and what they do is incredibly valuable and interesting for me. This meeting is the first round of monthly meetings with the Assurance team with the purpose of this roundtable being to coordinate Assurance activity and discuss any key callouts. 

4:00pm

I spend the last hour of work at my chosen seat in the library completing some tasks. I notice that I have more capacity and so I reach out to a few people in my team to set up some time to learn more about their work and get to know their roles within the Risk Framework and Second Line of Defence. I still have some time left, so I log online to do some professional development. I found that we use Excel quite frequently and as I only have basic knowledge of Excel’s functions, I decide to brush up on my VLOOKUP and XLOOKUP functions. 

5:00pm

It’s officially home time and I have successfully lasted the day with only one coffee. I pack up my things, have a quick chat with whoever is still in the office, and walk towards the train station to head home to my beloved cat, Percy. 

6:00pm

After a quick shower, I cannot get into my pyjamas any faster. I am all about comfort, you see. I then make some dinner and sit down on the couch to watch a show and force my cat to love me. Maybe I’ll watch some Father Brown, Yes Minister, or House of Cards (the British one).  

8:00pm

It is my daily routine to make sure that I plant my money tree and find the money rock in Animal Crossing. I’m all about maintaining habits—in Animal Crossing at least. After I am satisfied with the state of my island, I facetime my best friend as we play Mario Kart. For some reason, she is invincible in Mario Kart. Sometimes I think I’m not that competitive, that is until I play Mario Kart. It seems to have that effect on a lot of people.

10:00pm

It’s time for bed now. Well, that’s what I tell myself as I scroll on the phone until 12pm. It’s alright, I still get my eight hours!

A day in the life of David - 2022 Transformation Grad at Westpac Group

6:30am

It’s typically still a bit dark when my alarm rings. It’s a battle to escape the warmth and comfort of my bed in the morning. By the time I’m out of bed, I am getting myself into a presentable manner and going over my belongings I had packed the night before. If the weather is nice, I will opt for my usual walk. Otherwise, if I wish to avoid the impending rain, I will be getting dropped off at the station. Sydney weather can really change in the blink of an eye, I’m sure you know what I mean. Once I’m on the train, I’m usually doing some light reading, listening to music or a podcast recommended by my friends.

8:30am 

I arrive at our Kent Street Office in Sydney where my team is situated. It’s always great to build working relationships in person in comparison to using MS Teams. It’s awesome to have the flexibility to work from home or go into the office depending on your preferences and your team’s schedule. After settling in and saying hello to people in my local work area, I’ll go through my inbox to scan for any updates since the day before and look to resolve any issues prior to our team’s daily catchup.

10:00am

It’s time for our team’s daily catch up. Each team member provides an update on what they are working on, any challenges they may have come across, what their focus will be for the day and discuss our plan for completing upcoming tasks and deadlines. Today, I will be assisting my manager in various stakeholder meetings to help review and finalise performance targets for the upcoming quarter. This typically involves hopping in and out of meetings, noting where they have made progress and helping the quality of the targets. What I really enjoy in this type of work is the exposure I receive to the strategic aspects of the business and seeing how it influences decisions

12:00pm 

Lunch time! I will usually meet up with other graduates or friends outside of work. There is a great sandwich place down the road from the office, and you can’t go wrong with almost anything you order from there. Word of caution, the sandwiches are quite big, value for money!

1:00pm

It’s time to buckle down and start completing any outstanding pieces of work. From the meetings attended today, my key task is to compile all the targets into a single consolidated spreadsheet and ensure key fields are completed to facilitate it’s upload into our systems. Liaising with different team members, I determine the appropriate format of the spreadsheet and begin to transfer content across. I cannot stress the importance of keeping team members in the loop to maximise efficiency and reduce the likelihood of rework.

3:00pm

A couple times each week, I schedule catch ups with my graduate buddy or different people in the business including previous year graduates. I love hearing about the projects they are working on, their insights on different areas of the business and especially because Westpac is a large organisation. You don’t know what you don’t know, so the best thing to do is to be curious and ask lots of questions.  

4:30pm

By this time, I will be tying up any loose ends and following up on actions items which needed to be resolved by close of business. It’s a race to finish on some days but, I love a good challenge.

5:00pm

And that’s a wrap, now I’m off to the gym or volleyball practice!

