For Arti, not having a traditional risk background has not stopped her from becoming one of CommBank’s leading risk professionals. Driven by a passion for improvement, Arti measures success by the impact you can have, not where you’ve come from.
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“Risk is fundamental to the bank being successful,” says Arti.
“It's full of variety, there's plenty to do and without a doubt you'll make a measurable and meaningful impact both to the business and the customer. To me that’s a real privilege and always going to be a career highlight.”
As the General Manager of Governance and Reporting in our Group Chief Controls Office, Arti understands how crucial it is for risk management to be part of everyone’s roles, regardless of where they sit.
“It's so easy to sit there and say ‘I'm not a risk person’, but in reality, no matter what role you have at the bank, we all need to be aware of risks and how we manage them.”
Having started her career as a paralegal, Arti found herself more interested in the policy and advocacy space in a range of industries, including mining and telecommunications. Since joining CommBank in 2013, she has worked in roles across regulatory affairs, operational risk reporting, compliance and advocacy. According to Arti, it was her experiences outside of risk that has been critical to her success.
“My background allowed me to challenge the risk environment from a different perspective. It’s empowering to be able to step outside of the box and think about the bigger picture,” she says.
And she’s certainly not alone. As part of risk’s journey over the past several years there have been conscious efforts to bring in people from a diverse range of backgrounds who can offer unique perspectives and solutions.
“The quality of risk management at CommBank has matured so much, in part, because we have both people who are pure practitioners as well as those who are able to think differently about the same problem.
“Risk is part of everybody's DNA now, which has been an amazing shift.”
When reflecting on her biggest achievements at CommBank, the opportunity to contribute and help drive meaningful change sits at the top of the pile.
“I’m fortunate that there are things I've been a part of that have resulted in progress, but playing a role in genuinely shifting the organisation and how we approach risk management is what I’m most proud of.
“It’s brilliant to be part of a committed team with inspiring leaders, where I can bring my best and help to deliver genuine, sustainable outcomes.”
In her time at CommBank, Arti has built her knowledge and connections across many corners of the bank, however, as has been the case throughout her career, it’s what she doesn’t know that interests her most.
“There’re still plenty of spaces in the bank that I'd love to learn more about. Whether it’s our frontline operations, or areas like cyber and data management.
“We’re evolving at such a rapid pace that there's still so much to know and learn, but there’s a great culture of sharing knowledge within CommBank, and so there is always someone you can call to ask where to start.”
