Meet Deanne Stewart, CEO of Aware Super. Deanne shares her wisdom on the importance of having a divserified skill set and what she looks for when hiring.
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The following is a transcript created using AI technology so please forgive any grammatical imperfections.
[00:00:00.000] - Deanne StewartI want to do things a bit differently. I want to bring real humanity and real personal leadership to that role.
[00:00:13.320] - Camilla Love
Welcome, everyone, back to another episode of Shares Not Shoes, an insider's guide to careers in finance. I'm your host, Camilla Love, founder of F3, Future Females in Finance. Shares Not Shoes is a podcast whereby I interview some of my favourite people all with one thing in common, they work in finance. We lift the lid on who they are, how they came into a career in finance, and arm you with some knowledge about why a career in finance could be a good fit for you. I will promise that all my guests will share some amazing personal stories. We'll be open and honest and we'll inspire you. So, let's go.
We Are in for a cracking episode today, everyone. So hang on to your seats. Our CEO series is definitely on a high with today's special guest. Today we have the pleasure of chatting with a CEO that I think I have known and admired for probably, I was thinking about it today, about 10 years. She is the CEO of one of Australia's largest superannuation funds, representing millions of everyday Aussies in the financial markets and navigating them to successful retirement outcomes. Think about that as something to have on your shoulders every day. That is an amazing thing to think about. She's also the former CEO of MetLife here in Australia and in 2001 was awarded the Feel Fund Executive of the Year. Welcome today to Shares Not Chews, Diane Stewart.
[00:01:43.640] - Deanne Stewart
Thank you, Camilla. It's so wonderful to join you. I'm a bit scared after that rap.
[00:01:50.140] - Camilla Love
Don't worry, you definitely live up to it. That's probably an understatement. Everybody, I've known Dee for a bit, and I remember the first time meeting you when you were CEO of MetLife sitting next to you at a function and just wowed by the presence that you have in a room. So you made that impact first up on me. And I'm sure you're going to do that today with everybody for the listeners today. So I'm so excited to ask you some really, really pointed and nitty gritty questions. So you ready for this?
[00:02:21.600] - Deanne Stewart
Awesome. Can't wait.
[00:02:23.000] - Camilla Love
Okay. So Dee, tell me a little bit about who you are and what you do and be personal and professional at the same time.
[00:02:31.360] - Deanne Stewart
Well, how long have you got? No, I'm joking.
[00:02:34.530] - Deanne Stewart
Short. Well, I grew up. I'm a country girl. I know. I was going to ask that question. I grew up in Bathist. That was awesome. It was such an idyllic childhood when I think about it. My parents were both, they're now retired, but they were both teachers. Bathist was just this beautiful town to grow up in, very idyllic. I have two siblings. I am now an and have been for quite some time, happily married with two teenage kids, a girl and a boy that certainly keep me on my toes, but they're truly beautiful, most of the time. From a personal side, just love of life, love of exercise, love being with friends, love travel, that life. Then on a professional side, I'm just so privileged to be the CEO of Aware Super. As you said, it's one of the biggest super funds. I try not to fixate every morning about the 150 billion and what we're doing. But it's pretty amazing. It's a beautiful industry fund. It's history. I mean, it's open to all Australians, but it's history. Having come out of the public sector is at the heart of it, we've got so many essential workers.
[00:03:50.070] - Deanne Stewart
Your teachers, your doctors, your nurses, your cleaners, your fireies, your paramedics, just essential workers that really make the community hum. They're the backbone of the community. Getting to serve them and make sure they get the best possible future is a real privilege.
[00:04:11.200] - Camilla Love
Absolutely. I'm sure that having two parents as teachers and having teachers as a big cohort, how meaningful is that.