A day in the life of Rachel - 2022 Consumer Grad at Westpac Group

7:30am

Working from home has been a life saver for night-owls like me, so the 7:30am wake-up on days I go into the office can be challenging! I forget how long it takes to properly get ready so I quickly pack my bag and catch the train to Parliament station (Melbourne). 

Fun (or not so fun) fact: the escalators at Parliament station are the longest escalators in the Southern Hemisphere and the most dangerous in Australia. Despite taking them twice a week, I still dread the 90 second trip to the top.  

8:45am

I arrive at the Melbourne Office, which I think must have the prettiest exterior in the CBD. The building is attached to Scot’s Church and I find a seat overlooking one of its steeples. Talk about a nice view for the day! 

I open my emails and read that the company has organised a daily $500 tab at one of the local coffee shops on Little Collins St this week to support local businesses recovering from the lockdowns from the past two years. Naturally, I go grab my free coffee right away before the bar tab ends! 

After getting a quick caffeine fix, I check my calendar and the rest of my inbox and create a to-do list for the day. 

9:00am

No urgent tasks have come my way overnight, so I decide to tuck into some ongoing work. I am with the Retail Operations team for my current rotation, so most of my work pertains to monitoring the performance of employees working in bank branches across the Group. I have a two-hour period before my first meeting, so I decide to finish off an excel report I have been asked to create to track annual leave balances across my division. Once the report is complete, I call a colleague to go through the report. Getting a second opinion is always appreciated, as the reports I am creating are used by my People Leader to get an understanding of the state’s position and need to be accurate. Luckily, my colleague agrees that the report is accurate and ready to be sent out.

11:00am

Time to catch up with my team at our weekly meeting to discuss emerging issues within each region of the state that need to be focused on. Most of my team works virtually, so this meeting is the only time we really get to connect with each other all together. Naturally, we spend the first ten minutes talking about general life updates and plan a team dinner for next week to celebrate one of our colleagues going on maternity leave. During the meeting, I present the annual leave report that I worked on this morning and I inform my colleagues of the branches that need to remind their employees to take their annual leave. 

12:00pm

Time for lunch! I meet up with a fellow consumer graduate and my buddy, who is a graduate from last year, and we grab poke bowls from Fishbowl for lunch. Since I only come into the office once or twice a week, I always get take-away when I’m in as a treat. I’m on a health kick, so the poke bowl from Fishbowl has been my go-to recently. We bring lunch back to the office to eat on the terrace where we run into some friends. The hour goes by really quickly and before I know it, its 1pm and time to get back to work!

1:00pm

After responding to some more emails, I start working on another ongoing project. My business unit has recently been joined together with another business unit and there are some teething issues to be ironed out. I have been tasked with creating a handbook for one of the positions on my team that identifies all role deliverables for the position and provides a guide for how to complete each role. The purpose of this handbook is to ensure that all staff know what is required of them in the new business unit and to identify the best processes for completing each role deliverable. Having just started in my rotation two months ago, I’m obviously no expert on the role that I am creating a handbook for, so I often jump on calls with colleagues to get a better idea of what each role deliverable entails and write up what I find to be the best practice. 

3:00pm

My People Leader has asked me to join the Division’s Monthly Risk Forum to get some visibility of the different risks that are emerging at a macro (state) level. I take the minutes for the meeting and note action items to be followed up on for next month. 

4:30pm

I type up minutes and action items to send to one of the Regional General Managers who attended the meeting to proof-read before sending out. I find typing up the minutes from this meeting very helpful, as my head is bursting with information by the end of the forum and synthesising my notes helps me to get a better understanding of how what was discussed in the meeting applies to my team and the work I am doing. 

5:30pm

Home time! I take the train home and quickly change into exercise clothes for a 6:30pm Pilates class at my gym. I find that Pilates is a great way to unwind after a day of sitting at my desk! If I don’t exercise after work, I end up just sitting on the couch watching TV, so I make a point of going to the gym during the week. 

Once I get back from Pilates, I finish the night by making tofu and rice with some miso eggplant for dinner and watching (read binging) two episodes of Succession. After two episodes, I decide that I should probably head to bed. I pack my bag for tomorrow and get ready to do it all again tomorrow!

