For our Members located in the Top End, Douglas will soon become a very familiar face! He has recently taken over the role of Branch Manager at our Palmerston branch as Melinda heads off on maternity leave.
With previous experience in banking and leadership roles, Douglas, who is one of six children with a big laugh, is the perfect fit for this role and is excited to provide the best banking experience to our NT Members. To help you get to know Douglas, we asked him a few questions. Have a read!
What made you apply for the role of Branch Manager at our Palmerston branch?
My passion is to lead strong performing teams and to help others fulfill their long-term career goals. After researching Police Credit Union, I knew it would be a great fit for me as our professional values align. Palmerston is a great place to work and has a strong community feel that I wanted to be a part of.
Can you please describe your role?
My role is to lead a successful team, engage with the community and foster an environment for great relationships with our Members – new and existing. I set targets for our space and liaise with Head Office on how to best meet the requirements for our Northern Territory customers.
What are you hoping to achieve in this role?
I hope to increase brand awareness of Police Credit Union within the Northern Territory, increase our membership base and be the trusted financial institution for all customers.
In the team space we have quite a few new faces, as well as my own, my aim is to help them develop further into strong and collaborative achievers. I want to set them up for success and help them to achieve their goals, as well as our customers’ goals.
Do you have any highlights from working at Police Credit Union so far?
Meeting and becoming part of the team in Palmerston and in SA. The whole organisation really cares about what they do, the members they serve and the member value they strive to achieve.
I also had the opportunity to congratulate one of our own Members, Andrew, who was recently awarded an Ambulance Service Medal as part of the 2022 Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
Can you tell us about your career history? Where were you working before joining Police Credit Union?
I came from Commonwealth Bank here in the Northern Territory where I had the pleasure to work across multiple branches and develop my managerial skills in a lot of different areas. Before that I worked for the Country Road Group as a multi-site manager.
Tell us about your family…
I have a big family! I am one of six children and an uncle to 13 nieces and nephews. I spend a lot of my free time catching up with them on Skype and having them come and visit me. At home, my partner Rick and my pets keep me on my toes.
What are your hobbies and passions?
My hobbies include playing tennis and trying to grow my pot plants. My passion is self-development and I am a big TED talk enthusiast, my favourite talk is called ‘How great leaders inspire action’ presented by Simon Sinek.
What is your secret hidden talent/superpower?
My superpower is my ability to see the funny side of life. I am known for my positivity and my laugh can be heard a lot.
What are you binge watching at the moment?
I am binging Star Trek – Strange New Worlds.
What do you consider to be the best product/service that Police Credit Union offers?
The best product is our really competitive Car Loan rate. Soon we will be launching this product with the exciting opportunity for our Members to have their vehicle’s carbon emissions offset for the term of the loan at no extra cost. The best service is the Banking App as it is simple, easy to use and developed well.
What’s your favourite thing about the Northern Territory?
The natural beauty of the NT. I can drive 35 minutes from the branch and be at a beautiful natural rock pool surrounded by thousands of years of untouched natural landscape. Second, are the incredible blinding lightning storms in the wet season.
Now that you know Douglas a little better, pop into our Palmerston branch at Gateway Shopping Centre and say ‘hi’! Douglas and the team at our Palmerston branch are ready to chat with you about your banking needs.