[00:04:22.070] - Deanne Stewart
For you? Exactly. When I got the phone call about whether I'd consider the CEO role, I didn't have to. I jumped at it because it was like my dream job. It was like the rest of my career, which went in many different directions, was waiting for this moment. A big part of it was knowing it quite well because of seeing how well the fund did for my parents and other teachers, and the fact that I'd watch my mom and dad scroll away every extra cent they could into their super annual nuation, and now seeing them in retirement and just really getting to live, quite frankly, a much better life than what they... With all the financial hardship growing up, they're now getting a wonderful retirement because of what they put into superannuation. So, yeah, it's pretty cool.
[00:05:19.250] - Camilla Love
That is amazing. Amazing. Now, how did you end up doing uni in the city coming from country town?
[00:05:28.470] - Deanne Stewart
I applied to this amazing Coop scholarship at the uni in New South and was very lucky to get it. So that was my ticket to Sydney. I got to do Bachelor of Commerce at Uni of New South and I did marketing on the one hand and finance on the other hand. So it was quite good. It definitely got both sides. It's fantastic, isn't it? Because it gets both sides of your brain working, the creative and the numbers.
[00:05:59.620] - Camilla Love
Was it something at uni or was it before uni that sparked you into going into a career in finance?
[00:06:07.720] - Deanne Stewart
I think it actually was. Well, it's interesting. I think it was a love of math. I always loved math through high school. Then you go, Okay, well, what do you do with math? You could be an accountant, you could be an actuary. There's this whole thing called investment markets. Wow, that sounds really interesting. I think I just wanted to do something that was quite maths orientated, but I also had a deep love and wanting to understand more about human behaviour. That was the essence of the marketing side, right? What drives consumer behaviour? It was that double combination, not sure where that would then lead me. Then as a graduate coming out of that, getting an opportunity to be a graduate trainee at BT Funds Management or Bankers Trust at that time, and getting the go in rotation in a few different roles. Some were on the investment side, some were more on the marketing side, and getting to explore what worked, what didn't work. I don't know that there was a moment in time that I was like, It's definitely finance. It was something I lucked upon. But I think it was the love of math that lent me in that direction in the first place.
[00:07:25.070] - Camilla Love
It's funny that you say that because you strike me as much more a people person. And I love and similar to me in that, that mix of finance and marketing together enables you, both brains and both loves get together in this symbiotic relationship Because we talk about the passion for math because a lot of people I'd speak to on this podcast have a passion for math. But you don't have to be the biggest math geek to be in.
[00:07:56.030] - Deanne Stewart
Finance, right? No. And certainly what I've discovered since is that's almost a bit of a misnomer. But actually, it is your much more your deeper understanding of humans, humanity, the big trends in society that makes you a far more astute investor, one way or the other. Sure, you need to have some good underlying math skills, but actually that is one very small component, unless you're going to be pure quant, where it does tend to be far more mathematical. A lot of it is much more your read on humanity and on society and what's going on than maths.
[00:08:39.430] - Camilla Love
Yeah, indeed. Now, you mentioned your formative years at BT. Now, for those of you out there, BT, who don't know, BT in the 90s was the place to be. And you can sit here today and see amongst the top echelons of the finance industry, BT alumni running money, running businesses. How was that for you? Probably not even knowing where all these people would go in the future and where indeed you would go in the future. But how was that formative years? What was the impact of that in your career?
[00:09:24.120] - Deanne Stewart
It was pretty awesome. It's had so much impact on my career, actually. It was a group of such smart individuals, a lot of them not having come from privileged backgrounds and just really wanting to make a difference. You were definitely in the presence of very bright people. But the other thing that I loved and was so formative to me is I was chucked in completely different experiences really young. Started out as an investment analyst. Then they were starting up the institutional marketing team. This amazing woman who has since passed Sheena Stoke said, Hey, how about you have a cracker helping start up the institutional marketing team? Now, I was 21 years of age. Who does that?
[00:10:13.610] - Camilla Love
No.
[00:10:13.900] - Deanne Stewart
One. Then had amazing opportunity to join a great team on the property side, then moved over into advertising and market research. Now, all of that happened in my first four and a bit years. I look at that and I think, You know what? That was them just backing me, backing potential over you have to have done everything before you're given an opportunity. I've remembered that. Well, I had the fact that I got so many different experiences has actually really helped in terms of a CEO type of role. But then, secondly, I have to remember that. How do we make sure that we give really amazing young talent through lots of opportunity based on their potential, not on all the boxes that they've already ticked.