We reached out to a current group of Graduates in the Westpac Group Grad Program from a variety of degree disciplines and within different rotations, to ask them some burning questions, as requested by students.  Thank you to the Westpac Group Grads for their time and effort.  Let’s see what they have to say!

Naomi
UNSW
Advanced Science (Hons)/Arts
Majors: Psychology, English. Minor: Philosophy

Can you let us know which area of the business you work in or which rotation you are currently in?

Transformation Grad Program, current rotation in Business Bank Merchant Payments

What was the first 6 months like?  What have you really enjoyed?

The first 6 months were spent going into the office 1 day a week, and wfh the rest. It was really fun going into the office and spending the day with your team and other grads, but it's also nice having the flexibility of wfh (LOVE not having to commute). The grad program has let me try out very different roles (Instructional Designer, project manager, business analyst), in different parts of the bank(financial crime and mortgages, regulatory projects in the chief Transformation office, and now Merchant Payments). Every team I've rotated through has been really supportive and I've developed so many new skills, and the grad cohort has let me grow lots of new and lifelong friendships.

Was your position with the Westpac Group Grad Program as you expected it to be? Did anything take you by surprise?

I was a Transformation intern at Westpac previously, so I already had an idea of what to expect. The grad program has delivered so many learning and growth opportunities for me, so it really has been more than what I can ask for in a grad program. I think what I didn't realise before is just how big the bank is, and the complexity of the systems and processes in place. It's a bit overwhelming at first to navigate and piece together, but I've now got an understanding on how large organisations operate.

Everyone is keen on maintaining work/life balance, with that in mind what is the longest day you have put in and have you worked weekends at all?

I work in projects, so you can have really long or short days, depending on project deadlines. Long days haven't been that frequent, and will only emerge when you're approaching major project deadlines. I always start at 9am and usually finish at 5-5:30pm. The latest I've finished is 8pm. I've never worked on weekends.

On a day to day basis, what do you work on?

It depends on the role. Right now I'm learning how to be a business analyst in the Merchant Payments Team, working on a project that replaces all the EFTPOS terminals around Australia with our latest one. My day to day work has involved lots of team meetings to work through our approach and process for replacing the terminals, working directly with customers and bankers to gauge their interest in being a part of our Pilot to get their terminals replaced first, getting feedback on what customers like and don't like about the terminals, learning how our back end systems work to keep all the terminals up and running, and learning about what happens when you pay by tapping your card in store.

Have you worked on any projects at Westpac Group?

I've been on some regulatory projects (e.g. Bankruptcy reporting where Westpac set up a process to identify customers who have declared bankruptcy so they can predict and model how much money needs to be set aside to cover bankruptcy debts in future; DDO - Design and Distribution Obligations - where banks needs to have processes in place to make sure they sell the right products to the right customers e.g. Making sure you don't sell a product to someone it isn't suitable for). Right now I'm on more of a tech/product focused project for replacing all the EFTPOS terminals around Australia.

What systems do you use for your role in the graduate program?

Lots of Westpac Specific systems. More general systems and software include Excel, PowerPoint, MS Project, MS Teams, Jira, Clarity, Confluence, Articulate Suite, Holocentric.

What sort of support are you provided at Westpac Group?

There's a big support network for the grad program. The central grad team helps with general grad things and runs lots of development events, the Transformation coordinators organise our rotations and do fortnightly check ins with us to see how we're going, we're assigned a grad buddy from the year above to guide us through the year as someone who's already had the grad experience, we're assigned a mentor who is a more senior person at the bank, and the grad cohort is very friendly and supportive of each other.

What skills do you think you need to succeed in your role and do they differ from what you envisioned?

I think the biggest thing you need is an openness to learn and try new things. You'll be taught everything you need to know on the job, and everyone comes from such diverse backgrounds, so there isn't a definite skill set you need prior.

What are the best perks or benefits at Westpac Group?

Lots of staff discounts from everything like general shopping to gym memberships to health insurance. You also get benefits if you bank with Westpac e.g. Extra interest for your savings account for you and your friends/family. Flexible working options and a beautiful city office. Great office culture and friendly workplace and grad cohort.

Meghana
The University of Sydney
Bachelor of Science (Human Physiology Major) and Master of Diagnostic Radiography

Can you let us know what company you are working for and which area of the business you work in or which rotation you are currently in? 

