Two Newcastle-based Greater Building Society staff members yesterday took out emerging leader awards at the 2013 national conference of Australia’s 100 customer owned banking institutions being held in Melbourne.

HR manager Kristy Bagnall, from Merewether, won the national 2013 Emerging Leader Award and Senior business analyst Vanessa Nirmal, from Adamstown, won one of four Emerging Leader Tertiary Education Scholarships.

Vanessa will use her scholarship to help her to complete her Doctor of Business Administration degree (equivalent to a PhD in Business Administration) at the University of Newcastle.

Greater CEO, Don Magin, said this is the second year in a row that a Greater staff member has taken out the top award for emerging talent. Internal communication specialist Emma Avery won the award in 2012.

“The Greater is the only organisation to ever have one of its staff members take out the award two years in a row,” Don said.

Kristy has won $10,000 to help her to continue her professional development. She will use part of that prize to attend the 2014 World Credit Union Conference, which will be held in Australia (Gold Coast) in July. Kristy was also named an emerging leader at the recent Hunter Business Women’s Network annual regional conference attended by Layne Beachley. She has this year become a staff appointed director on the Greater Charitable Foundation.

“I congratulate both women on their achievement,” Don said. “The field of award finalists was very competitive and drawn from across Australia’s 100 building societies, credit unions, friendly societies and mutual banks.”

“The Greater is developing its young talented people to ensure we have the future skills needed to continue to meet the changing face of banking and the needs of our customers.”

Image | Jason Kriss, General Manager Alliances & Distribution, Bridges presents Emerging Leader Award to Kristy Bagnall, HR Manager, Greater Building Society