[00:11:01.610] - Camilla Love
So I was going to ask that question, too. How do you embed that? Because that could be really difficult because that can be career risk for managers, particularly, who go, This person is really good over here, and I think it has way more potential than just what they're doing. And let's throw them into doing something entirely outside of the square and outside of the box for them. How do you encourage and enthuse your management team to be able to do that?
[00:11:33.690] - Deanne Stewart
It's a couple of things. One is, I think when you look at all the roles that you've got, some roles you are going to need someone to come in with really deep experience that's seen all the highs and lows, and you need a really experienced pair of hands. But a lot of roles, actually, what you need is much more around mindset behaviours and and that potential. Certainly making sure for me, when I'm looking to hire anyone, and I certainly talk to my team about this all the time, I'm like, mindset, values, and potential is so much more important. T hat's what I look for when I interview. I think that combined with having a really good mix. You can't necessarily just hire on potential for all roles, but certainly, I would say most roles you can.
[00:12:30.630] - Camilla Love
Yeah, it's an interesting one because you end up sometimes in your career, you end up in that silo just being a really good technical analyst or you're technically good at one thing. But then to try and get that breadth is really difficult. And to find a manager who can see that in you is amazing and then cut you off into different things. So you've been in finance for a long time, I won't say how many years. Thank you for sparing me that. Exactly. And the industry has changed a lot. When you reflect on that, what are the major changes that you think were instrumental to where the industry is at now, and indeed where you are at now personally?
[00:13:20.410] - Deanne Stewart
Well, I think one of the hugest changes in Australia is really, and of course, I'm probably seeing my own shop here in superannuation. If you think about it, this year, superannuation, as we know it, with compulsory superannuation, is 30 years old. That's pretty young in the scheme of things. But if you look at where most of the capital in Australia now sits, it sits within the superannuation system. It's just ticked over three and a half trillion dollars.
[00:13:53.890] - Deanne Stewart
That makes it the third largest asset pool in the world. That's extraordinary when you think about it. The changes that I think are certainly occurring is you're certainly seeing more that is superannuation orientated than non superannuation orientated. I think the real positive that I don't think we've completely grasped yet is that what that means is that companies and investors can be and should be much more long term orientated much more about the sustainability of organisations 10, 20, 30 years out because that's what we're investing for. We're investing for people's retirement. We're not investing for tomorrow's quick buck. I think you will see some really big changes over this next decade as more and more of the super funds internalize, bring some of their investment expertise inhouse and have much more that long term horizon, together with their external investment managers that also are directed by the super funds to be far more long term. I think that change is slowly occurring, but I think it will really speed up in the next decade.
[00:15:20.430] - Camilla Love
I think that's a really good insight because you're right that everyone's looking at markets every day and high turnover and all that stuff in portfolios. But actually that sustainability and sustainability in its whole sense of the word in the longevity piece and the stakeholder piece. And it's not necessarily all about shareholders and shareholder return anymore. It's about stakeholder outcomes. I think that that's a really good point to take away. So just changing tack a little bit. One question that I'm... This is a personal question for me to ask because I've got the mic, I can do this. How did you make the transition to CEO? Was it difficult? Did you have a sponsor or was it just hard work and good luck? What advice would you give to those out there who are keen to get there in the top echelons of business?
