Ann Sherry

Ann was appointed Group Executive for Westpac Banking Corporation in March 1999, and is a member of the corporation’s Executive Team. She is also the CEO of the Bank of Melbourne – a Westpac subsidiary.   Ann managed the Human Resources & Public Affairs for the merger of the Bank of Melbourne and Westpac Banking Corporation in Victoria and was responsible for the people and change management of the merger.  Ann has been at Westpac now for 5 years, and in that time has worked on key policy issues including paid maternity leave and work/family initiatives. Westpac has been recognised as one of Australia’s leading employers and a best practice affirmative action organisation.

Ann has also been a champion for women in business and improving their experience as customers. Prior to Westpac, Ann was First Assistant Secretary of the Office of the Status of Women in Canberra. She advised the Prime Minister on policies and programs to improve delivery of Government services to women.  

Ann is also a member of the Monash University Council.  She was until last year Chair of the Australian Institute of Family Studies and Chair and Director of the Australian Council of Businesswomen. She was also a member of the Administrative Review Council and the State Superannuation Board of Victoria. 

She is Vice-Patron of the Centre for Women and Business, WA (May 2000) and a member of the NSW Government Remuneration Tribunal.  

To view an address given by Ann Sherry entitled, "Capturing the Wealth of Intellectual Capital in the Public and Private Sectors" click on the title of the address.

Interview with Ann Sherry

Do you see yourself as a leader? What personal or professional vision are you working towards? 

Yes. To make Westpac the Employer of Choice in Australian Market.  

What personal attributes do you feel have empowered you to achieve your professional status?  

Sense of self. Open personal style and sense of humour. Personal ambition. Risk taking.

What strategies have you employed to pursue the career options you have made?

i) Moved sideways to take a role that had better long term career prospects.

ii) Changed industries to broaden experience base.

iii) Undertaken further study to improve employability at key times.

iv) Moved cities to chase better opportunities.

What principles and values do you adhere to in your management of people?

Treat people with respect and try and think of issues from their perspective. Be open and honest – tell people good news and bad news. Encourage and coach, and look for younger people (particularly young women) to sponsor through the organisation (mentor).

What are some of your observations about the level of commitment and trust individuals are bringing to the workplace and how can managers make the most of building on this and meeting the needs of their talented workforce?

Many individuals now have low trust of managers and executives and do not bring commitment into the workplace. This means managers need to think and work differently to both regain trust they once took for granted and to make work and the workplace more exciting and energising so employees want to stay.

The changed expectation of employees also requires managers to think about how to invest in their people’s development as a retention strategy and improve the individuals scope to use their capability.

How would you describe the culture of Westpac? In what direction would you like to see it evolve? 

The culture of Westpac is not homogenous as there are a number of business units with a number of completely different functions. In general terms though the culture of the organisation is a transforming one moving from an old style compliance driven bank culture into a much more performance orientated culture where individual contributions and team contributions can be valued differently. In terms of the further evolution of culture I think the opportunity thus sits with us to develop a culture that has room for more innovation and greater difference.

What reasons do you attribute to many women being at the lower levels of the organisation with little prospect to advance to senior positions in the financial sector?

The reasons for so many women sitting at the lower end of the organisation are:  

1)   the organisation profiles very similarly to many other serviced organisations where recruitment to the frontline roles is biasly weighted in favour of women who have both interest and capability in service roles;

2)   the degree of flexibility offered in our frontline and more junior roles, particularly in those more junior roles, provides the opportunity for a greater work/life balance for a number of individuals;

3)   there have been reasonably strong cultural barriers to the growth of women through the organisation particularly where women are looking for some flexibility in work hours and the way they work.

How does Westpac support women in their development and in their aspirations to climb the corporate ladder?

There are a number of support systems in place for women in the organisation which include:  

1)   there are policies that reflect a commitment to removing direct and indirect barriers such as paid maternity leave, policies around return to work and opportunity, policies around workplace flexibility and policies around advertising and merit principles applied in the filling of jobs, so much greater transparency in the job selection process internally;

2)   there are also a number of support groups that have been established within the organisation to support women. There is a women’s network in IT, there are regular lunches with the CEO for women, through the Women in Business program there are a number of networks that operate and there are mentoring programs in some of the business units to particularly provide support for women in our very male dominated management environments;

3)   the development opportunities available also address some of these specific needs that women have that are different to their male colleagues including a ‘Top Steps Program’ run by Noel Waite targeted particularly at women who are looking to step from middle management to senior management and a ‘Springboard Program’ targeted at women who are looking to move from non-managerial to managerial jobs to address the particular barriers that are identified at those transition points.