Business Banking Graduate Rotation: Business Controls and Monitoring

What was the first 6 months like?  What have you really enjoyed? 

The first 6 months were challenging, exciting and rewarding! I had the opportunity to learn how to analyse customer financials, conduct industry research, engage with a variety of stakeholders and even sit in on client meetings! Across the various teams I have rotated through, everyone has been extremely supportive and encouraging which really helped make the transition into banking and finance all the more smoother!

Was your position with the Westpac Group Grad Program as you expected it to be? Did anything take you by surprise?

What suprised me the most is a lot of the work is something that can be learnt on the job. Initially I thought having a finance/commerce degree would confer a greater advantage however, I have since learnt that having a genuine curiosity to continually learn and a passion for what you do is critical to success.

Everyone is keen on maintaining work/life balance, with that in mind what is the longest day you have put in and have you worked weekends at all?

The longest I have worked was between 9am-6.30/7pm. The only time I've ever worked on a Saturday was once for about half an hour!

On a day to day basis, what do you work on?

The majority of my roles throughout the graduate program have been in the capacity of an Assistant Relationship Manager/Credit Analyst role. In these roles I would work with a Relationship Manager (RM) of a client to obtain their financial information and to develop a better understanding of the client's business operations. I would use various applications to

1. identify what products the client currently has with Westpac
2. input the client's financial information and run an assessment on their ability to repay any debt held with the bank.
3. Generate a report including commentary around financial and industry analysis.
4. submit the report/deal to a risk management team for further credit analysis. The team will decide whether or not a deal should proceed or if any additional information from the client is required.

Critical to the role is maintaining phone and/or email correspondence with various stakeholders to obtain relevant information to complete various tasks!

Have you worked on any projects at Westpac Group?

I have had the opportunity to work on a regulatory response project in  covenant remediation.

What systems do you use for your role in the graduate program?  

Optimist, TLW, TLA, Customer Business First, Imaging Systems (BBSI & WIRS), Service Online etc.

What sort of support are you provided at Westpac Group?

Support is available in many forms:

Mentorship: you can choose what you want to get out of the relationship e.g. general advice, career guidance etc.

Colleagues: Westpac has a supportive and collaborative work environment where people are always willing to help. 

People Leader: is your go to if you have any issues affecting your ability to work or need any additional support to make things better. Your people leader will provide feedback on your performance at regular intervals and there to help you achieve your goals. 

Employee action groups: enable you to develop your personal interests for example, volunteering and meet like minded individuals with similar interests. There are plenty of EAGs to choose from - highlighting Westpac's emphasis on diversity and inclusion!

What skills do you think you need to succeed in your role and do they differ from what you envisioned?

Strong interpersonal skills,  self motivation and a genuine curiosity to learn are crucial to success. Initially I thought banking/finance specific knowledge would be a greater asset however, I have since realised that many things can be learnt on the job provided you are willing to put in the effort!

What are the best perks or benefits at Westpac Group?

There are great deals or discounts offered on a range of goods and services. From a financial lending perspective there are also great employee deals on particular products!

Aly
UNSW
Science (Pathology) and Economics (Financial Economics)

Can you let us know what company you are working for and which area of the business you work in or which rotation you are currently in?

Risk 

What was the first 6 months like?  What have you really enjoyed? 

The first 6 months were really enjoyable not only from a professional growth perspective but also because I got to meet a lot of new people and make a lot of  friends through the program. In addition the first 6 months were also very challenging but equally rewarding, getting to understand how the bank operates and the intricacies of banking particularly with respect to risk management and its impact on our customers was very interesting, but it did take some time to get used to this new thought process. I have really enjoyed the entirety of the program but I think two standouts have been, the wide variety of work that I have been able to do, right from day 1 there has been no idle moment, where the tasks which I have been working toward, do not make a difference to the bank, its customers and its purpose. The second standout has been the involvement I have had in the graduate committee, particularly the graduate magazine “GradWrap”. Being part of a diverse team of grads who get to pen articles every two months has been an amazing experience not only in terms of the skills I have acquired, but the amazing people I have met.

Was your position with the Westpac Group Grad Program as you expected it to be? Did anything take you by surprise?

