"Immerse yourself in the business challenges": Q&A with ACSA's new CEO

Working with people who are leaders in their field, and who share a common passion for progress. ACSA is unique in that the members are corporate - the custody institutions themselves - but functions through a voluntary board and working groups drawn from the employees of these firms. So even though custody and investment administration is often thought of as very technical and technology focussed, it's people who bring it all together. Encouraging this dialogue and collegiate interaction is what will be the best part of the role. I should also mention that when ACSA was first established back in 1992 with Brian Slade as chair, John Gall filled the role of company secretary and executive officer. So yes, I am the inaugural CEO by title, but acknowledge the solid foundation and vision set by John and Brian, and of course continued under the current board.

Our focus is improving the efficiency and capability of the Australian custody industry.

From an operational perspective we contribute to the evolution of Australia's securities market infrastructure including settlement reform, new registry technology and ongoing core process standardisation and automation, for example in corporate actions. This includes embracing the application of new technologies to make the Australian infrastructure more efficient. ACSA also works closely with other industry bodies and government to develop a more administratively efficient and internationally attractive managed funds sector, including a practical operational framework for Asian fund passports and collective investment vehicles, as well as additional standardisation and automation for our domestic fund market.

Regulatory change is expanding disclosure requirements for managed investment schemes and superannuation funds to provide additional information, both to regulators and end investors (for example, RG97 fee disclosure, and APRA fund holdings reporting reform). ACSA is driving the operational implementation of these policy reforms to encourage standards in data definition, classification and reporting formats.

ACSA is also committed to broadening engagement with all members and the broader professional community. Our established education programs retains ongoing focus, as do opportunities to encourage additional forums, both digital and event based.

ACSA is thinking big - and with this comes the need to prioritise. A key challenge will be to work with the board and key stakeholders to balance our focus and align resources.

I discovered financial services almost by accident. My early career was technology focused, and a natural extension of my university major in applied mathematics. I had the good fortune to join Westpac Financial Services in the 1980s and gained direct exposure to a broad cross section of the industry including investment management, insurance, superannuation, portfolio administration, custody and stock broking. It is and remains a diverse and deep sector, with ongoing development opportunities.

An initial key lesson was how accountability to a board differs from line management, including the need for a heightened strategic perspective of both opportunities and risks. The ability to quickly differentiate between what is urgent versus what is important is valuable - this does not mean that you can ignore the urgent, but you develop techniques for making sure that the important doesn't get forgotten.

As Shakespeare wrote, ".. to thine own self be true". Keep grounded and linked to your core values throughout your career journey, they will be challenged, and at times when you least expect it.

Working in a local garage after school and during the holidays - pumping petrol, learning how to check oil, water and tyre pressure. Hard to imagine I know, but there was a time when a service station was just that - well before the days of self-service pumps and cars that don't break down.

In my early career I was lucky to have a boss who also turned out to be a fantastic mentor. He provided some life lessons on the difference between just turning up versus being an active contributor. The irony was that I'd known this in the context of sport - the harder I trained, the easier it was to win - but his guidance was invaluable in translation to the business world.

I've learnt to partition my time, and more importantly my mind space. Immerse yourself in the business challenges, but be disciplined in scheduling time aside for family, friends and your own wellbeing.

I'd retain a portfolio of interests - boards both paid and voluntary, some of them in and around financial services. I have a long standing interest in special education and helping people with disabilities, including those on the Autism spectrum. And in my spare time, play more golf and work with technology innovators, especially in digital publishing.