In-depth Profile: Angela Mentis

In the move fast and break things digital world we live in, it’s fascinating that one of Australia’s most successful business leaders is driven by some old school values. 

Not that Angela Mentis - the new CEO of the Bank of New Zealand - will be standing still or simply harking back to the past. 

Though there is something about her attitude to customer service, instilled in her from a young age by her father, that makes you realise the bank will be in safe hands when she takes over at the beginning of 2018.

As she prepared to become the first female BNZ boss sifting through a flood of congratulatory emails Angela, who is a Senior Fellow at FINSIA, tells how she was inspired by grafting family values in her way to the very top.

She said: “My father is someone whose principles still guide me. I’m a first generation Australian – my dad Harry was four years old when he came to Australia in 1947.

“His father had been in the war - and his mum literally handed her four-year-old son to his godmother who was sailing from Greece to Australia to join her husband.  

“My grandmother felt Australia would provide a better life for her youngest than what Greece could offer.

“But when dad was 12, his godfather fell ill – so my dad and his older brother, who’d also been sent to Australia, took over running the godfather’s business.

“Dad never went back to school -  and in those early years was diligently immersed in running takeaway shops. 

“Then, when he was 18 he brought his parents out from Greece, along with a couple of other siblings. It was the first time he’d seen his mum or his dad since he was four years old.

“He stayed running the Sydney businesses and I saw in him a deep determination to ensure that his children were protected and looked after – and also his customers.

“There is a story I often tell which I think really demonstrates how important it is to put the customer first: Dad ran a café near the law courts and they kept coming back to him because he would serve them lunch whether it was 10.30 in the morning or 4 in the afternoon. 

“He had the court timetable hanging in his kitchen so he served lunch when it needed to be served.

“It is a reminder to me every day the importance of putting the customer in the centre of what we do.”

While her family’s drive and determination sent Angela on the path to becoming a huge success in the corporate world of banking where she is now in charge of a staff of more than 5,000 and mixing with the likes of Richard Branson, it wasn’t originally in her career plans.

She said: “My dream was to run my own businesses - bookshops, florists, cafes.

“I had these great business plans. In fact, from year 10 I wanted to leave school and get into the business. 

“But my dad was adamant, telling me “No! You will finish your HSC and you will go and get a degree”.

“I started my Bachelor of Business degree in 1986 and was working in one of my dad’s businesses, a cafe in the Family Law Courts in Sydney.

“I was talking to one of our customers who happened to be a recruiter for Macquarie Bank. She convinced me to do a psychometric testing program that the bank was running.

“I never expected to hear anything more from her but she came back and offered me an internship at Macquarie, which is how I fell into banking.”

But Angela says she still stays true to her parents’ ideals, getting to know the customer.

She said: “When I reflect on it – I love getting inspired by our customers. That’s what I used to see in mum and dad. They were interested in their customers. 

“They wanted to know what it was that drove them and they wanted to hear their customers’ stories.

“I found that from my very first banking job - hearing the dreams and aspirations of our clients and learning how they have gone about their business. 

“That really motivates me. That, and a deep interest in making a difference to the lives of our clients. I have always found it such a privilege to be invited into our client’s financial world - that comes with huge responsibility.”

That responsibility is now to the thousands of staff and customers of BNZ where she will be continuing with the bank’s move to more and digital-based platforms.

She knows the Millennials have short attention spans and very demanding. So to keep their business is going to require adapting to those customers needs. Given her customer focus mantra, no one else is likely to have put more thought into that Angela.

She said: “Millennials really are the first generation that has little memory of a world where there was no constant, and instant, connection. 

“You can see that when it comes to their attitude to business, and banking – and we know that we have to reshape our workforce and our business to ensure that it stays ahead of the curve and meets expectation.”
 
It’s not just her commitment to the bank that will be keeping Angela busy. She is determined to continue with her high profile role making sure she promotes more opportunities for women.

“One of the key responsibilities of being a leader is to ensure that you are setting a standard in every aspect of your working life,” she said. 

“It is important to talk about your experience at every opportunity and hope that others can take something away from it that helps them. 

“Building a culture of inclusion and having leaders in place who know how to bring out the best in everyone – regardless of their background is the way forward. 

“It isn’t just the right thing to do, it is the smart way to do business and helps drive innovation and productivity.
 
“We need to have more diversity among our decision-makers and ensure the focus remains on tangible outcomes from our leadership team. Real change starts from the top.

“This is why I am very proud to be a Business Champion of the New Columbo Plan, which gives opportunities to young Australians and allows them to compete on a global scale and immerses our youth in the Indo-Pacific.”