A trip down memory lane with Nicola Bond

When Nicola Bond arrived at BankVic in 2015, she settled into a small back area of the office alongside a colleague named Gabby Bradford. 

Gabby's role was to manage deceased accounts, which meant difficult phone calls with families navigating grief and complicated legal processes at the same time. What Nicola watched was the effect of empathy in practice. 

"She made such an impact on these families with her empathetic and supportive approach," Nicola recalls. "They often sent her cards and chocolates to thank her." 

For Nicola, still finding her feet, it was an early lesson in what BankVic actually was. 
"It brought home to me the reality of the work our members perform every day."

That grounding in purpose has stayed with her. Nicola describes BankVic's culture as one built on openness, trust, and authenticity, and traces it directly to leadership. 

"I believe this stems from strong leadership shaped by example from the top," she says. "It results in a common bond for our members, respect for our policies, and alignment within the team." 

The practical effect, in her experience, is that projects move faster. "Without ego or politics we can move faster, be more productive and more agile."

She worked alongside Anthony De Fazio before his appointment as CEO, having known him in his earlier role as BankVic's CFO. 

"I always felt he had strong values and was one of the most authentic people I'd ever met," she says. "He has completely changed the culture of the organisation and made it the incredible place to work that it is today."

Across 30 or so projects, Nicola has worked across technology, property, lending, credit products, and digital transformation, building new working relationships and developing deep expertise in areas she had no prior knowledge of.

"Each of my projects feels like a new role," she says. 

Her first year also brought a moment that stayed with her. Working on-site at the Police Academy to test a new ATM installation, Nicola found herself with an unexpected break, and a staff member offered her a tour of the Chapel.
"It moved me to tears. Stories of officers who had made the ultimate sacrifice. It gave me a real sense of our police history."
The ATM installation was a practical project, but the chapel was something else.

Nicola offers some projects she feels especially proud of. In 2019, she led the migration of BankVic's workforce from desktops and corded handsets to laptops and headsets. At the time, it was a significant internal technology shift. In early 2020, it became something else entirely. 

"It was critical to our ongoing operations during COVID and enabling our current operation as a hybrid working model." She worked on the project with colleagues Simon James and Jarrod Gibson, and describes it as one of the most challenging of her career.

In 2021, Nicola was part of the team that transformed BankVic's home lending process from paper-based contracts and in-person settlements to a fully digital, automated, and integrated system. Electronic contracts, e-signatures, and digital lodgement replaced what had come before. 

For members, the change was practical and immediate. For BankVic, it built the foundations for future evolution.

Nicola also reflects on a project that had a different quality of meaning: building bank branches. "These project outcomes are tangible and highly visible," she says. 
The branch at the Royal Children's Hospital left a particular impression. Working on site each day, she found herself immersed in the daily reality of BankVic's members. 

"At RCH I would see unwell children with their families, and this touched me deeply." 
There were public launches with fixed opening dates, building certifications to navigate, and occasional delays to manage. Nicola says it was hard work, and worth it.

The relationships built through that kind of pressure are a recurring theme in how Nicola talks about her colleagues. She names Simon James, Jarrod Gibson, Mark Elder, Magnus Zigher, Leticia Xavier, Bec Boissezon, Stelios Pavlou, and Anthony as people already part of the BankVic fabric when she arrived, or joined around the same time. 

Nicola has worked with David Lawler across various card projects and learned a great deal from his experience. Most recently, she has found in her colleague Ailene Luu a working partnership she describes simply as "the best working experience I've ever had."

Outside the office, the decade has brought a significant change of scene. Nicola has always been drawn to the ocean, but during COVID she moved from the city to the bay, and her relationship with the coast deepened into something more intentional. 

She now swims and snorkels year-round with local groups, supports a marine conservation organisation, and has designed and built a coastal native garden at home.

Her advice to someone choosing between BankVic and another employer is direct: 
"Love what you do. Make sure your values align. Seek to grow in all directions, not just up." 

As for how she approaches her own growth, Nicola describes herself as endlessly curious. She reads, listens, attends events, asks questions, and collects what she calls ‘nuggets of gold’ from the people around her. 
"Everyone has nuggets of gold to share, and I have a memory safe that always has capacity for more of these."

Ten years in, Nicola is still filling it.