From sports stats to finance: Jake’s journey at Great Southern Bank
As an excelling Data Analyst, Jake Turner’s journey at Great Southern Bank is far from finished. He’s been making waves as a valuable member of the Enterprise Data team. We talked to him about how he got his start, the connections he’s built along the way and how the Bank’s graduate program set him up for career success.
Graduate to greatness
As a kid growing up in Adelaide, Jake dreamed of becoming a sports statistician. He was fascinated by numbers, tracking statistics and charting every play. That passion for making sense of data would eventually lead him to the world of banking.
Today, as a Data Analyst at Great Southern Bank, Jake has traded sports plays for a career with purpose, genuine connections and limitless potential.
Jake’s journey into banking began near the end of his degree at the University of Queensland. While working towards a double degree in mathematics and computer science, he started weighing up his post-graduation options which included the Great Southern Bank graduate program.
“The application process was pretty streamlined,” he says. “I applied, then had to do an online interview. After that, we had an assessment centre day with around 25 other applicants. We did small group activities and individual tasks while being assessed. When I was chosen for the final interview, I knew that this was a really exciting opportunity for me after my studies.”
Jake, along with seven other graduates, got his start in the January 2022 intake of our structured graduate program.
“We had a lot of senior leaders speak to us in that first week about how the bank operates and how the program works to build up your skills. Having those initial connections to senior leadership was invaluable. As part of the program, you do three four-month rotations. For my first rotation, I was paired with someone from the data team, and I absolutely loved it.”
Diving into data
At the end of Jake’s rotation, a position came up within the Enterprise Data team. Jake applied and was offered a full-time role as a Data Analyst.
“I already had the skills to do the actual work, and because of the graduate program, I was able to build connections, showcase my skills and prove how I could add value to the team.”
Now, as part of the Enterprise Data team, Jake is diving headfirst into a multi-year project for a state of the art cloud data lakehouse. This huge undertaking will uplift our organisation's data capabilities and ensure our data is accessible, efficient and, most importantly, secure.
Mentors to guide the way
Jake credits his success and rapid growth at Great Southern Bank to the mentors who have guided him. From day one, he was matched with a mentor who saw his potential and helped him navigate the complexities of financial banking systems.
“I was paired with an experienced team member from the Credit Risk team. It was so great having someone to bounce ideas off outside my team.”
“My current manager is another mentor; he has helped me recognise the skillset I want to cultivate and guides me down that path. Having leaders like that is much more than just guidance on day-to-day work, they really care about your life and help you to make the right career decisions.”
While the future is an open book for Jake, one thing is for sure - he’s poised for a bright future at Great Southern Bank.