The position of a risk graduate was as I expected both in terms of the program and the work that we do, nothing surprising, as everything was made quite clear during the recruitment process in terms of what we could expect through the program i.e. support, rotations, post program opportunities. In addition, since I have joined these expectations have only been made more clear, so that the grads can truely focus on making the most of the program and developing a wide range of skills useful for their future careers. In terms of the work performed, I had a vague idea of how risk management works in general but I had never been exposed to it, in such a complex manner. It was a bit surprising to see the reliance of data that all risk teams have, even ones that many would deem as the qualitative risks.

Everyone is keen on maintaining work/life balance, with that in mind what is the longest day you have put in and have you worked weekends at all?

I have never had to work a weekend. The longest day I have worked, might have been till 8:30pm but that was only a one off.

On a day to day basis, what do you work on?

In risk typically you are doing one of three things within your team and with other colleagues in the bank. Regular oversight/control: This varies from team to team and can encompass running daily reports, developing models, writing memos or chairing daily meetings to convey to the wider business, what their risks are looking like. This is crucial, as it gives the business comfort, that the activities they are undertaking whether it be lending, transacting or even working toward tailored client solutions is being done in a controlled manner which is acceptable to the bank and in the interests of customers/stakeholders. These type of periodic oversight tasks usually culminate in either a weekly or monthly update to a wider part of the bank, so they are informed. In addition, there are many teams who do various types of these oversight activities, but could be in various forms, for example one team might perform controls and issues management, where as another team might produce a snapshot of the banks lending risks etc.

Process improvement/ projects/ insight: There is a big emphasis in risk management for us to always be optimising our processes to ensure we are capturing the most accurate information and thus presenting the clearest picture about the banks risk position to our stakeholders. These process improvement tasks usually take a longer time and could involve, designing new processes such as BI dashboards to convert manual reports to automated one. Alternatively it could be working towards a new policy or decisioning tool which could be used by one of our customer serving teams to help them make better decisions.

Working on bank wide projects: Another common task within risk is usually being a representative for risk on a larger project or strategic initiative the bank is working toward, whilst I have not been on any large ones myself, I know it is a very common thing for many risk staff to be a part off. Ensuring that all the initiatives the bank is looking to develop have input from teams who specialise in their respective area i.e. risk, finance, marketing etc.

Overall the work in risk is varied, but as a grad you will typically work on whatever the team is currently doing, some teams do not have daily oversight but do their tasks on a weekly or monthly basis, so in those you will be part of their projects or even get to run some of your own.

Have you worked on any projects at Westpac Group?

During my rotations I have worked on projects such as:

• Working on data validation tools and process to help teams mitigate key risks around data quality and validation.
• Working on developing BI dashboards to help teams better understand how they can leverage qualitative data to get a better overview of where the gaps are in their processes and provided clearer paths to action.

What systems do you use for your role in the graduate program?

Like most workplaces, Microsoft office is the base for all tasks, in addition to that teams typically use customised systems which could be internally developed as well. In general most work is done on the office suite.

What sort of support are you provided at Westpac Group?

The support received here is phenomenal, at every stage of the program right from accepting the offer, there has been extensive support provided. In terms of specifics, the support from work is excellent, especially in these trying times, there hasn’t been a moment, where employee safety and concerns haven’t been at the forefront of a decision made by the management. In terms of specifics, the bank offers a wide variety of programs right from vaccine roll out initiatives in recent times, to providing the right resources for you should you need them whatever the need may be.

In addition the wider teams which coordinate the graduate program are absolute aces, every question no matter how big the ask, is dealt with, to ensure that all grads feel welcomed. In terms of support from leaders, this is also really good, direct leaders are always open to hear your concerns and help you reach your goals whatever direction they may take. In addition, the leaders at the bank are always open and approachable - something I find always adds an extra layer of support should you need it.

What skills do you think you need to succeed in your role and do they differ from what you envisioned?

There are many skills which I think would be useful in the role of a graduate such as critical thinking, teamwork, communication, presentation, stakeholder management and many more. However there is one I think is most key and that is communication, but it's not just about writing an email or presenting a powerpoint or an idea, to succeed I think, engaging in active communication is essential. This is where, when you  tailor your communication style to suit the counter-party, sometimes there are people who like to be straight to the point, where as other times there are people who like to have a more casual chat before getting into the business of the day. Hence being able to tailor your communication style from time to time is very helpful in cultivating a positive working relationship.

