27 Sep 2022
A digital alternative to online identity theft risk
Andrew Cornell |
Identity theft is a global online scourge but one of the most promising fields of digital innovation is digital, secure IDs.
Opinion
17 Jul 2017
Super: the great Australian apathy
Alexis George | Deputy Chief Executive Officer & Group Executive Wealth Australia, ANZ
More than half of all Australians significantly underestimate how much superannuation they’ll need for independence.
04 Jul 2017
How the mobile revolution changed jobs – and the world
Shane White | Content Manager, Institutional, ANZ
Workers share their experiences of operating in a world with computers in their pockets.
30 Jun 2017
UNDERBELLY
Rod Clement | Walkley Award-winning cartoonist
Award-winning Illustrator Rod Clement shares his uniquely quirky take on the corporate world. This week: the finer things.
16 Jun 2017
UNDERBELLY
Rod Clement | Walkley Award-winning cartoonist
Award-winning Illustrator Rod Clement shares his uniquely quirky take on the corporate world. This week: a cluttered mind.
09 May 2017
PODCAST: The future of work is anti-disciplinarian
David Lewis | Australian business professional and founder of The Mentor List
Work Club founder and CEO Soren Trampedach discusses the future of work – and it is essentially evolve or die.
02 May 2017
ANZ overhauls its organisational approach to improve customer experience
Andrew Cornell | Past Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ is shaking up its management style in a move CEO Shayne Elliott hopes will improve the way the bank responds to customer needs, empower staff and improve productivity.
01 May 2017
Trump: 100 days of theatre and surprising calm
Tony Walker | Author and Political Analyst
Australian officials have resolved to ignore the contortions and build relationships with Trump’s senior staff.
27 Apr 2017
How to make it big in Asia (from someone big in Asia)
Jane Cooper | bluenotes contributor
No-added-sugar chocolate, Superfoods and Cancer Council sunscreen are among the products of Vitality Brands Group, an Australian company founded by James Wright (CEO) and Richard Meyrick in 2003.
24 Apr 2017
Pigeonholes and prefixes: is there still a place for honorifics?
Nick Godber | BlueNotes contributing editor
While the debate around the role of banks in societal issues rages in Australia, the global bank HSBC has announced plans to add 10 new gender neutral titles to their retail bank accounts, allowing customers to choose from non-gender specific prefixes like Mx, Msr and Pr.
20 Apr 2017
ON THE COUCH: Elliott on business’ most important resource
Andrew Cornell | Past Managing Editor, bluenotes
If you’re trying to work out the source of a problem in your business – no matter what the size – it’s worth taking a closer look at your people, ANZ CEO Shayne Elliott says.
19 Apr 2017
Eleanor Roosevelt, cats and professional excellence
Katie Bennett-Stenton | National Marketing Lead, Energy & Resources, Deloitte
Cats are said to have nine lives – but to ensure corporate survival and an upwards professional trajectory it can seem like you need more than nine to keep pace with change.
19 Apr 2017
Don’t give up on globalisation yet
Charles Wachira | Associate Director, Institutional at ANZ
The times they are a changin’.
13 Apr 2017
Under the waterline between China and Japan
Mark Skulley & Jim Skulley | Freelance journalist & Honours student in international relations at La Trobe University
One of Japan's foremost China watchers, Seiichiro Takagi, tries to look over the horizon when it comes to the South China Sea.
12 Apr 2017
Bank of England: Do as I say, not as I do
Andrew Cornell | Past Managing Editor, bluenotes
For a central banker, Andy Haldane is a Shakespearean fool – not that he’s foolish, in fact exactly the opposite. Under the guise of speeches with titles like The Dog and the Frisbee he cuts through the pomp of the regulatory court with incisive and often irreverent – and sometimes perplexing – wit.
11 Apr 2017
VIDEO: Can sharing help us beat the robots?
Rita Zonius | Former Head of Internal Digital Communications, ANZ
Want to beat the robots? Speak up. Increasingly, open workplace communication will be a vital tool for knowledge workers hoping to fight off the rise of automation, communications expert Euan Semple says.
10 Apr 2017
Emotional intelligence: a core leadership skill
Leon Gettler | Veteran and highly regarded management journalist
Emotional intelligence - the ability to identify your own emotions and those of others - is now regarded as a core skill for leaders who want to get the best out of their teams.
10 Apr 2017
Fairytales and the future: the digital battle for customers
Jane Grace | NZ Content Manager, ANZ
Businesses use digital technology to provide a faster and more-convenient service for their customers. And if they don’t, there is a whole breed of competitor who will do it for them.
06 Apr 2017
Why BlueNotes is wrong: fintech has not peaked
Tareq Muhmood | CEO Korea & Managing Director Global Subsidiaries, ANZ
I was intrigued by BlueNotes columnist Andrew Cornell’s recent article All aboard fintech’s Trojan horse which highlighted a KPMG report showing the value of Fintech investment in 2016 was well down on 2015.
03 Apr 2017
There’s no slowing consumers in China: Blackmores CEO
Anna Green | CEO Philippines, ANZ
Don’t expect to see a slowdown in consumer activity in China, Blackmores CEO Christine Holgate says, as there’s no shortage of demand from the country’s rapidly growing middle class.
03 Apr 2017
Oil price forecasts up in the air
Narayanan Somasundaram | Economics & finance reporter
To hedge oil or not to hedge oil is the big question. Rising volatility accentuated by uncertainty on whether there will be an oversupply or shortage of oil is causing many a dilemma to companies for whom oil is a significant input cost.
31 Mar 2017
Five key habits of growing SMEs
Tania Motton | ANZ General Manager, Business Banking Australia
Small businesses are not just the lifeblood of growth in Australia and most economies, delivering true innovation and higher employment, their experiences can offer lessons for businesses of all sizes.
28 Mar 2017
ON THE COUCH: innovation & change in Singapore
Andrew Cornell | Past Managing Editor, bluenotes
Goh Chok Tong has had a long, distinguished career in politics and public policy in Asia, including a crucial period as the Prime Minister of Singapore, succeeding founding PM Lee Kuan Yew.
27 Mar 2017
We need to talk about mental health (at work)
Darren Abbruzzese | Former General Manager Data, ANZ
I had a conversation recently with a colleague who spoke of his wife's anxiety issues. Sometimes her anxiety can be quite overwhelming and he's had to take time off work to care for her.
22 Mar 2017
Community demanding more of biz leaders: Dwyer
Andrew Cornell | Past Managing Editor, bluenotes
The role of senior business leaders in broader Australian society is changing as the community demands more of them according to ANZ director Paula Dwyer.
25 Nov 2016
UNDERBELLY
Rod Clement | Walkley Award-winning cartoonist
Award-winning Illustrator Rod Clement shares his uniquely quirky take on the corporate world. This week: back-seat executives.
11 Nov 2016
UNDERBELLY
Rod Clement | Walkley Award-winning cartoonist
Award-winning Illustrator Rod Clement shares his uniquely quirky take on the corporate world. This week: work-life balance
04 Nov 2016
Under the surface in Seoul
Tareq Muhmood | CEO Korea & Managing Director Global Subsidiaries, ANZ
Korea was once known as the ‘hermit kingdom’, a name stretching back centuries. Things have definitely moved on since then. Samsung, LG and Hyundai are global brands. Korean pop culture is huge across Asia (and even the world with Gangnam Style).
26 Aug 2016
UNDERBELLY
Rod Clement | Walkley Award-winning cartoonist
Award-winning Illustrator Rod Clement shares his uniquely quirky take on the corporate world. This week: #winterofdiscontent.
19 Aug 2016
UNDERBELLY
Rod Clement | Walkley Award-winning cartoonist
Award-winning Illustrator Rod Clement shares his uniquely quirky take on the corporate world. This week: all the King’s men.
05 Aug 2016
UNDERBELLY
Rod Clement | Walkley Award-winning cartoonist
Award-winning Illustrator Rod Clement shares his uniquely quirky take on the corporate world. This week: close encounters.