[00:16:21.780] - Deanne Stewart
It probably was all of the above. But look, there's a couple of things. I think first of all, I think for me, it certainly started about wanting to be a CEO, but hopefully for the right reasons. What I mean by that is I've had this restlessness from when I think I first began back at BT as a 20 year old, of wanting to make a real difference and working out that finance and capital markets had so much power to have a positive impact on the community, on the economy. The more and more senior I got, the more I could have that impact. But also seeing just incredible people in our industry, but seeing possibly too many leaders that had come up through a very technical background but weren't necessarily great people leaders. It was this dual feeling of, Wow, this is amazing. How do I get more senior because I want to have more impact? But also, secondly, I want to do things a bit differently. I want to bring real humanity and real personal leadership to that role. That was where my desire, quite frankly, to be CEO came from. Then I think the couple of things that have really helped me, first of all, and I do say this to lots of young people that coming through, is do not get so focused on a career ladder and just all you want to do.
[00:18:01.940] - Deanne Stewart
Because before you know it, you get so technical and you might get the next senior level and the next senior level in a real technical field. But actually having a bit of a lattice, so you go a bit here, a bit there. If I look at my career, I've been on the investment side, I've run contact centres and operations, I've run marketing, I've run digital, I've run major transformation, so I've been in life insurance, I've been in wealth, I've been in asset management. I think it's that really collective, different experiences that in a way helped me be much more ready for a CEO. Together with I do think you've got to be much more of a systems thinker. You've got to be able to join the dots. It isn't just about operational expertise or investment expertise or people expertise. It's how do you join those dots and provide real clarity in the future direction, but be always on the alert for what's going on in the broader environment. That was really helpful. Then finally, you mentioned it, it is great mentors and sponsors and people willing to back you along the way. I remember one time when I got a huge promotion when I was at Merrill Lynch over in New York, it was this amazing chief operating officer who just backed me into this role.
[00:19:23.530] - Deanne Stewart
I'd only been in the organization for six months. I was way more junior and way younger than the two managing directors that quite frankly should have got the job or I thought should have got the job. I remember him offering me the role and I burst out crying because I was like, Well, it was genuinely a feeling of not feeling worthy. How ridiculous.
[00:19:47.650] - Camilla Love
Totally not ridiculous.
[00:19:50.850] - Deanne Stewart
He was just like, You got this. You've absolutely got the potential and the runway and I'm backing you. I am forever grateful for that. I definitely think it's a bit of all of the above and a fair dose of luck as well.
[00:20:07.580] - Camilla Love
I think luck is an interesting one because no matter how good you are and how much potential you have, being in the right place at the right time with the right people around you is difficult to orchestrate, right? But I love your take away of that intersection between different aspects and different career collection points is probably what I'd describe it as, to make you a better leader, a better CEO, that intersectionality of it.
[00:20:45.930] - Deanne Stewart
So.
[00:20:47.680] - Camilla Love
As a CEO, what keeps you up at night? There's a big pause.
[00:20:55.710] - Deanne Stewart
Yeah, I'm like, What's keeping me up at night? But look, I have got a lot better, I have to say, of not getting so caught up in my job that I have too many restless nights. But certainly at the moment, it's probably three things. One is certainly what's going on in the markets at the moment. I mean, it's so volatile. And so it's like, Oh, are we on the right path? Are we doing the right things? Because ultimately, we've got 1.1 million members retirement savings, and we've got to make sure we're doing our very best. But we're also going through a huge digital transformation and I really believe it's going to be market leading. The team are doing an awesome job. But when you do something of that order of magnitude, it's certainly the biggest digital transformation I'd say in industry fund land. You want to know that things are really well managed and the team are doing an amazing job. But things like the ASX announcement.
[00:21:58.340] - Camilla Love
Yesterday, I'm like, Oh, okay, these things.
[00:22:00.790] - Deanne Stewart
Can go horrible.
[00:22:02.430] - Camilla Love
That's a big number.
[00:22:05.200] - Deanne Stewart
Exactly. Then the final one is really around our people, because coming off the back of several years of COVID, we've undertaken several mergers. We're doing this amazing digital transformation. We've just got this incredible team. But you've constantly got to be worried in many ways about, have you got the right balance of pushing people forward and being really ambitious, but really taking care of people's wellbeing, and that people are on that journey with you. Particularly in this very hot talent market, that people feel really motivated and engaged. They are probably the big threes of my mind at the moment.