I knew I would need all the mentioned skills above, but what I didn’t realise was how deeply integrated they were with one another till, I started working, as in university you are really trying to hone them one by one, but at work, often it is their combination which is the most powerful.

What are the best perks or benefits at Westpac Group?

A lot of perks, right from discounts to having in place support for a variety of situations which might need you to take leave. In addition there are a range of perks such as flexible working arrangements, access to other leading offerings to do with wellbeing, and a whole lot more!

Carlos
University of New South Wales
Bachelor of Information Systems

Can you let us know what company you are working for and which area of the business you work in or which rotation you are currently in? 

Transformation Delivery

What was the first 6 months like?  What have you really enjoyed? 

The first 6 months were more interesting than I expected. It was eye-opening to find out how much you can learn about yourself and a large organisation in such a short amount of time. What I really enjoyed was beginning to contribute to projects that were greater than just my vision, learning new soft and technical skills, and meeting all sorts of new people who would help shape my journey.

Was your position with the Westpac Group Grad Program as you expected it to be? Did anything take you by surprise?

Each position I've held (depending on rotation) has had more variety than I expected. You may hold a 'Graduate Business Analyst' role for example, but be asked to do far more than just that. Getting exposure to new areas such as Change management and Human Centred Design in addition to my title not only broadened my skill capabilities, but also showed that my leaders cared about my development.

Everyone is keen on maintaining work/life balance, with that in mind what is the longest day you have put it and have you worked weekends at all?

The longest day I've worked was 10 hours (including breaks). I have not had to work Saturdays.

On a day to day basis, what do you work on?

That depends on the role. In my first rotation I was assisting Business Analysts and a Scrum Master planning out Scrum Team activities, developing master information pages for reference, developing user stories/acceptance criteria for project iterations, and dabbling in some process map development and analysis. My second rotation involved assisting with the analysis of a new initiative that we were testing. This included facilitating meetings to discover the in's and out's of this initiative, drafting key deliverables that demonstrate a change in state from how we operated vs how we will operate with this new initiative, and in addition - developing communications and trainings that make bankers aware and prepared of such change. Currently I am helping to ensure that key objectives, funding and timelines for Transformation Projects align with the over strategic vision of the Bank, whether that be at a quarterly view or short-medium term perspective.

Have you worked on any projects at Westpac Group?

Mortgage Platform Design, Merchant Payments Solution Delivery, Institutional Bank Portfolio Delivery

What systems do you use for your role in the graduate program?

Jira, Confluence, Microsoft Office Suite, Holocentric/Modelpedia (sometimes), InVision (sometimes), Qualtrics, PowerAutomate

What sort of support are you provided at Westpac Group?

Health & Wellbeing Days, Regular check-ins with placement leaders/day to day managers/mentors, Care Packages from the Graduate Team, Seminars around personal and professional development, 24/7 access to online support content

What skills do you think you need to succeed in your role and do they differ from what you envisioned?

Listening skills, communication skills, analytical skills (understanding a problem and assisting with solution generation), note-taking skills, ability to have fun and connect with others, technical skills  (around using new softwares and sites), technological skills.

No, this aligns with what I expected.

What are the best perks or benefits at Westpac Group?

Health & wellbeing days, COVID vaccination leave, reward systems via peer nominations for awards, COVID Vaccinations, free professional and personal development seminars, benefits & discounts on banking and external products, salary sacrificing, access to internal trainings on a plethora of topics, access to clubs and associations

William
University of Adelaide
Bachelor of Arts, Major in Sociology

Can you let us know what company you are working for and which area of the business you work in or which rotation you are currently in? 

Financial Markets - Institutional Sales

What was the first 6 months like?  What have you really enjoyed?

My first 6 months have been fantastic - extremely steep learning curve but very supportive and positive environment. I have particularly enjoyed the effort that has been made to give me relevant, useful projects that give me the chance to learn skills I am interested in like coding and data analytics. 

Was your position with the Westpac Group Grad Program as you expected it to be? Did anything take you by surprise?

I was surprised by how generous people were with their time and the collaborativeness of the environment.

Everyone is keen on maintaining work/life balance, with that in mind what is the longest day you have put it and have you worked weekends at all?