29 Jul 2016
It’s standing room only in the C-Suite
Leo D'Angelo Fisher | Freelance journalist
When it comes to corporate careers, you know you’ve made it when you gain entry to the mahogany environs of the C-suite. ‘C’ being for ‘chief’ - as in Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Chief Operating Officer (COO), or the big three ‘C’heeses.
18 Jul 2016
The inside pass from Fiji’s world-class leader
Joape Kuruyawa | BlueNotes contributing editor
UPDATE: Fiji have secured the country's first ever Gold Medal by winning the Rugby Sevens competition at the Rio Olympic Games. Below, we look back at the secret of what makes the team tick.
15 Jul 2016
IN PICTURES: Sydney style
Sarah Imm | Founder, Vélo-à-Porter
My husband lost twenty kilos in 2012 during two months of parental leave. He bicycled everywhere with the kids and his weight plummeted.
06 Jun 2016
Why clients come first in financial advice
Kylie George | Former financial adviser, Harvest Wealth
Financial advice is often seen as a complex thing but in many ways it is quite simple. In my view, if advisers put clients at the centre of everything we do, we will never go wrong.
06 Jun 2016
What Steve Ciobo and Penny Wong need to know about giant lobsters
Tania Motton | ANZ General Manager, Business Banking Australia
For three generations, the Ferguson family has been fishing Southern Rock Lobsters out of the Great Australian Bight. But they had a problem: too many lobsters were too big.
27 May 2016
Feeling lucky in a new country
Tareq Muhmood | CEO Korea & Managing Director Global Subsidiaries, ANZ
Having started working in my thirteenth country, it made me reflect on what makes such a transition a productive, even a ‘happy’ one.
02 May 2016
Five tips for nailing your performance review
Anna Corr | Head of Research & Analysis Australia, ANZ
For some they are occasions for dread, while for others they are a chance to get recognition for a year of hard work. Wherever you sit, and even with the running debate on their place, performance reviews (PMRs) are an ingrained part of the culture of companies. They can shape your future at an organisation.
02 May 2016
You wouldn’t meet about it
Leo D'Angelo Fisher | Freelance journalist
Call someone during the day and there’s every chance you will be told they are in a meeting. Look around at work and almost certainly someone, a pile of papers under-arm, will be breathlessly rushing to their next meeting.
29 Mar 2016
The secret to leading the perfect team
Jo Mikleus | Former Chief of Staff, ANZ
Many elements make up the perfect team. The key is bringing together depth of experience, global mindsets, external perspectives, gender diversity as well as other dimensions such as leadership, curiosity, passion and drive.
22 Mar 2016
The most powerful word in business
Matt Boss | Former Managing Director Products and Marketing, ANZ
Network Ten executive general manager and advertising guru Russel Howcroft has an important message for business leaders: don't say 'no'.
18 Mar 2016
Insurance must adapt to a new kind of customer
Alexis George | Deputy Chief Executive Officer & Group Executive Wealth Australia, ANZ
Over the past few decades technology has changed our lives at an unprecedented rate. For the wealth industry, the convergence of technological and social innovation is pushing us to think and act differently, finding new ways to help people secure their future wellbeing.
16 Mar 2016
Three fundamentals of effective communication you can't ignore
Dave Halls | Communication expert, international speaker and best-selling author
The cost of poor communication is often far greater than we think. Results from a survey of 400 companies show poor communication cost them a total of more than $37 billion. Other research suggests 30 per cent of projects fail because of poor communication.
01 Mar 2016
Start-ups: debt vs equity vs other (or of all of the above)
Kate Gibson | General Manager Small Business Banking Australia, ANZ
More than two thirds of Australia's start-ups believe they need funding to survive through 2016, according to the StartUp Muster Report 2015. Plenty of existing small businesses are also on the lookout.
25 Feb 2016
Stop telling me "Be patient, it will get better over time!"
Susie Babani | Former Chief Human Resources Officer at ANZ
Please stop telling me "Be patient, it will get better over time!"
19 Feb 2016
The unspeakable horror of a bad PowerPoint presentation
Paul Edwards | Manager Operations Strategy, ANZ
The following story contains actual slides presented in actual presentations in professional environments.
17 Feb 2016
Five ways to adapt to globalisation and the changing workforce
Anouk De Blieck | General Manager, Human Resources, ANZ
We live in a connected world. Companies are expanding internationally and customers expect borderless interactions. Services must be simple, agile and tailored. Customers want to choose how, when and where they will interact with businesses.
16 Feb 2016
BlueNotes debate: the innovation injection
Andrew Cornell | Past Managing Editor, bluenotes
Australia has the fourth-biggest pool of pension savings in the world and now a government which recognises innovation as critical to economic well-being. But the question then becomes: how can we ensure these funds are used to support Australian innovation in a way that supports both industry and super balances?
08 Feb 2016
How we can make the internet a safer place for all
Steve Glynn & Adam Cartwright | Former Global Head of Information Security & Head of Cyber Security Operations, ANZ
Right now, you're online. You're not alone - according to the United Nations agency for information and communication technologies more than three billion people now regularly use the internet.
05 Feb 2016
Fintech forces banks to be better: Elliott
Shayne Elliott | Chief Executive Officer, ANZ
If you think about what banks do, it's actually really simple. We really only have two resources: great people and technology.
01 Feb 2016
Spiderman vs Elsa (and perspectives on gender)
Rhiannon Richardson & Mue Bentley Fisher | Chair of ANZ Banking on Women – Fiji & Communications Manager, ANZ Pacific
Ladies, have you ever wondered about the life lessons boys got from their childhood idols like Spiderman, which many of us missed out on growing up? Gents, how many of you still channel your inner superhero during challenging times at home or work?
01 Feb 2016
Ten ways to keep your New Year leadership resolution
Leo D'Angelo Fisher | Freelance journalist
New Year's resolutions might seem a harmless custom – vows to join a gym or learn to do the tango - you know in your heart of hearts will never make it off the to-do list. But why waste the opportunity to make substantive changes?
27 Jan 2016
What big business can learn from startups
Matt Boss & Jane Martino | Former Managing Director Products and Marketing, ANZ & CEO, Shout for Good
Persistence, positivity and resilience are all successful attitudes big business can borrow from startups, along with jettisoning a fear of failure according to Jane Martino, Shout founder and head of ANZ Wealth division's social segment.
19 Jan 2016
The reality of the role of women in business
Tania Motton | ANZ General Manager, Business Banking Australia
Do we need more women in business? Clearly, yes. The evidence shows a more balanced gender and diversity mix better represents communities and consumers and helps not just business outcomes but governance.
15 Jan 2016
The many reasons you should clean up your desk at work
Paul G Edwards | Publisher, BlueNotes
We know at BlueNotes – courtesy of our most-read story –the tie or no tie with business suit debate is a hostile one. But we've found another: desk management. Our publisher, Paul Edwards, was so stunned by the state of the desk of our managing editor, Andrew Cornell, he tweeted a pic of it.
15 Jan 2016
Long live the messy desk?
Leo D'Angelo Fisher | Freelance journalist
We know at BlueNotes – courtesy of our most-read story –the tie or no tie with business suit debate is a hostile one. But we've found another: desk management. Our publisher, Paul Edwards, was so stunned by the state of the desk of our managing editor, Andrew Cornell, he tweeted a pic of it.
24 Dec 2015
Women: the heartbeat of developing economies
Carolyn Ive | BlueNotes contributing editor
In the developed world women are struggling to be equally represented in the economy across senior executive roles, retirement savings or political influence. But in some parts of the developing world, the story is different.
23 Dec 2015
Five ways banking of the future will really differ
Peter Dalton | Managing Director Design & Development, ANZx
As digital technologies continue to reshape financial services, the question of how banks will operate in the future is a hot topic - but, like all crystal ball gazing, it's terribly difficult to get right. There are so many outlets making predictions these days it's inevitable a lot will be off the mark.
22 Dec 2015
Three ways to successfully drive digital
Sanjoy Sen | Managing Director for Retail Banking Asia Pacific
Digital is probably the most-talked about topic in corporate boardroom, but the process of translating this into practical actions and operations is still an enigma for many companies.
