Super CEO bids goodbye

Weekender

By STELLA BITA
NAMBAWAN Super Limited CEO, Garry Tunstall, is leaving the shores of PNG on Sunday, fully satisfied in the achievements of the superannuation fund he led. More importantly is his satisfaction in the achievements endured by the staff under his three year tenure as the nambawan boss.
After a little over three years at the helm of the organisation, Garry is looking forward to a good long break.
In fact, he and his wife Desley are retiring to their home in Melbourne.
Early this week he reminisced about his time in PNG from his office with a million kina view of the Fairfax harbour, saying the first three months at Nambawan Super was building a strategy based on investment growth and trying to out-perform in all the areas of the industry.
Garry saw the need for capable staff and training and to let staff have a say on how to run the business.
Regular staff meetings were held, there was 18 months of leadership development and DISC training was conducted to help staff know each other better so they could work
in harmony.
For him, the task of making Nambawan Super a world class fund, though daunting, was finally on track as he continued to change the culture of staff through vision and motivation and make sure each staff understood the journey that Nambawan Super was taking.
Everything locked in to place and the adventure into making Nambawan Super a World Class Superannuation Fund was in progress.
“The journey has begun but it continues and has to be tracked and monitored accordingly in order for smooth progress. So tracking continues and approaches towards achieving results are strategized and practiced and monitored for results,” he said.
Garry’s career began over four decades ago as a batching clerk for ANZ bank. Sorting out and numbering cheques for input into the system was the spark that ignited the fire of success as he worked his way up the ranks with his employer.
Before coming to NSL, Garry was described as an accomplished senior executive manager with 40 years of banking and finance experience having worked in both the Middle East and Australasia Pacific region.
He has held six board of directorships and several chairman roles in corporate and related entities.
He formerly was Managing Director with ANZ Bank PNG Ltd & Head of North West Pacific based in Port Moresby.
Those capabilities and qualities that he built and acquired over the years helped him turn the wheels in fast motion when he took up his new post at Nambawan Super in 2013.
NSL staff are deeply saddened at his leaving. In a message sent to them before his departure on December 01, 2016, the super CEO said,
“Time is moving quickly, so I wanted to reflect on our journey together before time runs out. I will be departing PNG and heading back to my village after this year’s Christmas function on the 18th December. I decided to come back to PNG and work for NSL after being asked by the Chairman and Board to assist with moving the organisation towards World’s best practice standards and to rebuild relationships with stakeholders but in particular the regulator, the BPNG.
After initially building staff capacity within the business, I would like to congratulate all of you for taking part in the transformation.
You have all been instrumental in achieving the goals and aims we set ourselves at the beginning and you can be very proud of the trip we have taken.
To use an analogy the trip down the river has been through rapids, rocky parts, small waterfalls, whirlpools and eventually to the magic of free flowing and smooth water.
This involved restructuring the business, improving technology, governance, developing new distribution channels, rebuilding partnerships, modernising our branch network, developing new products and providing first class service to members.
I am very grateful that you all came on the journey and thankful that as a high performing team we have delivered much for our members and the Board.
I certainly appreciate all your efforts and hard work and acknowledge the dedication and long hours many of you have endured to get to the current position.
Of course, this is not the end of the trip for you, so I want to wish you all the very best in your future endeavours.
Just watch for me as you float by as I will the person fishing from the river bank or hitting a few golf balls to relax.
Please keep in touch as I am interested to know how you are all going.
It’s been hard work, but a great adventure and a worthwhile result for the people of PNG. I am very proud of you all.”
The 63 year old and his beautiful wife Desley – who jokingly calls herself a Sunny Sunraysia Baby from Mildura – are looking forward to slowing down the pace as soon as they reach the Morington peninsula.
Golf and travel will be high on their to-do list. They have two children, two grandchildren and “a beautiful daughter in law.”
When probed on what he most liked about PNG, Garry answered, “the people.”

  • The writer is senior publication and media officer at NSL