Thinque Futurist Blog by Anders Sorman-Nilsson

Matt Janssen, Thought Leader - Future of Banking Industry

Written by anders@thinque.com.au | January 22, 2015

Today at the Thinque Blog, we have the pleasure of chatting with Matt Janssen one of our blog readers and past clients. Matt is Head of Home Lending at BankSA, Westpac Group and is a highly regarded thought leader in his chosen career of Banking. Passionate and creative, Matt is busy driving change in the way we bank today and we are excited that Matt is sharing his business acumen with our readers today.

Matt Janssen, Head of Home lending at BankSA, Westpac Group. 
3 Questions with Matt Janssen :

What are you excited about for your business in 2015?

In 2014 we launched the new BankSA brand identity and a modernisation program that included the opening of new branches, launching innovative technology that enhanced our customers experience and we worked with the Ritz Carlton Group to articulate our service promise.

What we’re most excited about in 2015 is bringing the brand to life and helping more customers achieve their dreams of home ownership. 

Most useful resource/resources you use for business, if any - on a weekly basis?

I watch two TED talks each week as I value the diversity of thought.  I also subscribe to magazines such as Inc, Entrepreneur, Wired, BRW and Forbes. I also like to follow thought leaders such as Richard Branson, Seth Godin and of course Anders!

The top business apps that I use are the Australian Financial Review, Evernote, TripIT, LinkedIN and Twitter. Personally I like to keep track of my health and fitness with Withings and Polar products and apps. I’m waiting with anticipation for the Australian launch of the Apple Watch.

Best piece of advice you have been given and would like to share?

I recently heard Gail Kelly, CEO of the Westpac Group, share her four leadership insights;

1)     How important it is for leaders to be clear on the vision of their organization and importantly the why – great leaders create meaning

2)     Important to deal with change by being adaptable and quick in their decision making

3)     Generosity of Spirit is critical, a great leader empowers people to be bold and fundamentally believing in the human spirit

4)     In the environment of constant change, interconnectedness and immediacy, good leaders need to be resilient – everyday being the best leader you can be. What helps is fundamentally having a positive attitude

Thanks for sharing Matt, it's great to hear your insights. To connect with Matt send a tweet to @matt_janssen.