15 Dec 2015
Summer reads: a banker's dozen
Leigh Cohen | BlueNotes contributing editor
Nothing says summer like a good book. As we hurtle toward the holiday period, ANZ board members and executives have shared their top reads with BlueNotes.
15 Dec 2015
Australia needs a massive cultural shift on human capital
Narelle Hooper | Co-Author, New Women, New Men, New Economy
Hubs, incubators and start-ups are all phrases looming large in the innovation policy sphere right now but you have to ask, who is in on them?
08 Dec 2015
Bank margins at the margin in Asia and Australia
Andrew Cornell | Past Managing Editor, bluenotes
As a cadet finance reporter, every time I rang a broker about the stock market I had to steel myself for the wonderful insight “the market went up/down because there were more/less buyers than sellers”.
08 Dec 2015
Is microfinance a hero or villain?
Tom Cropper | Freelance Social Enterprise Journalist
For its supporters, microfinance is the magic bullet helping alleviate poverty while generating profits at the same time. But a series of high-profile mishaps around the globe, the industry's reputation is on the line.
07 Dec 2015
'Joking' is no excuse for sexism
Catherine Fox | Journalist and author
Calling a couple of her team over to her desk in an open-plan office, a senior woman in a professional services firm briefs them on the next steps of a project. After the short meeting, a male colleague sitting nearby asks her to keep her voice down in future because she sounds just like his wife nagging him.
30 Nov 2015
Profiting from trust
Andrew Cornell | Past Managing Editor, bluenotes
Where are the big risks for banks in 2016? ANZ Lending Services, which deals closely with the insolvency and risk management sector, last week rounded up a dozen or so specialists and asked them this question.
25 Nov 2015
Women: visibility a key to success
Amanda Gome | Former head of digital and social media, ANZ
Without visibility and communication skills women, unless taken under the wing of a top male powerbroker, have almost no chance of progressing to the top levels of business.
24 Nov 2015
Dress Down Friday dresses up productivity
Marcia Levinstock | Founder and Managing Editor of Content, Primary Ideas
As my toes wriggle contently in their (Italian, designer) leather sandals, freed from the shackles of sky-high Tom Ford pumps, I praise Casual Friday.
23 Nov 2015
Before doing business in India, you must eat
Nicola Watkinson | Minister Commercial and Senior Trade & Investment Commissioner South Asia, Austrade
In my role as Senior Trade Commissioner, South Asia with Austrade, I'm often asked for tips on working in the region and my answer is always the same: know the place. Get your feet on the ground. Be prepared to come to India. Come a lot.
17 Nov 2015
A dressing down for dress down Friday
Leo D'Angelo Fisher | Freelance journalist
A lot of men seem to have decided it's time to discard the tie for work. Yet, in most cases, they still wear a suit. Frankly, it just isn't a good look. It is a rare man indeed who can get away with wearing a suit without a tie. Those who can would probably look fetching in a barrel and braces...
04 Nov 2015
Are banks too profitable
Andrew Cornell | Past Managing Editor, bluenotes
The Financial Times' highly respected Lex column has delivered a slap to (northern hemisphere) bank executives, telling them to stop making promises they never keep.
02 Nov 2015
The price of perks
Marcia Levinstock | Founder and Managing Editor of Content, Primary Ideas
One of the first questions we ask when we first meet someone is “What do you do?"
28 Oct 2015
Six trends shaking up transaction banking
Carole Berndt | Former Head of Global Transaction Banking, ANZ
SIBOS, the Swift International Banking Operations Seminar, one of the largest annual conference and networking events for the financial industry has recently wrapped in Singapore, the first time the event has been held in Asia for six years.
27 Oct 2015
Five insights for unlocking Asia
Mukund Narayanamurti | CEO, Asialink Business
As a nation, Australia is linking with Asia in more ways than ever before. It's a development opening up a wealth of opportunities for the business community in the region, particularly small- and medium-sized companies.
23 Oct 2015
The fintech future is here
Toby Heap & Ian Pollari | Co-founder of H2 Ventures & Global co-chair of KPMG's Fintech practice
Viewing the below chart of web searches, you could be forgiven for thinking that fintech has only really emerged in the past year. But the financial services sector has been innovating with technology for centuries – so why has it got so big recently?
23 Oct 2015
Three simple ways to lead in a foreign environment
Anouk De Blieck | General Manager, Human Resources, ANZ
Someone once told me Russians are like coconuts. It didn't make sense until I arrived in Russia.
22 Oct 2015
Reputation the next business battleground
Lee White | CEO, Chartered Accountants ANZ
Australia and New Zealand, once considered shining lights when it comes to corruption, are starting to dim.
20 Oct 2015
Leverage, risk, culture and Australian bank capital
Andrew Cornell | Past Managing Editor, bluenotes
Westpac Banking Corp's decision to raise $A3.5 billion in new capital immediately raised investor questions about a new round of equity raisings even though the other three Australian majors had already raised comparable amounts.
20 Oct 2015
The social enterprise shift in Hong Kong
Tom Cropper | Freelance Social Enterprise Journalist
Last year the eyes of the world turned to Hong Kong as the Occupy Central movement set up camp in the city's financial district. However, elsewhere a much quieter revolution is taking place in the form of social entrepreneurism.
19 Oct 2015
There is no stopping progress (unless you have a lot of cabs)
Alex Kewley | Director, Client Insights & Solutions, ANZ
Seeing the black cab drivers lined up in London to protest against Uber earlier this year got me thinking: there is no stopping progress (although in the short term you can obviously cause traffic jams).
15 Oct 2015
How business can help stop domestic violence
Andrew Cornell | Past Managing Editor, bluenotes
Australian of the Year Rosie Batty has become a tireless and poignant protagonist in the campaign to raise the profile and lower the human cost of domestic violence since the tragic death of her son at the hands of his father.
15 Oct 2015
Cyberattacks: think 'when', not 'if'
Steve Glynn | Former Global Head of Information Security, ANZ
Against a background of accelerating technological change and disruptive business models, cyber security has become a key operational risk facing organisations of all sizes – especially those in financial services.
14 Oct 2015
'Gut feel' leadership is dead
Amanda Gome | Former head of digital and social media, ANZ
Recently one of the smartest executives I know, who is always ahead of trend curves, looked at me bewildered. “I can't keep up anymore," he said. “I don't know how."
14 Oct 2015
Creative approach required for jobs of the future
Peter Booth | Provost and Senior Vice President, Sydney University of Technology
Australia's largest trading partner, China, has a strategic focus to shift from 'Made in China' towards 'Designed in China'. Australia's 4th largest trading partner, South Korea, has established 17 major innovation centres in 17 major cities across the country to quickly develop its creative economy and creative industries.
13 Oct 2015
Three things companies need to succeed in the digital era
Shayne Elliott | Chief Executive Officer, ANZ
A visit to Silicon Valley is both terrifying and exciting.
13 Oct 2015
Is Apple Pay a dud? And what about P2P?
Andrew Cornell | Past Managing Editor, bluenotes
Going viral is one of the favoured metaphors of the social and digital world but it is the nature of viruses to rapidly mutate, shifting targets and impacts.
13 Oct 2015
Chinese middle class to double spending by 2030
Andrew Geczy | Former CEO International and Institutional Banking, ANZ
China's middle class will more than double its spending by 2030, lifting consumption as a portion of GDP to nearly 50 per cent from just 38 per cent in 2014.
12 Oct 2015
This Key may be hard to copy
Bernard Hickey | Publisher at Hive News
Everyone loves – and would love to copy – a winner.
12 Oct 2015
Digital model choice – what do we want to be known for?
Maxim Sharshun & Stephen Reilly | Former Engagement Manager & Director, PwC Strategy
Growing up in the digital age can be tough. Kids have information coming at them from all sides as they come in to a world that doesn't seem to have an 'off' switch. As a parent, some of the best advice you can give a child about how to cope with the limitless stream of role models, popular trends and technologies is simply 'be yourself'.
