What will be the major challenges and/or opportunities for your industry?
Helping customers will continue to be at the forefront, with inflation, cost of living pressures and high interest rates putting the squeeze on many household budgets. The rising number of frauds and scams is also a concern. Customer education is critical. We continue to try to prevent our customers being defrauded or scammed and we want to help those who are.
How do you think the Government has handled the economy?
The Government has done their best in challenging economic times including high inflation and global disruptions and uncertainty. On the positive side, we have very low unemployment. On the negative side, we have high inflation and interest rates. Hopefully throughout the second half of next year inflation starts dropping as we see monetary policy actions start to trickle through the economy.
How do you think the National Party has performed in opposition?
The National Party are asking the tough questions of the Government that need to be asked during times when many Kiwi households are feeling the pinch of high inflation, high cost of living and interest rate rises. When choices are challenging, we need to make sure we are having open and healthy debate in Parliament around potential solutions.
What are your predictions for 2023?
It will continue to be a challenging year for Kiwis who will be battling with high cost of living and high interest rates. When and how people experience interest rate hikes will vary, depending on when their loans come up for refixing. Hopefully, people will use that time to prepare and plan and anyone who has concerns should get in touch with their bank. But alongside the challenges, there should be some real positives too. With tourists returning, tourism and hospitality businesses are in a much better space and more overseas workers coming back to NZ should help ease labour shortages. So for some sectors, things will hopefully be better.
What was the most interesting story of 2022?
As someone who has lived in the UK for a while, I found the British leadership challenges, economic impact and twists and turns of that story fascinating. Having three prime ministers in the space of the year is remarkable.
What’s the worst mistake you’ve made in business?
The worst mistakes I’ve made in business have been when I’ve tried to rationalise away a problem and not trust my instincts. With the benefit of hindsight, I’ve learned that instinct is often tapping into some fact base or distant experience that your brain hasn’t untangled and fully connected yet. I think you’re better to trust your instincts and try to explore them, rather than rationalise them away. That can be about key business issues, people, or customer challenges.
What would you rate as your greatest success in business?
In my previous role in the UK with Barclays, I was proud we were able to keep bank branches and contact centres open to support customers during the Covid-19 pandemic, and keep our teams safe at the same time. By being based in the Clapham Junction branch it gave me an insight into how both customers and our teams were feeling firsthand. I think it means we made better, faster decisions to keep everyone safe, and still help customers who needed face-to-face support.
Where and how are you holidaying this summer?
I’m planning on spending time relaxing with my whanau. I’ll be at the beach, on a paddleboard on the river and cycling.
