The guidance from NAB’s African Australian Inclusion Program has helped two women enter the male-dominated finance world
“As an African girl entering the corporate world, it was hard to find my voice even though it was encouraged at NAB,” says NAB Change Analyst Bedi Othow. “African women are strong – they are the backbone of the family, but in our culture men don’t expect women to have a voice on certain matters. Luckily, I come from an educated family where my parents supported me to speak out.”
Upon completing NAB’s African Australian Inclusion Program (AAIP) program, a six-month paid internship, both Bedi Othow and colleague Lorna Deng succeeded in gaining full-time positions at the bank.
“I’m an example of what NAB can do in regards to my community,” says Othow. “NAB sees the win-win situation you can put yourself into by having a diverse workforce and programs like these.”
Othow’s strides towards building confidence and working on her personal brand were encouraged greatly by her two mentors and People Leaders.
“It took me until the end of the six months until I spoke up in meetings and voice what I was thinking. One was very honest in conversations and gave me constructive feedback on how the corporate world works. Another helped me discover the pinpoints to improve on.
“I learnt I could bring my whole self to work. I can be Bedi.”
In a similar vein, Deng draws inspiration from powerful women on her team such as her current People Leader. Deng’s first role was in Corporate Responsibility and Business Management but she now works in the People, Communications and Governance team as a personal assistant.
“Particularly in the finance industry it is very male-dominated, so it’s important to develop confidence and self-belief”, says Deng. Upon graduating from Monash University with a Bachelor of Psychological Sciences, the job market was low and it was difficult to find work in her field.
“I heard NAB were offering roles in their finance, technology, corporate responsibility department and saw the opportunity to apply to the AAIP and gain some corporate experience,” says Deng.
“It was hard having no direction or not knowing what I wanted. Previously I found I wasn’t working with jobs truly aligned with my skills and my values, or just going to a job for the pay. It became important to understand what I wanted.”
Initially Deng hadn’t thought about working at a bank, but as a counsellor or criminal psychologist.
“But I always wanted to work in HR, I love working with people and problem-solving so I’m happy where I am now,” says Deng.
“My parents migrated here around 15 years ago. My dad was a chemistry lecturer in Botswana and Mum started up her own salon business at aged 22. Seeing how hard they’ve worked and how passionate they are about their careers is inspiring. They’ve never complained. They just did what they had to do.”
Both women feel strongly that that AAIP program equipped them with the tools to succeed, and they remain heavily involved as a buddy and as a coach.
“After the program, in every role I’ve been acting as an ambassador for the AAIP, speaking about being part of the program to stakeholders about taking up new candidates,” says Othow. “It’s still very close to my heart.
“I’d like to say to African women, we have many great personality traits and attributes that work really well in work situations. We’re resilient. We’ve been through a lot in our past which makes us hard working and nurturing – when you bring those types of attributes to work you have a lot to offer. I encourage African women to work hard and get an education.
“Let’s start making appearances in corporations and show them what we can do. We can also prove to ourselves that we’re part of the Australian community and focus on becoming the best women that we can be. I know I plan on going to high places.”
Written by: Thea Christie