09 Oct 2015
Silicon valley or death valley for Australia's start-up culture?
Andrew Cornell | Past Managing Editor, bluenotes
BlueNotes and PwC Capital Edge are presenting a series of discussions and roundtables with industry experts, ranging across the wide capital markets universe from start-ups and entrepreneurs to risk and digitalisation.
07 Oct 2015
The role of banks as the climate changes
Christina Tonkin | Managing Director of Corporate Finance ANZ Institutional
What is the role of a bank in addressing the challenge of climate change? Is it to support government policies? Or should banks be doing more to speed up the transition to a low-carbon economy by prioritising the financing of low or zero-emission technologies that have the potential to disrupt traditional models of emissions-intensive energy generation?
29 Sep 2015
Why would central banks want to kill off cash?
Andrew Cornell | Past Managing Editor, bluenotes
A quarter of Australians have had it with cash. At least according to electronic payments network PayPal. The network's research found not only did 25 per cent of respondents not shop at cash-only businesses, more than half noted cash-only organisations were hard to do business with.
28 Sep 2015
It's too easy to ignore our gender issues
Tim Costello | Former CEO, World Vision Australia
Not long after I started at World Vision I visited a village in a remote part of northern Pakistan where we had undertaken a water project. I was accompanied by our then head of international programs, an Australian woman who for several years earlier had lived near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, Conny Lennenberg.
18 Sep 2015
From noodle-shop floor to career banker
Ayesha de Krestser | BlueNotes contributing editor
It's often said Lady Luck plays a rather large role in determining those who make it in life and those who do not. Luck though seems to never have played a role in the life of May Khansyla - yet that hasn't stopped her being named one of the United Nations' most inspiring women.
17 Sep 2015
Is Australia really prepared for the Asian Century?
Helen Clark | Freelance journalist & former Asian correspondent
We are in the Asian Century but what does that mean? For Australia, there is a challenge in simply recognising the importance of understanding Asia and the varied cultures and the languages. But what is Australia's real understanding of the region and is it greater than it might have been 20 or 30 years ago?
15 Sep 2015
Have crims developed a social conscience with tap'n'go?
Andrew Cornell | Past Managing Editor, bluenotes
The mass theft of payment card data aside, the biggest payments scam going in the United States at the moment is petrol theft – even as the cost of fuel falls.
15 Sep 2015
Hong Kong's female entrepreneur revolution
Su-Mei Thompson | Chief Executive, The Women's Foundation
When you look closely at the big issues around women in business – particularly entrepreneurial ones - they often don't lie with the women. It's the men we need to fix.
14 Sep 2015
From canoes to corridors: the Pacific trade story
Vishnu Mohan | Former CEO Pacific, ANZ
The Pacific was a very different place in the 1800s. It was a time following Captain James Cook's legendary expeditions, when colonial rivalries and empire building marked the beginning of the region's integration into the global scene.
11 Sep 2015
How to stay the course on China
Leonie Lethbridge | CEO Cambodia, ANZ
The volatility across global markets and data out of China has unsettled many across the region. While the much-feared 'China Syndrome' is a fanciful worst-case scenario for many, what is happening in the Asian giant today is not the catastrophe many believe.
09 Sep 2015
The economy needs more women in construction
Laurice Temple | CEO, National Association of Women in Construction
It is no secret the Australian construction industry is very male-dominated. But what may not be fully understood by the general public is that we don't have any collective overt initiatives and goals in place to increase the participation of women.
07 Sep 2015
The true cost of Australia's rural health issues
Andrew Gilbert | Head of App & User Support, ANZ
Rural and regional Australians face particular challenges due to geographic isolation. Unfortunately, health is a major one.
04 Sep 2015
Banks still haven't nailed digitisation
Shane White | Content Manager, Institutional, ANZ
Banks around the world still haven't completely nailed digitisation, ANZ Australia CEO Mark Whelan says, opening the opportunity for financial services players that can get it right.
02 Sep 2015
Murray Inquiry member welcomes decision on bank deposit levy
Kevin Davis | Emeritus Professor of Finance, University of Melbourne
The Australian government's decision to not impose an upfront fee on banks, based on insured deposits, to fund the Financial Claims Scheme is correct on both logical and practical grounds.
02 Sep 2015
Why we will happily pay for news
Jason Murphy | Publisher, Thomas the Think Engine
Some news websites have always charged for access, like the Wall Street Journal.
01 Sep 2015
Triple bottom line: credit, market and op risk in ignoring the environment
Andrew Cornell | Past Managing Editor, bluenotes
Coca-Cola apparently has a “global water steward”. His name is Greg Koch and his full title is “Senior Director of Global Water Stewardship”.
01 Sep 2015
Introducing the ANZ Stateometer: Big states pull away from the pack
Cherelle Murphy & Kirk Zammit | Senior Economist & Former Economist, ANZ
There are a lot of data out there telling us about how the economy is going. Building approvals, retail sales, the unemployment rate and consumer confidence are a few of the frequent indicators we are inundated with.
31 Aug 2015
Will market volatility stall China's liberalisation plan?
Li-Gang Liu & Richard Yetsenga | Former Chief Economist Greater China & Chief Economist, ANZ
Financial market turmoil has dominated economic news from China over the last month but has the volatility stalled the crucial move towards freer financial markets? BlueNotes put the key questions to ANZ China economist Li-Gang Liu and head of global financial markets research Richard Yetsenga
28 Aug 2015
Social enterprise: business or philanthropy
Tracee Hutchison | Writer, TV and radio broadcaster
Social enterprise has been the buzz-word of corporate social responsibility and the philanthropic sector for some time. In essence, these are businesses with a social purpose and there are now about 20,000 of them in Australia, part of a growing international movement.
28 Aug 2015
Digital transformation in four (not so) easy steps: Part One
Maxim Sharshun & Stephen Reilly | Former Engagement Manager & Director, PwC Strategy
It's true. This internet thing looks like it really might catch on. It's a revolution, these meme-things tell me. Infographics cry about skyrocketing take-up rates and omni-channel proliferation. Our competitors have Chief Digital Officers, Disruptive Innovation Evangelists and UX/CX Champions.
27 Aug 2015
Is it time to head for the exits? Economists make the call
Warren Hogan | Former Chief Economist, ANZ
'Meltdown' was the only word to describe this week's equities price action which combined with plunging commodity prices, led by sharp falls in oil prices, with the CRB index hitting a 13-year low, and near panic across many asset classes.
24 Aug 2015
Six things Europe's best banks do
Shayne Elliott | Chief Executive Officer, ANZ
As chief financial officer at ANZ I'm always on the lookout for what others in the industry are doing well to see what I can learn and apply at our company.
20 Aug 2015
Profitable organisations have a purpose
Matt Boss | Former Managing Director Products and Marketing, ANZ
Almost every successful company has a firm understanding of strategy and values. But how many have a clear, simple and stated organisational purpose?
20 Aug 2015
Winning the Away Game: the challenge for Australia-based global companies
Mike Smith | Former Chief Executive Officer, ANZ
A morning spent discussing tax policy may not be everybody's Woodstock. But I have a special interest in the topic.
20 Aug 2015
Want to build a mine?
Marc Vogts | Inaugural Executive Director John Grill Centre for Project Leadership, University of Sydney
Australia has just come through the largest resource project investment boom in its history. On the upside, project operators were able to rapidly scale up production to meet demand.
19 Aug 2015
Don't fight flexible work. It's productive. And it's already here.
Susie Babani | Former Chief Human Resources Officer at ANZ
A couple of months ago the CEO of my company declared all roles should be flexible. We've had policies on flexible working for a number of years but usage was sporadic and very much depended on a “Leadership Lottery” - if you had a leader who "got it" then flex was just part of the day to day norms and no big deal.
19 Aug 2015
Greater access to energy equals greater prosperity for PNG
Geoff Culbert | President and CEO, GE ANZ
Only 13 per cent of the population in Papua New Guinea (PNG) has access to reliable power. The PNG government's plan would see this rise to 70 per cent by 2030 - something that requires a tripling of electricity supply over the next 15 years.
