In this month’s member interview series we feature Sasha Courville, Head of Corporate Responsibility Strategy at NAB, about her experience with shared value and the role she plays within the organisation.
Sasha will represent NAB on the panel ‘Creating Value through Partnerships’ at the upcoming 2016 Shared Value Forum – Business: Partnering for Change, and in her interview gives a preview of what partnerships and cross-sector collaboration mean to NAB on their shared value journey.
What does shared value mean to you? What lead you individually to the shared value idea? How did you come across it?
To me, shared value is about leveraging the core capabilities of business to address societal challenges. Businesses have to play a key role and the only way that this will happen at scale is to think creatively about how to achieve business and societal outcomes at the same time.
What does shared value success look like at NAB and where are you at on the journey?
Shared value success at NAB means moving from a collection of independent shared value initiatives to embedding it into the core of everything we do. We now have an enterprise-wide shared value leadership group and are about to roll out executive training on shared value across the organisation.
What is your role individually within NAB to support the company along its shared value journey?
I drive NAB’s shared value strategy, connecting people across the business – from product development and risk to marketing to discuss common barriers and identify shared solutions. I also bring insights and ideas from other organisations around the world to drive best practice outcomes for NAB, for our customers and the society in which we operate.
How has practicing shared value helped you individually in your role, department, or career more generally?
I have worked on business-oriented sustainability solutions throughout my entire professional career, spanning over 20 years. The concept of Shared Value is an incredibly powerful vehicle in enabling business leaders to unlock opportunities through addressing societal challenges.
Why are partnerships and cross-sector collaboration important in creating shared value? (Eg between the corporate, NFP, and government sectors) Can you give an example of a shared value partnership at NAB?
Shared value initiatives tend to be complex, requiring different combinations of skill sets and experiences. Partnerships are vital in bringing these together as no single organisation or institution has all the elements needed for success. One example of a shared value partnership at NAB is our collaboration with Kildonan Uniting Care and NAB Assist. Kildonan Uniting Care has provided training across a range of areas from listening skills and personal resilience to defusing difficult conversations for our customer care teams supporting customers in financial hardship. Building on this best in class hardship function, we have been able to advance the partnership to a new level with Kildonan’s Care Ring initiative, providing customers in need with a broader range of support services. This is particularly important where there are other underlying issues such as family violence and financial abuse.
What opportunities do you see for shared value in the Asia Pacific Region in solving some of society’s biggest social issues?
NAB is working closely with BNZ to really drive shared value in New Zealand. There are some clear opportunities for using business models to solve for societal issues affecting the region, particularly in the area of Indigenous development and affordable housing. BNZ is already demonstrating leadership in creating shared value through its Maori banking offering, which in 2013 committed to supporting iwi and hapu through the Treaty settlement process via a $50 million funding facility to help bridge funding shortfalls while completing Treaty claims.