[00:22:46.310] - Camilla Love
Yeah, talent's an interesting one. I was talking about with somebody else this week. It is coming down to the values and the purpose and the culture of the organization. So how do you get the right people in, build the right culture as the leader, essentially, because leadership comes from the top.
[00:23:10.990] - Deanne Stewart
Well, you're speaking to my passion, but I also know you're speaking to your passion here. You are amazing, I have to say, on this, Camilla, and both what you do with F3, but way beyond that. You are such a person that's purpose and making a difference. It oozes out of you. I know you know this. But I think this is where we are quite kindred spirits, because for me, purpose and values is everything. I would always say to someone, before you take a job, really do your homework of what is the culture, what are the leaders, but are they really true to their purpose and values? Because I do think it's your true north. Most people want to come to work work and feel like they're learning and growing and contributing to something that makes a positive impact on society. If you are not clear what is the role that you play and what is your purpose, then it's very hard to feel motivated beyond just doing your day job. T hat's where the discretionary effort comes from. I certainly, from an aware super perspective, we created our purpose, really bottom up. We had a pretty awesome team that went and did 40 workshops across the organization to understand what people's why were.
[00:24:37.330] - Deanne Stewart
What was your personal why? But also, why did you either join this organization or why have you stayed? T here were these beautiful words around, Well, we get to create the best possible future for our members, and they're incredible human beings. But also, we get to make a real difference, particularly running so much money. A ctually, it was one workshop where one of the people said, You know what? The thing I love about Aware Super is that we get to be a real force for good. We use those words to really shape up the purpose, which is to be a force for good, to shape the best possible future for our members, their families, and the community at large. It just so rings true in our organization and what we get to do. We've really taken leadership roles in sustainability, in things like the climate change transition, in housing affordability, as well as earning really high returns. The two are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they are symbiotic. That really is at the heart. That drives people. It's absolutely when I talk to people, Why are you still here? They're like, I so believe in the purpose and values of this organization.
[00:25:55.000] - Deanne Stewart
I could wax lyrical about this all day long, and.
[00:25:58.160] - Camilla Love
I know you could too. Totally. I could probably ask 20 questions further, but we might bore people.
[00:26:04.940] - Deanne Stewart
We'll do a separate podcast on this. Yeah, maybe we could do it. Exactly. But it's got to be real, right? I get so frustrated when I see organisations that have on their wall purpose and values, and then you just go one layer down, and it's all BS.
[00:26:24.150] - Camilla Love
It's crickets down there. It's empty. And yeah, I totally agree. The organisations that talk the talk and walk the walk, the organisations that you see talent flock to because they are full of purpose and that purpose for good. But they also have a values alignment along their entire stakeholder chain. And that is such a strong bond.
[00:26:59.680] - Deanne Stewart
All right. I'll give you one really good data point here. It's a funny dilemma that we've just faced. I just talked to you about this amazing digital transformation that we're going through where we're really creating the simplest and most helpful member experience for super members. We just really want to own that in the marketplace. The team had budgeted for a certain degree of turnover in the team, right?
[00:27:26.320] - Camilla Love
But.
[00:27:27.370] - Deanne Stewart
We've got so low turnover in the team that they came to me the other day saying, Well, it's costing a little bit more because we've got so little turnover. I'm like, Wow, okay, well, that's pretty amazing. That's great. Considering the degree of change in the industry. But it's because the people on the team are so dedicated to it, and they so see the purpose, and they so see the difference they're making. It really does hit the bottom line.
[00:27:58.520] - Camilla Love
That's so fabulous. It's just a testament to the team that you lead also, and pushing those values down, and then being astute to those values down into the next layer, and then the next layer, and the next layer. So I love that. So just want to turn slightly, and you mentioned it early on, and I'm a big proponent of this, about being the best person you can has this mind, body, soul, as well as career purpose. So how do you make sure you're on as a physical and mental person, like wellbeing, to match who you need to be as a CEO? Because I see you around this shop and all I see is smiles, which is awesome. But surely there's points in time where those smiles are upside down. So talk to me about how you manage the stress and the complexity and the positivity that comes from your role?