The longest day I worked would have been 7:15am to 6:45pm. The lateness is not really expected.
I have never had to work a Saturday or had any contact with work on weekends.

On a day to day basis, what do you work on?

This varies from team to team. However, most days will include morning meetings where different teams discuss the markets, any data, news or moves. There will also often be a variety of morning admin tasks to update everyone on overnight news. There will sometimes also be other types of admin tasks that revolve around the bank's financial and regulatory obligations (e.g. updating daily P&L).

There was also a huge focus on communication, organising calls and meetings with experienced traders and salespeople to learn more about their jobs and about financial markets.

Personally my daily work was mostly project work. This included lots of data analytics, market research, and also projects to upgrade or automate existing processes.

I was given a large number of projects like this because I specifically asked for the opportunity to obtain these skills, so I really appreciated that.

Have you worked on any projects at Westpac Group?

I asked for opportunities to learn coding and data analysis, so some projects I was given were:

• creating a process to clean and format a raw dataset of transaction data
• building a pricing and risk calculator for structured securities
• building a pricing and risk calculator for swaps and interest rate derivatives
• researching cross-border relative value of bank bonds
• researching historical currency moves and correlations
• researching leading indicators for economic data
• automating data importation and visualisation
• speaking to team members to ensure data is integrated into their daily processes

What systems do you use for your role in the graduate program?

• Excel (and full MS suite, Outlook, Teams, SharePoint etc)
• Python
• Tableau
• QlikSense
• Murex
• Tradeweb
• Yieldbroker

What sort of support are you provided at Westpac Group?

I get substantial support. Every grad at Westpac has a buddy from the previous year's grad cohort, a mentor from within the business, two grad managers for the cohort, their own grad manager for the year, and one or two people leaders in each team they rotate through. There are lots of people I can reach out to at any time if I need help.

The company has also been extremely communicative and focused on employee safety during COVID, especially with working from home arrangements, but also with vaccinations and sick leave.

What skills do you think you need to succeed in your role and do they differ from what you envisioned?

I think the most important skill anyone needs in this role is the curiosity and persistence to learn new skills. All the skills associated with the role can be learned by anyone with the right mentality, because the environment is so supportive to learning those skills.

I thought perhaps I would need more background in finance, maths or coding, but honestly that hasn't really been the case at all. If anything, the critical thinking approach I learned in my arts degree has come in handy a lot.

What are the best perks or benefits at Westpac Group?

Westpac is extremely flexible and supportive to workers which is a huge perk. It provides very good leave and extremely well priced employee banking discounts. It can pay for education and learning opportunities, and has overseas offices in major capitals. Westpac also gave me relocation assistance to move from Adelaide to Sydney.

Grad Squad Podcast Series - UNEXPECTED CAREERS

All of the Grad Squad podcasts are designed to offer an insider look into our graduate and summer internship programs, and bring to light some top tips and advice to set our listeners up for success.

Grad Squad Podcast Series - APPLICATION ADVICE

All of the Grad Squad podcasts are designed to offer an insider look into our graduate and summer internship programs, and bring to light some top tips and advice to set our listeners up for success.

Read more about our graduate program

Why banks are looking well beyond finance graduates

It’s becoming far less uncommon to find students with degrees like medical nanotechnology or marine ecology joining banks’ graduate programs, as big businesses like Westpac hunt for more diversity.

Read the full article by visiting our page: https://www.westpac.com.au/news/in-depth/2021/07/why-banks-are-looking-well-beyond-finance-graduates/

New cyber grad stream in hunt for skills

As the hunt for cyber security specialists grows ever more acute, Westpac has kicked off a new graduate program stream, hiring young recruits like Annelie Jensen to boost its cyber ranks.

Read the full article by visiting our page: https://www.westpac.com.au/news/making-news/2022/03/new-cyber-grad-stream-in-hunt-for-skills/

Westpac Grad & Intern Webinar 21 July 2021 - Recording

In 2019 Westpac was named Australia’s most sustainable bank by the Dow Jones Sustainability index.  It was also our 18th year in a row as a global banking leader, achieving the 9th spot globally.  

Employee Initiatives

Each member of our 40,000-strong team plays a part in our vision to be one of the world's great service companies. Our people are central to our success and we're focused on making the Westpac Group the place where the best people want to work.

