From Battlefield To Boardroom

Westpac group’s inclusion and diversity consultant Rachel Ranton is leveraging her military expertise to open doors for fellow veterans at Westpac.

- Holly Johnson

Having served for more than a decade in the Australian Army, including tours of volatile East Timor and Afghanistan, Rachel Ranton is a woman to be reckoned with. When the Signaller and Section Commander decided to swap her military uniform for corporate attire in 2008, Westpac’s St.George Bank in Southern Queensland was her first stop. With no banking experience, Rachel says the transition from soldier to Branch Manager presented a unique challenge.

“In the military, I specialised in electronic warfare, intercepting and analysing enemy communications and giving advice on the battlefield – not like a corporate job in the slightest,” she laughs. “I soon discovered that it was the soft skills, not the technical skills, that I would come to use every day in the business world.”

Of these soft skills, project management, leadership and strategic thinking are three capabilities on which Rachel prides herself. However, it’s her application of the concept of ‘Commander’s intent’ that truly sets her apart when it comes to open and transparent communication in leading high-performance teams.