17 Aug 2015
How to get digital in your company's DNA
Andrew Grill | Global Managing Partner, IBM Social Consulting
Ask yourself this question - is digital in your company's DNA? If the answer is 'no' or even 'not really' then this story is for you.
14 Aug 2015
Short term volatility, long term global currency. How will the RMB move from today to the future?
Andrew Cornell | Past Managing Editor, bluenotes
Unsettling economic data, an equities meltdown, now intervention in the Chinese currency market by the central bank. Signs China is stepping back from financial liberalisation?
13 Aug 2015
We need to finish what we've started on workplace equality
Alison Larsson | Former CRO Global Technology, Services and Operations, ANZ
I recall in my early days at ANZ I returned late one day from an interstate trip. My fellow travellers included a very senior management board executive, his wife and another female ANZ employee who, like me, was a working mother with young children.
11 Aug 2015
Foreign property buyers in NZ: how much is too much?
Bernard Hickey | Publisher at Hive News
There are moments in any public debate where a nerve is struck, when suddenly the issue becomes the thing everyone is talking about and triggers a shift in policy.
11 Aug 2015
How PNG can power into the Asian Century
Mike Smith | Former Chief Executive Officer, ANZ
Asia's industrialisation is presenting Papua New Guinea with an unprecedented opportunity to fast-track its economic and social development.
10 Aug 2015
Valley Speak: is what the technology world says worth listening to?
Andrew Cornell | Past Managing Editor, bluenotes
BlueNotes would not exist were it not for the ANZ board trip to Silicon Valley two years ago. It was then the board, and ANZ chief executive Mike Smith in particular, saw how powerful the shift to a digital and social world truly was.
06 Aug 2015
How to make the most of your unicorn moments
Fred Schebesta | Co-founder and Director, finder.com.au
We've all watched from the sidelines as other companies receive massive attention for their public reaction to newsworthy events, with some gaining huge social followings or new business growth as a result.
06 Aug 2015
Love and other catastrophes
Tareq Muhmood | CEO Korea & Managing Director Global Subsidiaries, ANZ
Following a recent ANZ telco and technology event on connectivity, the internet of things and cybercrime I attended, I had to pause and think about what it all meant. I thought about it for a couple of days and in the end I came away with three key learnings.
05 Aug 2015
The life and death of a disruptive idea
Daniel Norton | Former Manager Pricing Data & Analytics, ANZ
A hackathon is an event where software programmers, developers and designers come together for days on end to brainstorm, create and collaborate. It's a place where ideas are born - and like all ideas some die quietly, some burn bright but quickly flare out and others take on a life of their own.
05 Aug 2015
How acceptance at work can change lives
Karen Boudville | Editor, ANZ Your World
After a long personal journey, being finally accepted for her gender at work changed MariMar Lamit's life. A little less than a year ago, Lamit faced a tough life decision: to live a lie while working in a profession she loved or come out as a transgender woman and risk her job.
05 Aug 2015
Stop asking women to change
Pam Rebecca | Former General Manager of Digital ANZ
Acceptable wisdom seems to be that for women to be taken seriously as business leaders they should only speak on business issues and studiously avoid addressing the so called work-life balance or the challenges of juggling a career and a family.
04 Aug 2015
Regulation: not enough lifeboats. Or too many?
Andrew Cornell | Past Managing Editor, bluenotes
Following the Titanic disaster – the shipwreck not the movie – the global shipping industry and governments vowed to make sea travel safer.
04 Aug 2015
Vietnam's stunning turn
Helen Clark | Freelance journalist & former Asian correspondent
America and Vietnam celebrated 20 years of the normalisation of relations on the July 11. The two nations have seen rare closeness in recent years including recent Vietnam visits by former US President Bill Clinton and US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter.
03 Aug 2015
Why ChAFTA is more than just another FTA
Mike Smith | Former Chief Executive Officer, ANZ
The decision by China's President Xi to travel to Australia last year to sign a Free Trade agreement, while largely symbolic, remains one of the most important economic events in Australia's recent history.
31 Jul 2015
The future of intra-Asia investment
Kevin Plumberg | Senior Editor at The Economist Intelligence Unit
There's a big shift in inter-regional investment on the horizon in Asia. Economic relationships between regional neighbours are poised to become even stronger but remarkably different in the years ahead driven by increased private-sector activity.
31 Jul 2015
Five workplace pregnancy tips for mothers (and another five for managers)
Andrew Medard | Founder and Managing Director, amge+
One of the most delicate challenges for female employees and all managers is pregnancy and maternity leave. Sadly it has become a taboo topic women feel they can't be open about and one many managers are afraid to raise with employees.
29 Jul 2015
How to succeed with CEO succession
Jonathan Harvey | Former Group General Manager Executive Development, ANZ
Recently an iconic Australian company, Woolworths, has had its approach to succession planning scrutinised in the public domain as a result of the sudden resignation of its chief executive. That's hardly the first time succession has been under the microscope, indeed there's been several instances since, both here and offshore.
29 Jul 2015
Why we all must be champions of change for gender equality
Mike Smith | Former Chief Executive Officer, ANZ
Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to present Serena Williams the winner’s cheque after she won the Australian Open final for a sixth time. What made it particularly satisfying was that the cheque was for the same amount as Novak Djokovic’s the next evening.
28 Jul 2015
Your 11-point guide to doing business in Asia
Emma Davine | Head of Government & Commercialisation, Transaction Banking
I have been unusually obsessed with Asia for many years. For me, it is the energy, pace, cultural diversity, the quirkiness, heat, and of course, the food. In my early years working in the region my eyes were really opened by spending time meeting customers, people and stakeholders throughout ANZ's regional footprint.
27 Jul 2015
The changes Australian agriculture needs
Mark Bennett | Head of Aus Agribusiness, ANZ
Australia's agricultural sector faces the pressure of expectation as mining investment winds down and the country looks north to Asia's growing demand to provide the next great boom.
27 Jul 2015
The unforeseen consequences of technology
Steve Glynn, Guy Boyd & Damian McMeekin | Former Chief Information Officer & Group General Manager Operations & Services, ANZ
It was only a few short years ago smartphones started appearing in people's hands in significant numbers and yet almost immediately the way we communicate has transformed. This has brought both astounding benefits and increased risks.
24 Jul 2015
Australia's education gravity shift to Asia
Suzette Corr | Group General Manager Institutional Human Resources, ANZ
It was a while ago, but I often tell colleagues that as a student at the University of Western Australia I was more likely to be sitting in an economics lecture next to a peer from Asia than I was another woman from Australia.
23 Jul 2015
Prepare for the LNG boom
Andrew Cornell | Past Managing Editor, bluenotes
Spiralling global demand has Australia facing a boom in its gas market similar to the ones seen in other commodities in past years, according to ANZ's head of commodity research, which could see LNG overtake iron ore as the main driver of Australia's exports in the export stakes and help push Australia's trade balance back toward the black.
22 Jul 2015
Five ways the IMR will change investment in Australia
Antoinette Elias | Leader Wealth & Asset Management, EY Oceania
For regional investors, good news. Or at least less complexity. The recent passage of the final element of the Investment Manager Regime through the Australian parliament removes tax impediments for foreign managed funds investing into or through Australia.
21 Jul 2015
NZ's backyard roadblock
Bernard Hickey | Publisher at Hive News
Suddenly it seems everyone in New Zealand economic and political life is an expert on Auckland town planning, blaming it for all matter of ills ranging from high interest rates to housing unaffordability to financial instability and even child poverty.
21 Jul 2015
Does the internet make business sense?
Greg Adamson | Principal Fellow, University of Melbourne and President, IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology
On August 14 it will be 20 years since the float of Netscape. For those of you of a younger vintage, Netscape was a browser once the dominant portal for access to the internet.
21 Jul 2015
Australia's venture capital drought
Ivor Ries | Guest columnist; Senior analyst, Morgans Financial Ltd
Although Australians pride themselves on being innovative and able to adapt to new circumstances, the reality is our economy and political processes are slow to adapt to new realities.
