For Stephen Capello, becoming the CEO of BankVic at the age of only 41 is more than a dream come true it’s something he never imagined was possible so soon after returning to Australia. Starting his career in finance, Stephen worked for AMP before deciding to move to the United Kingdom so he could broaden his horizons. After securing a position with one of the then top five global banks Banco Santander Stephen worked his way up to become CFO for Santander Asset Management UK. He was then headhunted by the global insurance company Aviva, working for it in Madrid, Spain, before spending three years leading the Central Europe finance function based in Budapest, Hungary. In 2012, Stephen was included in the inaugural CPA Top 40 Under 40 Young Executives, and also took the opportunity to return to Australia, moving to Melbourne where he worked for ANZ before moving to BankVic. It’s an impressive resume, with some of the biggest names in financial services, but it hasn’t all just fallen in Stephen’s lap. Hard work and resilience got Stephen to where he is today, and he is very aware of the value of a good work ethic.
“I am a strong believer that hard work brings reward and there are no shortcuts, and that has certainly been extremely prominent in how I have got to where I am today,” Stephen says.”I have worked with some very talented CEOs in my time in Europe, whom I have flourished under, and they were the first people I called when I became CEO myself. I wanted to ensure that I approached those early months as a new CEO with the head of an experienced one, and I have used their advice from day one. I am a very resilient person, and work can be a very rewarding place, but it can also be very difficult. Having the ability to bounce back and keep going in the face of repeated challenges is critical. I am also very authentic. I believe in being genuine, honest, transparent, and not being caught up in the amount of political spin that is all too common. I like to challenge myself to be the best I can be, and I am always raising my personal bar. I think that is certainly evident in my having the confidence to be the CEO of an organisation less than a year after joining.”