Designing for the digital future

Sujatha Natarajan, part of the team working on our Customer Service Hub.

 

11 March 2019

 

Sujatha Natarajan joined Westpac eight years ago as a Technology Graduate. Today she is a Senior Product Development Manager working on one of the largest transformation projects in Westpac history – building our new Customer Service Hub.

 

“What I’ve come to know is that if you start with the customer first, even seemingly impossible problems become easier to solve,” says Sujatha.

 

“What’s exciting is that we’re completely transforming the home buying experience for our customers and bankers.”

 

Sujatha is part of a team including developers, designers, testers and architects working on the new Customer Service Hub. Having completed her degree in Business Information Technology, she started her career as a business analyst.

 

“I quickly discovered that there’s a big difference between technical skills and the skills needed to work on a large project team and get things done – skills like problem solving, creativity, navigating conflicting priorities and working with lots of different stakeholders. What I love most about my job is solving problems and using my creativity, skills that I think will continue to be very relevant.”

 

“One of the great things about working at Westpac is the variety of people and projects you get exposure to and the opportunity to grow both personally and professionally.”

 

Sujatha has recently undertaken the Making My Mark development program for female leaders aimed at empowering women to realise their career potential. She has also completed a six week Jawun professional development secondment at the NPY Women’s Council in Alice Springs, working with their staff to improve the travel and accommodation booking system for travelling to remote communities.

 

“Jawun was an incredible experience. I had the opportunity to meet and work with the most inspiring people, and came away with a new found understanding of the social issues faced by Indigenous Australians as well as a much greater appreciation of their culture.”

 

Sujatha is also part of the Westpac Youth Network and is currently participating in their Future Me professional development program.

 

What’s next? “I love working in the digital space. There’s so much opportunity to keep challenging ourselves on how we can use new technologies to create great experiences for our customers.”