20 Jul 2015
How to tell if you're a good leader – or a bad one
Leon Gettler | Veteran and highly regarded management journalist
What exactly makes a great leader? What are the qualities of a superb boss? These are important questions because what worked 20 years ago will no longer cut it in today's workplace.
17 Jul 2015
Vietnam's need for speed
Aseem Goyal | Head of Transaction Banking Greater Mekong, ANZ
"Vietnam is no longer a war. It is a country," writes Robert Dodge in Vietnam 40 Years Later, a work which seeks to reintroduce Vietnam to the rest of the world.
14 Jul 2015
APRA to banks: be chaste but not yet
Andrew Cornell | Past Managing Editor, bluenotes
Two things are clear about the future capital requirements for Australian banks following Monday's international capital comparison study by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority.
13 Jul 2015
The ageing elephant is an advantage
Bruce Hassall | CEO, PwC New Zealand
An ageing population is one of the key megatrends affecting New Zealand, Australia and most other developed countries. Like most megatrends it's often viewed as a threat, an ageing elephant in the room.
10 Jul 2015
Sleep well, sweet dreams – and career success
Marcia Levinstock | Founder and Managing Editor of Content, Primary Ideas
Those of a certain age may well remember one of those slightly twee advertising campaigns for breakfast cereals asking “How many do you do?”. It referred to the number of healthy Weet-Bix in your breakfast bowl each morning.
09 Jul 2015
Is Hong Kong still a home for business?
Ivy Au Yeung | Chief Executive Officer ANZ Hong Kong
As HSBC mulls the relocation of its headquarters back to Asia Hong Kong has been slated its likely destination of choice, spurring a debate on whether the city is still considered a preferred headquarters location for businesses.
07 Jul 2015
The ageing elephant in the room
Bernard Hickey | Publisher at Hive News
It's the debate no politician, on either side of the Tasman, really wants to have: how can Australia and New Zealand afford their state-funded pensions as populations age and economic growth rates slow? And it's one increasingly relevant as countries around the region face maturing demographics.
07 Jul 2015
Greece, China and the middle-income trap
Andrew Cornell | Past Managing Editor, bluenotes
For the Greeks, the most positive aspect of the referendum was its clear-cut outcome. For markets, the same can also be said.
02 Jul 2015
Humans are the weakest link in the digital war
Guy Boyd | Head of Financial Crime, ANZ
There is no doubt digital is the future and customers want the convenience and speed it provides – not just in banking but many services. But the convenience and revolution of digital comes with the risk of cybercrime. This will be a digital war and humans remain the weakest link – meaning training and education are critical.
02 Jul 2015
Don't believe the truth about disruption
Ben Dunn | Former Executive Director Divisional Strategy, ANZ
'Silicon Valley is coming' says JP Morgan.
01 Jul 2015
Can machines control company culture?
Mark Evans | Managing Director Transaction Banking, ANZ
We're all fascinated by how radically technology may change our lives in the future. From the smartphone to driverless cars to 3D printing we're constantly rethinking how gadgets might make daily life easier.
01 Jul 2015
The future of free trade with Australia
Lisa McAuley | CEO, Export Council of Australia
When it comes to trade, the world is getting smaller. A spate of free trade deals between Australia and its Asian neighbours is linking economies and opening up avenues for commerce like never before and there's more action on the horizon.
30 Jun 2015
NZ coming off the boil
Bernard Hickey | Publisher at Hive News
There was a time through 2014 and early 2015 when New Zealand was dubbed a 'rock-star' economy to be envied and studied by its regional neighbours for its 'magic recipe.'
30 Jun 2015
Five ways social media is shattering the glass ceiling
Amanda Gome | Former head of digital and social media, ANZ
High-profile recruiter Heidi Mason knows who's who at the top end of business. As managing director of Russell Reynolds Associates she often meets with major companies to discuss candidates for executive and non-executive roles in the financial services industry. One of the key attributes she looks for these days is digital experience and capability. Social media is a key part of that.
29 Jun 2015
Making the leap to Asia
Andrea Clarke | Independent video producer
Making the leap to Asia is a dream for many small-to-medium Australian businesses. The opportunity on offer in the growing region is huge and companies like One Life. Live It are meeting the challenge.
29 Jun 2015
Intended, unintended and unexpected consequences of regulation
Andrew Cornell | Past Managing Editor, bluenotes
There are two ways of reading these lines from the new Bank for International Settlements (BIS) annual report: “Despite substantial efforts to strengthen their capital and liquidity positions, advanced economy banks still face market scepticism. As a result, they have lost some of their traditional funding advantage relative to potential customers.”
26 Jun 2015
Food-truck philanthropy
Tracee Hutchison | Writer, TV and radio broadcaster
In our series on philanthropy and the science of giving, BlueNotes talks to prominent figures and representatives of organisations about how they give, how they started and how they monitor their social impact.
26 Jun 2015
How the buzzword virus is killing business
Jane Grace | NZ Content Manager, ANZ
I'm a socially awkward child. I'm sitting in the corner of the classroom drawing pictures in the back of my library book while my classmates play games outside and the school counsellor hovers in the doorway with a concerned look on her face.
23 Jun 2015
How we can all help fill the female talent pool
Marion Fulker | CEO, Committee for Perth & Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, University of Western Australia
Gender equality is a hot topic nationally and internationally at the moment. In my experience, a discussion about diversity in any form quickly becomes a conversation about gender and this is probably because we haven't yet created an equal playing field for 51 per cent of the Australian population.
23 Jun 2015
Letterman, Cara Delevingne and the lure of corporate journalism
Andrew Cornell | Past Managing Editor, bluenotes
At his peak in the mid 90s, David Letterman, the American talk show host, had around eight million viewers for his nightly variety act. Eight million people tuning in at the same time, households together around a TV screen.
22 Jun 2015
Are credit cards a rip off right now?
Mike Ebstein | Director, MWE Consulting
In Australia, credit card holders are right now watching the cash rate hover at record lows, taking mortgage rates down with it. It's not something that's being reflected in their card rates. So why aren't these rates moving?
19 Jun 2015
The little things we can do to get more girls in STEM
Sarah Chronican (nee Harland) | Former General Manager Technology, ANZ
The push to increase the representation of women in technology has come a long way but a repositioning of ideas around education could help improve the situation, according to the managing director of Twitter in Australia, Karen Stocks.
19 Jun 2015
Gender balance in boardrooms – canapés or childcare?
Catherine Fox | Journalist and author
It was hard to ignore the talk of paid parenting leave and childcare costs in Australia with federal budget announcements about changing the system and those calls to stop 'double dipping' from employer childcare schemes.
17 Jun 2015
The four pillars of the new world of marketing
Carolyn Bendall | Head of Marketing Australia, ANZ
There's been a longstanding debate about whether marketing is primarily an art or a science. To a large degree it's always been a mix of both.
16 Jun 2015
Six ways to help save your SME from cybercrime
Christine Linden | General Manager, Regional Business Banking, ANZ Australia
It's easy to think cybercrime and identity theft only happens to big business. It doesn't. With over two million small businesses in Australia, lifting awareness, improving education and taking real action to prevent these incidents is fundamental for the health of the sector.
12 Jun 2015
The unloved upsides of growth
Jason Murphy | Publisher, Thomas the Think Engine
I really love the life expectancy chart below. It shows humans are living much, much longer, an astonishing triumph that we celebrate not nearly enough. It also can be seen as an explanation of why economic growth is important.
09 Jun 2015
Devoured or demonised by the D generation
Phoebe O'Sullivan | BlueNotes contributing editor
The new generation of connected consumers will make or break companies over how they meet their expectations, making modern customer relations more vital than ever.
04 Jun 2015
Five things mentors teach about leadership
Michelle Rayner | Former Executive Director Strategy, ANZ
Traditional leaders tend to focus our attention on developing only the 'best' people or those with the highest level of potential. This assumes we know how to find talent based on textbook selection criteria and processes. But are we overlooking our future leaders because we are not looking in the right places?
