Promoted: ‘First lady’ by Westpac

By GYNNIE KERO
DOROTHY Pasingan has achieved something for herself 34 years after joining the former Bank New South Wales (now Westpac) in 1978.
She joined the bank as a 16-year-old employee.
A few days ago, Westpac PNG announced her appointment as the first female regional manager for branches in its 104-year history.
Her new role meant she would be looking after eight Westpac branches out of the 16 nationwide.
A quiet and humbled Pasingan, whose husband passed away 18 months ago, said there were many challenges during her long years with Westpac.
She and her late husband were employed by the bank.
“I joined the Bank of New South Wales after completing Year 10 at Cameron High School in Milne Bay.
“There were lots of challenges to our family – we (she and her husband) had to move from place to place.
“I had to put myself up with the bank, telling myself ‘I can do that’. I moved to Goroka in 1982, we kept moving around the bank’s branches a lot.
“Most of my banking career was spent working in the Highlands than on the coast.
“I did different jobs while we were moving around – from proof operator, teller, examiner, or whatever it was that came … I just took that.
“The first job I did when I joined the bank was to work as a proof operator so all the tellers processes were passed on to me, which I then sorted out.”
When asked about her loyalty towards the bank, Pasingan said: “Westpac has been good to me, assisting me wherever possible, it also sponsored me to boost my knowledge and skills.
“Being loyal to your employer can have its rewards.”
Westpac PNG’s head of retail banking Adam Downie (pictured) said: “Pasingan has great integrity, a strong work ethic and is highly-respected by peers at Westpac.”
He said Pasingan would be using her coaching skills and encyclopaedic knowledge of the bank’s processes to drive a “culture of delighting customers and developing our people.
“Westpac PNG already has a strong representation of women in senior management roles, including the heads of IT, operational risks and credit – all fields traditionally dominated by men.  
“Furthermore, half of our bank managers are female, which is great to see. 
“Having women in leadership is not about tokenism, it brings genuine diversity of ideas and styles, which adds great value to any organisation.”
Pasingan says of her new job: “I am thrilled to have been handed this honour and I am looking forward to working with my esteemed colleagues to continue to enhance the bank’s reputation.
“Given the opportunity to be challenged to lead a team of people with different backgrounds, to meet the needs of our customers and provide reliable banking products and achieve the bank’s strategies.
“People are different, I really have to work on my people’s management skills.”
Westpac PNG has been at the forefront of promoting gender equity in the country for some years. 
This year marked the seventh year of the bank’s prestigious Westpac outstanding women awards, formerly known as the Westpac women in business awards. 
The bank also supported education for women through its annual Westpac women in education grants and financial education programmes tailored for women.
Westpac Group, which is headed by chief executive Gail Kelly, said it prided itself on its equal opportunity employment policy, which created opportunities for people regardless of gender, sexual orientation, age and disability.