District manager, ANZ Bank

Glenys Powell has held a number of different positions within the ANZ. Picture / Graeme Sedal

Name: Glenys Powell
District manager, ANZ Bank, Auckland
Age: 28
Role: Local chief executive officer, ANZ Bank, northern Auckland
Working hours: 40-45 hours
Average pay: Graduate programme recruits start $40,000, can progress to more than $80,000 at executive level
Qualifications: Bachelor in Building Science, Victoria University

Describe how you got this job?

In 1997 I worked part-time in telephone banking services while studying. When I finished university five years ago I started working for ANZ as a training facilitator at the contact centre in Wellington. I did that for a year and then worked as a team leader for credit cards with 35 staff.

After 18 months I moved into the branch network as a service quality manager for a local CEO. From that role, I applied for the local CEO role in Auckland east. That process involved psychometric testing, assessments, and an interview by a panel of three people. Then I was offered the role managing seven branches. .

Describe what you do?

Basically I am responsible for the day-to-day management and success of 12 branches, individually and collectively. That involves coaching and developing 14 direct reports, liaising with head office and implementing strategy in the local market. I have revenue and financial targets to achieve, expenses to adhere to, and customer service to deliver.

What have you had to do to succeed at this job?

You need to be able to engage with people at all levels of the business, from the teller in the branch to managers. It's about working with staff to deliver a result and having a passion for leadership and developing people. You need to be able to take feedback from staff.

What sort of training or experience do you need?

You have to understand the business. I didn't study in the financial sector but the job comes down to leading and managing people. My experience and training came from working within a local market and I had a very good mentor in the CEO I worked for.

I was involved in a lot of management training courses. Having a financial degree or an understanding of that is a great thing to have in a role like mine, but I am evidence that it is not essential. I am lucky in that I pick up things really quickly so I have learnt on the job.

What skills and qualities do you need?

It is about being resilient to chance and being able to interact with people, to think quickly on your feet. You need a high level of emotional intelligence and empathy with people. You need to be able to make tough decisions, to get things done, and to grasp financial concepts quickly.

Best part of the job?

Coaching and developing staff members and seeing them reach their potential.

Most challenging part?

Managing 125 staff can also be the most challenging part as there are so many personalities and different things happening. As I work from North Shore to Kaitaia, another challenge is overcoming the geographical obstacles.

How do you define success in this job?

There are two sides to it - personal success around identifying and nurturing talent and the business side, which is delivering a result for our shareholders and a customer experience so people ring up and say the service was fantastic.

What are your career hopes for future?

In the short term it is about having some continuity in the role to deliver a solid result. Within 10 years I would like to explore different leadership opportunities in ANZ in Asia or the Pacific. I am contemplating getting an MBA.

If I wanted a job like yours how would I go about it, and what qualifications would I need?

You could go to the local branch manager and ask about work. We do advertise in the paper. We do graduate recruitment and people can apply online.

It would be helpful to get a financial degree, but it is not necessary. Starting anywhere within ANZ you have access to all roles and you have the opportunity to go anywhere you want to go.

What advice would you have for someone contemplating a career like yours?

From my experience, if you work hard, show initiative, and are prepared to try new things you can achieve anything you set your mind to.

The great thing about ANZ is we are one of the biggest financial institutions in the country and there is so much opportunity.