Find out more by visiting our page: https://www.westpac.com.au/about-westpac/sustainability/initiatives-for-you/employees/

Resources for Students & Scholars

We have opportunities and resources for students and scholars - those who are interested in our sustainability agenda and those who have the drive and imagination to shape Australia.

Find out more by visiting our page: https://www.westpac.com.au/about-westpac/sustainability/initiatives-for-you/students-scholars/

Responsible Sourcing

Westpac seeks to conduct business with organisations which share our values, abide by our principles and help support our commitments to operate in an ethical, socially and environmentally responsible manner.

Find out more by visiting our page: https://www.westpac.com.au/about-westpac/sustainability/initiatives-for-you/suppliers-sustainable-sourcing/

Governance

Our robust governance framework keeps us focused and accountable for sustainable practices in our day to day activities.

Find out more by visiting our page: https://www.westpac.com.au/about-westpac/sustainability/goverance-and-accountability/

Our approach to inclusion and diversity is broad and supports Westpac Group in being one of the world's great service companies, helping our customers, communities and people to prosper and grow.

Inclusion across all cultures

Our people are as diverse as the 12 million customers we serve and the countless communities we operate in. We speak over 35 different languages and identify with even more cultural backgrounds, bringing with them a broad range of unique experiences, skills and ideas. It is this distinctive mix that enables us to make extraordinary results happen for our customers.  

When you work with us, you'll be part of a diverse cultural group that shares a broad mix of unique experiences, skills and ideas.

LGBTIQ+

Everyone has the right to feel comfortable to be themselves when they come to work.  For our LGBTIQ people, that means offering a safe and respectful work environment where everyone is treated equally and feels included and valued.

In 2019 we were pleased to introduce additional support for transgender and gender diverse employees. This included the introduction of up to 4 weeks paid and 12 months unpaid leave in addition to existing leave entitlements.

People with disability and accessibility

We are committed to providing a supportive culture and creating inclusive and accessible workplaces, branches and services for our people and customers.  With 1 in 5 Australians living with disability, our commitment is for the long term and we are regularly reviewing our progress and looking for ways to innovate.

This year, we were awarded first place by the Australian Network on Disability in the Access & Inclusion Top Performers 2021-22 list.

Part of building a better future for all Australians is ensuring our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, customers and communities prosper and grow.  At Westpac Group we are committed to creating a workplace that supports long-lasting and meaningful careers for everyone. 

Westpac Group have a dedicated Indigenous Careers Team to help with:

• Creating as many employment pathways as possible
• Supporting the career development of Indigenous employees, interns and trainees
• Making sure that we retain great Indigenous talent through career development opportunities (e.g.: mentoring programs, short-term secondments and leadership courses)

School-based Traineeships

If you’re still at school and looking to gain experience in the financial services industry, a School-based Traineeship could be the right program for you. Gain paid part-time employment during years 11 and 12 and receive training that counts towards your HSC or equivalent. You’ll come away with practical workplace skills in the banking and finance sector, and a nationally accredited qualification.

Full-time Traineeships

If you’ve finished school and are looking to gain experience in the financial services industry, a Full-Time Traineeship could be the right program for you. Completing the traineeship means you’ll get a nationally accredited qualification along with paid employment. To qualify you’ll need to have had previous work experience, but it doesn’t have to be relevant to the financial services industry.

When you complete our programs you’ll have the possibility to further your qualifications or apply for a permanent role within Westpac Group.

Let us know you are interested by contacting the Indigenous Careers Team at [email protected] or find out more by visiting our page:  https://www.westpac.com.au/about-westpac/careers/indigenouscareers/

Our gender equality journey started early, with Westpac being the first company in Australia to introduce paid parental leave in 1995, and partner leave 3 years later.  We were the first bank to publicly commit to the aspirational target of having 50% of our leadership roles held by women, which we first achieved in 2017 and have maintained since. 

We’ve continued to make progress – setting and achieving gender targets for our leadership ranks, creating a strong culture of flexibility and building financial literacy for women through Ruby Connection. We have also introduced a range of dedicated policies and support for parents, carers, people transitioning to their affirmed gender and people experiencing domestic and family violence.

Find out more by visiting our page: https://www.westpac.com.au/about-westpac/inclusion-and-diversity/Inclusion-means-everyone-matters/gender-equality/