Jahangiri: What do you think will be the new wave retail banking channels in the next three years?


Sheehan: I believe that we are going to see a real shift in the way that customers want to interact with us, or should I say expect to interact with us.


The iPhone application that was developed by the bank a while ago was just the start. Without giving out any trade secrets, in Retail we are going through some real blue-sky thinking around how we need to evolve the entire customer experience. Technology is becoming more powerful, more connected, more pervasive and more affordable everyday and we need to try and stay ahead of our customer’s expectations.


Jahangiri: From an IT perspective, what differentiates Kiwibank from New Zealand’s more established mainstay banks?


Sheehan: I believe it’s our “what’s best for the customer” approach. Every solution is looked at from the customer perspective. It can be incredibly enlightening to put that lens over things. This approach has enabled to us to make some very smart decisions that have paid dividends in customer feedback.


Also, in the Retail division we have a few unique challenges and opportunities that make this an exciting place to work. We are not just a bank branch; we are also a PostShop, a bill-payment agency and a retailer. This means that our technology solutions have to encompass a wide range of products and services. We also need to make an incredibly complex front-line environment easier for our people to deliver a good customer experience.


Jahangiri: Kiwibank predominantly develops technology products in-house as opposed to investing in third party solutions.  How do you preserve IP and technical support, particularly when those whom have developed the solution in-house move on?


Sheehan: We actually have a mix of in-house development and out-of-box solutions across our businesses. For us, it’s about getting the right solution, so it becomes more of a case of “what do we need to do?”  The “who is going to do it?” comes later.


For systems where we engage on custom development, we always work on reducing the key person risk with the usual methods of collaboration, training and documentation.


Jahangiri: What are your IT priorities for the next 12 to 18 months?


Sheehan: There are quite a few priorities for us over the next year. There are some improvements we need to make to our front-end system to enable us to be more efficient in integrating all of our diverse functions into one consistent experience. We also need to internationalise this system as we have a few overseas organisations that wish to purchase it for their own use, allowing us to share development costs, innovation and generate revenue.


The main priority for us, however, is working on the various technologies and channels of customer interaction.


Jahangiri: Kiwibank’s CEO Sam Knowles has brought a global edge to technology stewardship. Has reporting to a technology-savvy CEO been a help or hindrance to you?


Sheehan: That’s an interesting question. I believe that technology savvy Execs have become far more common over the last few years, both at the CEO and CFO level. I think that the real strength is not whether they know the technology in detail, but rather trust you to make good decisions, ask the right questions, assist you in removing any roadblocks and finally empower you to make it happen.


I am lucky in that both the Retail and Kiwibank executive teams follow this principle which makes it far easier for me to make some positive changes.


Jahangiri: Kiwibank prides its reputation as being technology-centric. What makes the bank’s environment and culture so innovative?


Sheehan: In many other environments, the values are just a list that is occasionally referred to, perhaps at performance review time, and it is never truly alive in the organisation.


It’s a completely different situation here; the values truly support the focus on doing the best thing for our customers and work toward enabling our people to be creative and drive innovation from all levels of the organisation. In the end it’s about having the right people.


Jahangiri: Given Kiwibank is not restricted by legacy systems, how far in advance are you able to map out your future IT strategy?


Sheehan: We have levels of strategy. Our overarching strategy is currently mapped out to 2020. Obviously this is high-level and is combined with the over-arching business strategies, below that we have a 2015 plan which breaks it down into more detail and addresses more of the specific items, and then we have a 2-3 year technology roadmap which is more into the detail of individual projects and budgets. Obviously these all roll up in the 2020 strategy.


So, I guess to answer your question, we can think as far forward as we like, but we then like to break this into chunks to make it real, effective and achievable.


Jahangiri: What skill set do you seek out in prospective technology candidates?


Sheehan: Attitude! We have a great culture that drives innovation and aims to exceed the needs of our large and diverse customer base, and this is driven by our people. Obviously skills are important, and given the technology team is small compared to a lot of the other banks, we definitely look for quality and expertise. But to me, skills can be learnt, but character, whether someone will be a good fit in the organisation and whether they believe in our values is far more important.


Jahangiri: Every IT leader, particularly at your level has a legacy they wish to be remembered for. What is yours?


Sheehan: I would like to be known as someone who changes the way IT traditionally interacts with the business and our customers. I am a firm believer that IT should be a business partner, innovator and enabler for the business and our customer base rather than just an implementer of services.