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challenge. Returning to work, Steph was able to do
things she would never have tried in the past, to
communicate messages to larger groups, articulate
her thoughts well, take others on a journey of
understanding Indigenous issues and she has a lot
more confidence in her abilities. This experience
has opened up a lot more opportunities for her in
the bank too, which is also fantastic for NAB.’
The APS actively evaluates the impact of the Jawun
secondment program on capability build across
its agencies (see case study, page 39).
Partners that align the Jawun program with their
talent management programs are not only better
able to understand capability build and capture
learnings, but to build
future leaders
.
At NAB, the internal Jawun selection process
includes criteria on tenure, performance and
manager approval; these criteria must be met
before a candidate will be considered for a
secondment. ‘Employees identified as high-
performing and high-potential are given the
opportunity to participate in this rewarding
leadership development opportunity,’ said
Rebecca Kotow, Head of Social Impact &
Community Investment at NAB. Having been
promoted twice within 12 months following her
secondment, Steph Stokes said, ‘Now they have
seen the investment they have made in sending
me and what that’s done. Not only for me, but
the value it has brought back to the business.’
At Westpac, some employees are offered
secondments as part of a broader leadership
program. CEO Brian Hartzer reflected on the
internal value dividend: ‘Westpac is a beneficiary
of Jawun. What we’ve found is that those
secondments have been transformative—they
really do turn our people into champions …
and many become leaders within Westpac.’
Susan Ferrier, National Managing Partner, People,
Performance & Culture at KPMG, reflected on
James Mabbott’s progression from business
development manager to Head of KPMG Innovate
following his secondment. ‘Doing the Jawun
secondment has certainly helped equip James
for his current role,’ she said. ‘Secondees learn
how to engage with a variety of people; how
to listen, consider and appreciate multiple
perspectives so their leadership capability is
expanded. I believe we will have better and
stronger leaders at KPMG if those who ultimately
end up in leadership positions have done a
secondment, like the ones that are on offer at
Jawun, at some stage in their career.’
From left: Jacob Azzopardi (RAC secondee), Richard Long (Outback School Bus Services) and Kevin Chen
(Macquarie Capital secondee), East Kimberley, 2015.
Photo: David Rennie
38 JAWUN
2015 LEARNINGS AND INSIGHTS