FST Media: What are your priorities for the next 12 to 18 months?

Whincup: Our immediate priority is completing phase one of the strategic roadmap we laid out in 2009. Our strategic investment priorities are over 70 per cent complete and are delivering real benefits to our customers and people.

A key component of these investments is our Online Transformation Program which will deliver an all-new online banking platform to our Westpac customers later this year. We have also worked hard on ensuring our mobile banking platforms retain their market-leading status for customer satisfaction.

Our online channels are developed hand-in-hand with our customers and represent how we are addressing their individual needs through a multi-device approach, be it smartphone, tablet or desktop. We are also continuing to invest in our proven track record of reliable and stable systems.

When phase one is complete in 2014, we will turn our attention to simplifying our landscape and further deepening integration across our family of brands.

FST Media: What notable examples have you seen of financial organisations innovating to acquire and retain the growing Gen Y customer base?

Whincup: Engaging and maintaining relationships with Gen Y is all about connecting in a way that they are comfortable with. This obviously means an increased focus on mobility and availability of service, but also product offerings that are more targeted to their needs.

From a Westpac technology perspective, the investment we make in reliable and refreshed infrastructure, along with innovative mobile applications, is key to meeting the expectations of the ‘now’ generation.

FST Media: How do you balance supporting a social media presence with the risk of reputational damage?

Whincup: We view social media as vitally important from two angles, as a communication channel to our customers and also as a mechanism for feedback.

The key for us is to set a realistic expectation of what you want to get out of social media and choose the right type of conversation to have with customers about their banking. A great example is in providing security alerts.

It is not the only channel we have at our disposal but it is very effective at reaching a large number of people in a short space of time. By the same token, it is great to provide customers with a choice of how they want to make an enquiry or provide feedback.

This augments our traditional branch and phone channels and we have dedicated teams responsible for getting back to customers in a prompt fashion.

FST Media: How do you encourage a culture of innovation in your team?

Whincup: We live and breathe five strategic themes, one of which is to provide technology leadership and innovation.

It is the essence of our role within the Westpac Group. We are more integrated with the business than ever before and providing technology leadership and innovation are key levers in delivering great business outcomes.

A culture of innovation needs to be both a top-down and a bottom-up exercise. Technology leadership needs to provide the opportunity and latitude, and the technology workforce needs to push this to the limits. We are currently working on an internal social media platform that includes a community dedicated to capturing, developing and evaluating innovative ideas. This is in addition to a number of other internal initiatives harnessing the power of crowdsourcing within our own workforce.

We are also very lucky to have access to some of the world’s great technology organisations as our key strategic partners. IBM, Microsoft, Oracle and Apple all make regular appearances in our locations to work directly with our technology teams on maximising our collective intelligence.

FST Media: What technology or innovation is proving to be the single biggest game changer for banking?

Whincup: Over a long career in financial services technology I have seen game changing technologies come and go – 32-bit microprocessors, personal computers and the popularisation of the internet, just to name a few.

The proliferation of smartphones certainly fits within the game-changing category for banking. The explosive growth in customer transactions we have seen with mobile banking has fundamentally changed the relationship customers have with the bank.

We saw similar shifts with online but the volume comparisons between the two are stark. It took approximately six and a half years to see one million active users of online banking, a milestone reached in two and a half years in mobile banking. This number continues to grow.

We currently have 1.7 million active mobile customers who regularly transact through the iOS, Android or Windows Phone device of their choice.

Unlike other financial institutions that report on registered users, we prefer to focus on the ‘active customer’ definition. This provides far more insight into how customer behaviour is changing and measures the quality of their relationship with the bank.

Customers use mobile banking at a time that is convenient for them and often use it multiple times in the same day. This increase in volumes is a game-changer not only from a customer touchpoint perspective, but also in terms of capacity planning for both infrastructure and applications.

FST Media: What impact will the rise of tablets have on Westpac’s mobile first development strategy?

Whincup: The rise of tablet computing is a fact and we already have a head start in this area. Our mobile first strategy is about giving customers access to the latest innovations in the channels they use the most.

A great example of this is Westpac Banking for iPad which remains the only Australian app on the market to take advantage of native iPad interface. Since launching in July 2012, there have been more than five million customer sessions and over $2 billion in payments. We are also the only bank in Australia, and one of the first in the world, to have a dedicated Microsoft Windows 8 app.

These releases are in addition to a number of innovative St George mobile apps such as Car Finder and mobile PayWay, a product that allows small business owners to accept credit card payments
using their mobile.

The unknown quantity in the tablet space remains the uptake in Android tablets and software fragmentation appears to be holding back growth in this market.

FST Media: What tools or references keep you abreast of emerging technology trends?

Whincup: I am very fortunate to have an extended leadership team populated by passionate technologists. We also gain great insights from interacting with our many strategic partners and consultants. From a publication point of view, I really enjoy reading specialist periodicals such as New Scientist and The Economist.

FST Media: If you weren’t working in financial services what would you be doing?

Whincup: I would still be working in technology somewhere! My financial services career has taken me around the world and I firmly believe that the opportunities offered by the technology industry as a whole, particularly in the digital age, are second to none.

FST Media: Every leader has a legacy they wish to be remembered for. What is yours?

Whincup: If I look back on any part of my career, I always want to be able to point to an area where I can say we have made significant and clear progress. The legacy I wish to be remembered for would be to leave the organisation with a much leaner, engaged and higher skilled workforce than when I joined. The ability of an organisation to deliver against the complexities of the technology landscape, more and more, is going to require mental agility, insight and vision. I want Westpac’s technology to be seen as a key differentiator in crucial areas and able to continue to meet ever-changing customer demands.