Member Spotlight
Off to a sweet start: a tale of two communicators
Comms professionals Kathleen Tarplee and Alexandra Pilton first crossed paths in 2017 when working at ANZ. Seven years on and the pair are now at Zuriach’s local HQ in Sydney, supporting the business as senior internal communications managers.
KT: My first good memory of Alex was of her standing at the entrance gates to the ANZ offices in Sydney with an armful of pastries. We were both working in communication roles in different areas of the bank. It was her last day and this was her gift to farewell the team and I thought, ‘that’s my sorta person’.
Good fortune saw us reunited in the ANZ Wealth division’s comms team the following year, ahead of an impending sale of the Wealth business. Our friendship was formed over the intensity of a sale announcement and then cemented as we prepared to transition our employees to different companies and parts of the bank. Luck so had it that we transitioned to Zurich together, with close to 500 of our Wealth colleagues.
It's more than five years since we transitioned. We’ve communicated through the pandemic and out the other side, we’ve supported programs of work focused on ‘integration’, ‘transformation’ and, most recently, led the communications for our new Enterprise Agreement.
We work so well together I think the biggest problem we have now is we’re a package deal – if the time ever came to leave Zurich, we’d need to find a company willing to take the two of us!
AP: Following a career across various sales, distribution and operations roles in financial services, Kath had stepped seamlessly into the world of comms shortly before we first met – and I don’t think she’s looked back.
In our time together, she’s tackled significant change projects, navigated the world of HR comms, launched a live broadcast internal news channel, and everything else in between. I’m incredibly fortunate to work alongside Kath. She inspires and challenges me to be a better communicator, and she’s an excellent sounding board and peer reviewer. Best of all, we can enjoy a good laugh – even on those tough days when you feel like you’re spinning plates.
They say a strong working relationship goes a long way in lifting morale, inspiring creativity and benefiting your health. You could say I’ve hit the jackpot.
What does corporate communications entail at your organisation?
KT: Having worn a few more hats in the past, Alex and I are now both focused on internal communications. This sees us developing campaigns and messages for our people in Australia and New Zealand across a huge range of topics from our strategy to good news stories. We support transformational change pieces and help with our leadership team’s profile and agenda. We’re also responsible for managing and contributing to a mix of internal channels and coordinating various employee and leader events. Our broader team also has an external focus.
What aspect of corporate communications do you most enjoy, and why?
AP: I’ve always enjoyed the people side of corporate communications. And if you’re after variety, no two days are ever the same! In very few roles are you presented with the opportunity to build connections with colleagues across all levels of an organisation and all lines of business. One day you’re collaborating with your CEO on an employee Town Hall, the next producing and proofing your bi-weekly newsletter or exploring the latest AI developments with your chief data officer. The pace is constant, but it can be incredibly rewarding.
What do you anticipate will be your greatest corporate communications challenge in 2024?
KT: Being a local business with a big agenda, and part of a global organisation, our people have a lot of information to be across. Helping reduce ‘the noise’ to support their cognitive load and get cut through on our most important messages is a challenge.
AP: I’d agree. Achieving cut through has always been a challenge, but something that feels infinitely harder now as we compete for our employees’ attention and engagement in a fast-moving world. Gone are the (indulgent) days of long-form intranet stories!
It’s certainly shaping the way we think about how we communicate – people are time poor, they may be operating in a hybrid work environment, dipping in and out of different platforms and applications. There are lots of variables. One of our challenges is to determine how we can get the information they need, where and when they need it.
There’s an increasing focus on data and measurement, too. Demonstrating the impact of what we do through the right metrics is something we’re working on. And did we mention AI…?
If you could add one additional role to your team, what would it be, and why?
AP: I think the ability to tap into someone with digital, data and AI skills – and a strong communicator – would be a powerful addition to any team. I love the energy and fresh insights and ideas that this new generation of communicators are bringing to their role and outlook on work (and life).
KT: I absolutely agree with Alex. In good news, we’ve had a new role appointed that will help us tackle our challenge around getting cut through, a ‘creative media specialist’. They’ll be helping us tell stories in new ways and with a cinematographic background, lots of visual storytelling ‘coming soon’!
What one piece of advice would you give to communications professionals who are starting out in their career?
AP: Where possible, lean into the opportunities that will provide you with an introduction to as many aspects of corporate communications as you can make happen. It’s great experience – plus it helps you to lay a strong foundation for a future career in comms, with exposure to different stakeholders, different channels (internal and external) and different types of issues. The nature and pace of work can vary considerably! Be curious, take the time to explore and see what clicks.
