Ep 57 Georgia Windrum: Helping Australians build the future we all deserve

Can you imagine loving your bank?

Can you imagine your bank being a reflection of how you see yourself, in the same way we choose fashion brands to reflect parts of our identity?

Well, perhaps if your bank is Bank Australia, you might not have to imagine too hard. From today’s interview, this bank is one that I can easily imagine loving and identifying with.

My guest today is Georgia Windrum, Manager Climate Action Strategy, Bank Australia. Georgia leads Bank Australia’s work to reach their ambitious net zero by 2035 target. She has previously worked on climate strategy, policy and campaigns at Climateworks Centre, the Australian Conservation Foundation and the Australian Council of Trade Unions

Our conversation uncovers the unusual way that Bank Australia conducts it’s business, from being customer-owned, to not paying out bonuses or dividends and to serving their purpose – to inspire and empower our customers to use their money to create a world where people and the planet thrive.

There’s much we can learn from this Australian bank and one of their ambitions is that other financial institutions use and adopt their model. This collaborative mindset comes from the ambition they have to use business as a force for good.

Interview highlights:

• Georgia shares her background journey from growing up with a strong connection to nature to her role at Bank Australia today, managing their climate action strategy
• She explains what it means to be a customer-owned bank, including what it means to have values-aligned customers as your shareholders
• Georgia highlights Bank Australia’s four key impact pillars – climate action, affordable and accessible housing, nature and biodiversity and First Nations reconciliation – and some of the ways they support these areas
• She shares Bank Australia’s 2035 Net Zero target and highlights some of the initiatives that have come from this target
• I ask Georgia to share an initiative that she’s particularly passionate about and she highlights their pilot home electrification program in Victoria, getting their customers off gas
• We discuss the benefits and challenges of having customers who are so aligned and emotionally invested in the bank’s activities
• Georgia shares what it means from an employee perspective to be part of a purpose-driven bank

Connect with Bank Australia and Georgia

Bank Australia website

Georgia on Linkedin