Jane Bowd heads the company secretarial team at ANZ Australia Wealth, which is responsible for the governance, compliance and board/committee operations of a group of 65 entities spanning the insurance, superannuation, managed funds and financial planning industries.
Her challenging portfolio includes overseeing highly regulated APRA entities, Australian Financial Services Licensees and Australian Credit Licensees, as well as an ASX participant and online trading platform.
Originally starting her career in a law firm, Jane said it was her time working in the field of corporate mergers and acquisitions that made her realise how rewarding a career as a company secretary could be.
‘Given it was such a step away from being a private practice lawyer, I actively planned my transition to become a company secretary. Part of my plan included securing secondments to financial services companies where I saw first-hand the skills and aptitude required to meet the diversity of work.
‘Governance Institute’s Graduate Diploma of Applied Corporate Governance was also instrumental to that transition. It was a pre-requisite for most of the blue chip roles I had seen, and from my own hiring experience as the Head of Secretariat, it is something that I also require from candidates I have employed over the past five years,’ said Jane.
But she said her transition into her new career did not happen overnight.
‘As with anything, you must prove yourself. The secret to a successful governance career is to focus on building your career day by day. Do the best job you can on everything; be committed; be technically correct; always deliver; be commercial but ensure governance is not overridden; and most importantly, be professional and have integrity,’
Jane said she also followed a number of guiding principles:
Be inquisitive: ‘Always ask why or how, and look at things from different angles.’
Challenge yourself: ‘There are elements of the work that is cyclical. However, it is important to not simply be content with what you have done in the prior year. Even on cyclical tasks you should ask yourself — how can I improve on that, what can I do differently next time? ‘
Read widely: ‘You definitely need to try to find the time for reading and development, but don’t be too hard on yourself if it is not as consistent as you would like. To help counter the potential for inconsistency or a wane in professional development, it is a good idea to ‘check yourself’ a few times a year, and ask, am I current enough?’
Put yourself on an equal footing with your business stakeholders: ‘You must understand their industry, their products, their financials and their operational issues. Governance must operate in this context — you are not responsible for their area, but you must understand them. This is a critical ‘must do’, and it is something that no one else can do for you.’
Have a backbone, and be authentic and comfortable with who you are. ‘You need to have a view on all governance issues, and there will be times when you will need to influence stakeholders on a governance view when either the stakeholder or the situation itself is tough. This does not mean that you have to be aggressive or overly assertive. Rather, in a governance role, particularly as you progress in seniority in your career, you are going to need to have strength of character.’
Take up the chance to work flexibly. ‘If you are offered flexibility in your workplace, I encourage both women and men (particularly those with children) to be brave and take up that flexibility. However, you must perform and be visible when doing this, so that your stakeholders know you are still contributing.’
Be brave in asking for career development. ‘Use your judgment about ‘when’ it is the right time to push for a development opportunity. However, it is something that you should keep sight of, and not become complacent about — development opportunities broaden your skillset and the lenses that you bring to governance issues in your current (and future) role.’
More information about Governance Institute’s Graduate Diploma of Applied Corporate Governance can be found at governanceinstitute.com.au/ACG