03 Jun 2015
Valuing quality journalism in corporate publishing
Paul Edwards | Manager Operations Strategy, ANZ
Two events in the past week have had me thinking about journalism and the new world of social, digital and mobile. The traditional homes of journalism are being eroded while new opportunities in corporate publishing and the collaborative economy are yet to establish sustainable funding models for quality journalism.
01 Jun 2015
Latin America key for Asia resources
Jose Blanco | Former Chief Executive, Banco Santander Australia
It seemed to take many by surprise during the recent fracas over iron ore pricing that China was negotiating directly with Brazilian iron ore giant Vale to build alternative supply. It shouldn't have. For a country like Australia which rightly sees itself as a part of the Asian century, the lack of insight around Latin America's role is a critical oversight.
26 May 2015
Gonski on Gonski
Andrew Cornell | Past Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ and Coca-Cola Amatil chairman David Gonski has been approached many times over the years for an autobiography or memoir of his storied corporate life. The subtext of the offers though, Gonski suggests, is it wasn’t actually him they were interested in.
25 May 2015
Why Australia's relationship with Indonesia is so important
Mike Smith | Former Chief Executive Officer, ANZ
We have just come through a particularly difficult period in Australia's relationship with Indonesia and I understand that the impact will last some time.
21 May 2015
How to have difficult conversations with your staff
Leon Gettler | Veteran and highly regarded management journalist
Being the bearer of difficult news is the toughest job for any manager. Whether you are retrenching people or giving an honest no-holds-barred performance review, these conversations are regarded as one of the most difficult parts of any job.
20 May 2015
Benevolent bias - a new way of making poor people decisions?
Susie Babani | Former Chief Human Resources Officer at ANZ
I have an hypothesis about the glass ceiling. It is not, as is generally assumed, something women suddenly bang their heads against after 25 years of hard slog, ongoing promotions and successful performance in the corporate world - causing us to just be pipped from the very top jobs.
19 May 2015
How to identify the saboteurs of change
Tareq Muhmood | CEO Korea & Managing Director Global Subsidiaries, ANZ
Having spent the last six months meeting treasurers and CFOs across different geographies, from China, Hong Kong and Japan to Singapore and Australia, the constant theme that came out was 'change'.
14 May 2015
How good leaders make hard decisions
Zeger Degraeve | Dean, University Melbourne Business School
For 11 consecutive years, a high profile American investor achieved 12 per cent return annually for his clients. His reputation attracted investors from all over the world. Year after year, the returns outperformed the market. In 2009, this leading business figure was jailed for 150 years. His name is Bernie Madoff.
12 May 2015
Bank capital a focus but what about liquidity?
Andrew Cornell | Past Managing Editor, bluenotes
The focus during the Australian bank profit reporting season was, not unexpectedly, on capital. The amount needed, by when and for what.
08 May 2015
Breaking down NZ fences
Lindy Nelson | Executive Director, AWDT
From dairy to red meat, New Zealand agribusiness is undergoing a profound transformation. The expanding markets of Asia bring both new opportunities as well as challenges.
05 May 2015
How much does your free lunch really cost?
Fred Schebesta | Co-founder and Director, finder.com.au
From nap rooms and free massages to ping pong tables and giant slides, innovative companies such as Google and Facebook offer amazing office perks and they do it for one simple reason: the value they get in return.
30 Apr 2015
Singapore: founding ASEAN nation but where is its future?
Vishnu Shahaney | CEO Indonesia, ANZ
As the year-end deadline for the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) draws near, the region's leaders are calling for a concerted last push over the finish line. Member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) recognise greater integration through a single market and production base is crucial in realising the region's economic potential.
29 Apr 2015
Naked insight: business lessons from a Japanese bath house
Peter Hanami | Author & consultant
As a small-business owner, I have found business insights or 'light bulb' moments can arrive anytime: lining up at the supermarket check-out, driving and listening to the radio or – rewardingly - when you are experiencing something new for the first time.
28 Apr 2015
Here’s why banks can be disruptors
Matt Boss | Former Managing Director Products and Marketing, ANZ
Disruption is the buzzword of today and this is nowhere more prevalent than in banking.
28 Apr 2015
Five ways we can close the gender retirement funding gap
Ana-Marie Lockyer | General Manager Wealth Products and Marketing New Zealand, ANZ
While I was walking through the airport recently, a Time magazine cover shouting “This baby could live to 142 years" caught my eye. As a mother of three young girls it was a stark reminder of the challenges my daughters will face in building a financial future.
23 Apr 2015
Social customers will transform banking
Amanda Gome | Former head of digital and social media, ANZ
Across the financial services industry there is still scepticism around the value of social media. “Isn't it personal?" some ask. “What's the value to a bank of embracing social media? And are our customers really even on it?"
22 Apr 2015
Banking’s digital future is all about the customer
Scott Collary | Former Chief Information Officer, ANZ
Everyone loves the latest and greatest gizmo. With new tech popping up every day it's easy to get excited about the implications of the next big thing. Even in banking. The next Apple Pay is going to change payments forever and that's all going to happen on the next Apple Watch, right? Well, only if customers really want it.
21 Apr 2015
Isles of smiles: Pacific resilience and community in the face of catastrophe
Vishnu Mohan | Former CEO Pacific, ANZ
Humans are resilient. Our ability to face adversity, regroup, adapt, recover and thrive again is nothing short of remarkable.
21 Apr 2015
Deflation – so what?
Sally Reid | Global Head of Institutional Portfolio Management, ANZ
Expansionary monetary policy - loose interest rate settings and quantitative easing - is fuelling asset price growth across global property, bond, equity and even art markets. According to The Economist, “the global art market is booming”, with sales at a record volume in 2014 while prices for contemporary and post-war art have risen by 19 per cent.
21 Apr 2015
Seizing the services opportunity
Mike Smith | Former Chief Executive Officer, ANZ
As Australia picks up the pieces from the end of the mining boom, more of us than ever are focussed on the future of the economy. Many questions are being asked, like how can we diversify our economic base, how can we deliver more and higher-paid jobs and how can we pay for government services for an ageing population?
21 Apr 2015
Offshoring the service sector is good for the economy – and jobs
Andrew Cornell | Past Managing Editor, bluenotes
It’s taken a price collapse in the rock star commodity of the last half decade – iron ore – for many, maybe even Canberra, to realise Australia is not actually a resource economy.
15 Apr 2015
A Note from the BlueNotes Publisher...
Paul Edwards | Manager Operations Strategy, ANZ
We have been publishing BlueNotes for a year and it has been an extraordinary venture. But not just for us here at BlueNotes, more broadly in the world of communications – of all hues.
15 Apr 2015
Mike Smith: Asia’s importance has been undersold - not oversold
Mike Smith | Former Chief Executive Officer, ANZ
Banking is a long-term game about value creation. It is not short term and the obsession with quarterly results is frankly a distraction which risks influencing management to make poor decisions.
14 Apr 2015
Four ways to safeguard business from financial crime
Mark Evans | Managing Director Transaction Banking, ANZ
Imagine being offered a job which promises excellent money in exchange for very little work. It sounds like a dream.
14 Apr 2015
Happy cows = happy staff
Anouk De Blieck | General Manager, Human Resources, ANZ
Happy cows make great pictures. They're also more productive. But there's a fascinating extra dimension to animal welfare: farm staff are happier. And that's a virtuous circle as it leads to higher engagement by the employees, who in turn look after their animals better – from both a welfare and productivity perspective.
08 Apr 2015
Performance alone won’t get you ahead
Jonathan Harvey | Former Group General Manager Executive Development, ANZ
I first came across David Thompson on a business trip to London. A book he co-authored, Trust Unwrapped – A story of Ethics, Integrity and Chocolate! was in my room with a sticker on the front reading “Take it. We trust you to pay for this book” and a web address.
23 Mar 2015
How do you hire the best - and is it worth it?
