We’ve got a great mix of technologists, creative thinkers and strategists, all wanting to build great customer experiences
June 29, 2022
Edwin Rozells is the Financial Services Lead, Australia and New Zealand at Accenture Song. He talks about moving to New Zealand, the opportunities for creative and engaging work, and why research like Fjord Trends helps to push Accenture further into the design and experience realm.
I’m a boomerang employee to Accenture. My first Accenture stint was in Singapore, where I was born and raised, from 2014. After four years as the digital strategy lead for South East Asia countries, my family and I were ready for a change and a new adventure. Personally, we wanted the chance to live somewhere new, so I took the opportunity to join a major creative agency in Auckland, New Zealand.
After a couple of years, I found I missed the scale and scope that a large organisation like Accenture can offer you. With Accenture Song poised for growth, there was the chance to build something I believed in, taking on the role as head of Song for NZ.
Now, a year and a bit later, our team has grown exponentially, from 12 to more than 70 people across Auckland and Wellington. The talent, diversity and inclusive environment allows us to bring our best selves to work each day. We get to have fun while doing great work that addresses some of the current challenges in New Zealand . We’re incredibly fortunate to have clients who are brave enough to try new approaches, backed up by our team, who are a real combination of technologists, engineers, creative thinkers, designers and strategists. We’re able to work collaboratively to build great customer and brand experiences.
Earlier this year, I started in my current role as Financial Services Lead at Accenture Song in Australia and New Zealand, driven mainly by my desire to work on industry challenges and more closely with our clients and client teams, while still retaining a focus on the New Zealand business.
Enjoying the outdoors with my family.
Working with purpose
Whether in Financial Services or otherwise, all the work we do at Song starts with getting clients clear on their purpose – why they exist beyond profits alone. We see purpose as a differentiator, and it needs to be authentic. We know that when a brand makes a promise to customers and delivers through great experiences, the business grows. But while 80% of companies think they deliver on their brand promise, only 20% of customers agree. Tapping into purpose helps us to work with clients to close that gap.
For example, with one of our financial services clients, their purpose is all about helping customers stay ahead of their finances. The brand promise is about making banking simple and easy. This means that everything from advertising campaigns to digital transformation strategies needs to come back to that purpose. For example, if you’re promising to help customers stay ahead, you need a transformation roadmap that supports this, like investing in customer intelligence, personalisation, and content – with the end goal of helping you be better with money.
Focusing on purpose not only shapes what we do for our clients when it comes to building their digital core and making them future-ready enterprises, it also influences how we measure results. For example, in addition to traditional metrics like customer acquisition, retention and cost-efficiencies, we would measure metrics related to financial well-being, such as how many clients have money for a rainy day; how are people interacting with financial wellbeing content; and are customers becoming better borrowers?
Global reach and big-picture thinking
Accenture’s incredible research, like the recent Fjord Trends on the five major trends impacting businesses is an incredible platform to showcase our global network, the quality of our thinking and the experience we can bring across industries.
When we’re discussing these major trends with clients, I’m finding that it’s making them uncomfortable – but in a good way. By asking the questions “how important is this, and how prepared are you?” clients usually recognise a gap between those two points. They know that these trends are important, and having the Fjord Trends report gives them a reason to go to their senior leaders with proof that these changes are happening. It’s a great conversation starter on what needs to change and how to guide clients based on their purpose. To go back to our banking client as an example, we can take the Fjord Trends finding of an increased relevance of the metaverse and apply that to how we can help theur customers manage finances better. It’s not just about being able to process loan applications in this virtual realm, but about connecting with the community and creating immersive experiences to educate them on financial well-being topics.
Life in New Zealand
Having worked for Accenture in both Singapore and New Zealand, I’ve realised that there are a lot of things about the Accenture culture that transcend geography. It’s such an open and collaborative culture, but in New Zealand I think that’s especially the case, with our small team and inclusive structure meaning that we can really work with clients to get things done. As well as our local clients who challenge us to be better, we also work closely with our Australian colleagues and feel like we’re part of something bigger, even though New Zealand is in the corner of the world.
Being part of the global Accenture team gives me a lot of flexibility and options. Due to the pandemic, my family hasn’t been back to Singapore to see family and friends for over three years, but at year end, we’re planning a visit for most of December and January. I’ll be able to work out of the Singapore office and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to meet people in the team there.
New Zealand has become home for us. My family and I are permanent residents now and we recently bought a house (so my weekends are now spent gardening and doing home improvements). Living here offers us the chance to enjoy the great outdoors, take amazing trips without needing a passport and the opportunity to see a different way of life .
Moving here has been a great decision both personally and professionally. The team at Accenture Song is poised to do some incredible work, so get in touch if you think you’d be interested in joining our team!
Teaching my daughter how to fish.
