JAMESBERGIN:

AMBITION, YANDCARING PASSION,INTEGRIT

Thirty-six year old James Bergin, chief architect (GM architecture, strategy and innovation) at ASB beat very strong competition to take the title of Eagle Technology/ IMNZ Young Executive of the Year Award at the 2016 Deloitte Top 200 Awards. James Bergin began his working life at The Warehouse in various IT roles and has been with ASB for the past 12 years.

1. What role did you start in at ASB and how has your career progressed?

I started as an IT architecture specialist and it was a solution architect role that morphed into more of an enterprise architecture role as that practice gained momentum in the industry and the bank. From there, as the team grew, I moved into my first management role as the manager of the solution architecture team in late 2007. This is a good example of the opportunities a company like ASB presents – as people move and the organisation changes, opportunities present themselves and you are supported in taking those next steps as part of your personal development. It was a bit challenging to be a peer one day and manager of the team the next, but the team was great and very supportive of my leadership.

I then moved up to lead the department in March 2010. This required stepping up in terms of people management and thought leadership, and being a part of the senior management community within the wider technology team. These roles also gave me opportunities to get more involved in business strategy work, which I really enjoy, and to start exploring innovation and its role in helping us tackle some of the challenges facing our industry and our customers.

In 2013 I was successful in my application for the newly formed chief architect general management role, which sees me on the leadership team of the technology and innovation division, reporting to our executive general manager, Russell Jones.

2. What motivates you at work?

I really enjoy collaborating with people from diverse areas of the organisation, bringing some technical or conceptual clarity to the table, generating new ideas, having exciting conversations, and then seeing that work lead to the creation of awesome solutions to tricky problems. It’s really motivating to see something that you maybe had a hand in designing or inspiring coming to fruition, and then seeing the results adding value to customers’ lives and the bank as a whole.

3. Where would you like to see yourself in 10 years’ time?

Still solving problems. I’m really enjoying the current trend of embracing innovation – something ASB has done for decades – and I think it is providing license for pretty much every industry to really push the boundaries of what is possible in seeking out ways to improve people’s lives and experiences. I love New Zealand, and I really think we have a huge century of opportunity in front of us, so I’d like to be contributing to taking full advantage of that over the next 10 years.

4. How would you describe your leadership style?

I’ve used the term in the past of trying to lead like a player-coach or, put another way, to lead by example. From my first moves into management, I have always been leading people who are older than me and have more experience than I do. So, I don’t purport to be a teacher, or a know-it-all, but rather someone who can individually contribute ‘on the court’ alongside them and also provide coaching from my perspective. That’s how I try to lead: collaboratively, respectfully, with clear purpose and vision, and with passion.

5. You are also involved with the Catholic Church – in what capacity?

Most of my involvement with the Church is no different from any other church-going Christian. I was brought up to believe that you should always try and use your skills as best you can to help others. So, over the years, I have consulted and done work for various agencies within the church in NZ. It’s just been about trying to use my leadership, communication and technology skills to help spread the church’s message of hope as best I can.

6. Does your religion impact on your leadership style?

My faith is an important part of who I am, so I’m sure some of my views on leadership are shaped by it. I get a lot of inspiration from the lives of the popes and the saints – especially those who have role modelled servant-leader behaviours. Primarily though, my faith has taught me that while we are all different, we are all equal in terms of deserving respect.

7. What are the most important traits in a good leader?

I think that it is hard to go past our values at ASB: ambition, passion, integrity and caring. In addition to those, to paraphrase a former colleague of mine, it is important to be a leader who guards against arrogance. I see this as meaning that you should always be open to listening to the opinions of others, realise that your learning journey never ends, and keep working to build really good working relationships with as wide a range of people as possible.

8. Who are the people who have most influenced you?

In business, I have had the opportunity to work for and with some really impressive people who have taught me a lot. If I had to put someone at the top, though, it would probably be Sir Stephen Tindall. He embodies a lot of what I have talked about and that I respect in that he is ambitious but humble, full of integrity, generous, a family man, and someone who is genuinely invested in helping making NZ a better place. And it was certainly an inspiration to work for him (albeit very indirectly) while at The Warehouse.

In life more generally, my wife is a source of influence and inspiration. Having a partner who I can rely on as we approach the big decisions in life and who provides me with support and excellent counsel is invaluable. While it may sound trite, my biggest influencers have been my parents. They’re inspiring, amazing people: raising seven children the way that they have, teaching us so much, constantly giving of themselves for others and always striving to try to make the world a better place. If I can be even half as good at parenting as them, I’ll count that as a huge success in life.