Sarah Court | ANZ Head of Human Resources New Zealand, ANZ
'The war for talent' is a phrase that has become something of a cliché but in essence it's true: in competitive industries it's hard to hire brilliant people.
20 Mar 2015
Big data – from customer targeting to customer centric
Patrick Maes | Former General Manager Strategy & Planning, ANZ
“Would you like fries with that?" We've all heard that phrase pioneered by a certain fast food chain. It's called suggestive selling and has been hugely successful in increasing sales and revenue for the organisation.
17 Mar 2015
What the heck is human capital?
Juliet Bourke | Partner, Deloitte
This week I was giving a conference presentation. I give these a lot. As usual, the MC introduced me to the audience by reading out my bio and stumbling over the standard description that comes after my name: “Partner, Human Capital, Deloitte".
22 Jan 2015
Asia through the looking glass: history a check-point and signpost to business opportunities
Elizabeth Masamune | Managing Director of @Asia Associates Japan
I know this is said often in passing but it is critical I should start by repeating it. It must be recognised the term “Asia” has little meaning beyond a geographical blob on a map – it is a Western colonial concept.
20 Jan 2015
Payments under the Murray microscope
Mike Ebstein | Director, MWE Consulting
As Australian – and global – reforms of payments systems have demonstrated, they are complex networks. Complex to operate, complex to regulate, complex to forecast. But they are vital to efficient economies.
16 Jan 2015
Six myths about running a successful major event
Paul McNamee | Grand Slam winner and noted sports administrator
Paul McNamee has served as tournament director of the Australian Open of Tennis, the Hopman Cup and the Australian Open of Golf. Below he shares some secrets that he learned running Australia’s biggest sporting events.
12 Jan 2015
The four big shifts redefining business
Mike Smith | Former Chief Executive Officer, ANZ
Last month I spoke to ANZ’s shareholders about four big shifts which are redefining the future for ANZ and for business - global integration, demographics, resources and technology.
06 Jan 2015
Professional Tennis: lots of footwork, not a lot of winners
Paul McNamee | Grand Slam winner and noted sports administrator
A LABOUR OF LOVE
18 Dec 2014
It’s party time :(
Leo D'Angelo Fisher | Freelance journalist
Given all companies now are perpetually on the scrounge for excess expenditure items to expunge from their organisations, here’s an idea: scrap the staff Christmas party. No good comes of them: tarnished reputations, conversations that can’t be unhad, warm beer. And bad dancing.
17 Dec 2014
Why bankers should write novels
Harrison Young | Banker, company director & novelist
An Army man, a regulator, a banker, a director. Pinstripes and sensible grey hair. Harrison Young is not the most obvious candidate to write novels his publisher describes as “an elegant mixture of humour, sex and wisdom”. So BlueNotes asked Harrison, should more bankers be novelists?
16 Dec 2014
Does how you look at work really matter?
Susie Babani | Former Chief Human Resources Officer at ANZ
In one of the more interesting social experiments I can think of, a male Australian breakfast TV presenter has confessed to wearing the same suit every week day for a year. (He did get it cleaned!).
15 Dec 2014
Six ways effective leaders cut through the noise
Rita Zonius | Former Head of Internal Digital Communications, ANZ
Attention: people leaders. Do you know what a zettabyte is? If you don’t you should, because the zettabyte is competing with you and grabbing the attention of your teams.
08 Dec 2014
Nobody does coffee in Asia
Jacqueline Gillespie | Senior Client Partner at Korn/Ferry International
The coffee catch up is an integral - indeed inescapable - medium for business networking in Australia. A stroll through the central business district of any major Australian city confirms the switch from the long lunch to the short break with a short black. Or a latte at least.
26 Nov 2014
Beware badly-heeled advice in planning your career
Nicole Franklin | BlueNotes contributing editor
As a young woman in the early stages of my career, I’m often drawn to articles and studies produced by high calibre institutions that give career advice. At a time when I’m both excited and anxious, these sources help to provide certainty, reassurance and inspiration for what might be possible over my working life.
14 Nov 2014
The G20 can make a real difference – and not just for Brisbane
Mike Smith | Former Chief Executive Officer, ANZ
Most people living in Brisbane will be acutely aware that the G20 is coming to town. Whether it’s the festival that has seen the city bathed in lights as part of Colour Me Brisbane or today’s public holiday, it hasn’t been a normal working week.
13 Nov 2014
Culture is the challenge in Asia but language is a vital key
Jonathan Harvey | Former Group General Manager Executive Development, ANZ
On a return flight from Singapore recently, where I had been interviewing candidates for ANZ’s Generalist Bankers Program (a Management Trainee project designed to build an internal pipeline of future Country CEOs), I reflected on the fact 70 per cent of the 700 applicants for the 2015 intake and eight out of the 10 candidates who we had decided to progress to the final stage of the selection process, speak an Asian language in addition to English.
11 Nov 2014
G20 looking at global bank rules but regulator emphasises culture
Andrew Cornell | Past Managing Editor, bluenotes
Having covered a few multi-lateral summits in my time – the best being the G8 held in Okinawa (remote to deter protestors but a tropical paradise) – I have a lot of sympathy for Brisbane where the G20 gathering will take place this week.
11 Nov 2014
Smart cities: our new infrastructure opportunity
Mike Smith | Former Chief Executive Officer, ANZ
I have been a frequent visitor to China over 30 years. Its continuing transformation and growth is nothing short of remarkable. The country’s far-sighted focus on opening up has supported industrialisation and urbanisation on an unprecedented scale.
30 Oct 2014
Attention managers: we need to talk
Leo D'Angelo Fisher | Freelance journalist
When somebody decides to change employer, chances are that high on the list of reasons will be dissatisfaction with their immediate manager.
28 Oct 2014
Stress tests and inquiries not just about banks
Andrew Cornell | Past Managing Editor, bluenotes
Three of Australia and New Zealand’s four major banks report their full year profits over the next two weeks and the fourth, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, will provide a trading update. The consensus of public forecasts is for a solid season absent of one-offs such as restructuring costs.
27 Oct 2014
Indonesia: beyond the change, stability and opportunity
Joseph Abraham | Former President Director Indonesia, ANZ
The world’s attention has been focussed on the drama and romance of Joko Widodo’s journey to president, but the transition is also another chapter in the evolution of Indonesia into a major economy.
23 Oct 2014
Traditional leaders face their Waterloo
Susie Babani | Former Chief Human Resources Officer at ANZ
Leaders can no longer lead with command and control. Here’re five things employees look for in leadership.
21 Oct 2014
Gough Whitlam and the start of the modern Australia-China relationship
Nicole Franklin | BlueNotes contributing editor
Australia’s 21st Prime Minister Gough Whitlam died Tuesday aged 98. One of the most colourful and transformative figures in Australian domestic politics, he was also the first politician to re-engage with China in the modern age. He visited as Opposition leader and Prime Minister. Here are 10 of his most prescient insights following his 1971 visit.
16 Oct 2014
The view from the street in Hong Kong
Ivy Au Yeung | Chief Executive Officer ANZ Hong Kong
All eyes were on Hong Kong last week as millions gathered in parts of the city, through rain and shine, in a bid for universal suffrage. The movement known as Occupy Central resulted in massive road blocks, traffic congestion, and the temporary closure of schools and businesses.
10 Oct 2014
Why being visible matters to women in leadership
Suzette Corr | Group General Manager Institutional Human Resources, ANZ
I would rather break a leg than do self-promotion. So when I was invited by ANZ CEO Mike Smith to take part in a new program called Notable Women, I felt a bit uncomfortable. Even the title made me cringe.
09 Sep 2014
Bank capital blow up
Andrew Cornell | Past Managing Editor, bluenotes
In Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1960s counter-culture classic Blow-Up, a hip photographer inadvertently captures what may be evidence of a murder in the background of a picture he’s taken.
05 Sep 2014
Phil Ruthven: Five things to think about Asia
Phil Ruthven | Futurist and Founder, IBIS
Futurist and IBIS Founder Phil Ruthven gave ANZ’s Opportunity Asia Insight Series function in Melbourne five critical insights