[00:29:06.050] - Deanne Stewart
Yeah. Look, I've definitely got battle scars, so I wouldn't ever want to project that life is just in one direction. I think most people have battle scars, and those that say they don't are probably just lying. I think part of it does come from those battle scars and really learning. But a big part of it is just that self reflection. If I think about, I've definitely had a couple of points in my career where I lost focus or I lost what my own individual purpose was. I found myself just working so hard to just keep up, probably on the outside looking like things were fine. I was getting promoted. I was being given extra work, et cetera, but on the inside, I was I was just burning out, basically. When I looked back, I was working huge hours, but it was probably not really about that. It was the fact that I felt really in an environment that wasn't aligned to my values, and I had lost sight of my purpose. A ctually, it was reconnecting with that and being really clear about what really matters to me, how I want to make a difference, what values in an organization have to be there for me to thrive, combined with really setting boundaries from a wellbeing perspective so that t's not to say you don't have crazy weeks, but you can't have crazy weeks become crazy months become crazy years and expect to sustain that.
[00:30:55.630] - Deanne Stewart
It was really about coming back to my purpose my values, and also my boundaries that really, what are the things I've got to have in my life that give me joy, that sustain me?
[00:31:09.570] - Camilla Love
How do you do that? Because sometimes when you're in that dark hole of months of long hours and all that stuff, is it I'm going to go for a run, or I need to have a circuit breaker somehow. What is it for you that might have a mindset shift?
[00:31:27.190] - Deanne Stewart
Well, for me, it's funny. And I talk about boundaries a lot, and this was taught to me by the wonderful Penelope, who was a career coach of mine, of you've got to be clear. What are the couple of things in your life? And those couple of things can change as life evolves. But absolutely, you have to have in any given period. And so for me, I think about it over a fortnight because over a week is probably a little too hard to manage. That absolutely needs to be there because they give you joy. So for me, it is exercise. If I do not get three or four lots of exercise in a week. Me too. It's not worth knowing me. No, me neither. Then my second element is sleep and I've got to have a good night's sleep. Now, occasionally, I'll have to be late or I have to be working late, or whatever. But most nights, I've got to have, sounds a bit boring, seven or eight hours sleep a night. That just hasn't changed for me. So there's some fundamentals. And then for me, it is definitely about having time with the family.
[00:32:31.450] - Deanne Stewart
If I go for too long where I'm not having... What I mean by time with the family, I mean quality time. It's when you are not thinking about work, you're truly dedicated. So that for me are the key things. Now, when the kids were younger, one of those ones was I needed to be at the school gate at least one day a week. And this is before we all got way more flexibility in our jobs, which is one of the absolute silver linings, I think, of COVID for many office work jobs. That has clearly changed because the kids clearly as teenagers, don't want me at the school gates any longer.
[00:33:07.700] - Camilla Love
Daddy, mum.
[00:33:08.330] - Deanne Stewart
No. Exactly. That for me is really where it's at, is getting really clear what those couple of things are, and just making sure that you don't cross the line of not giving them the credit that you need to give them.
[00:33:25.620] - Camilla Love
Yeah, indeed. I have a last question, and I ask this everybody, and everyone has a different take, which is why I ask it. I'm always learning something every time someone asks it is, what is the most valuable advice you've been given, and why has it resonated with you so much?
[00:33:47.990] - Deanne Stewart
Oh, do you know? I found a much better way of articulating this recently. It is to learn from today to make tomorrow better. The reason I love it, and that is a much better articulation than what I used to say, what I used to say was more like, Don't take yourself too seriously, just work out what you've learned today and apply it tomorrow. Because I think particularly for those of us who grow up as perfectionist pleases, which is definitely the category that I fit it into, you'd always be bashing yourself up, and you'd be your own worst self critic. It would stop you from doing certain things, or it would stop you from feeling great about yourself or what you were doing. For me, that is definitely a mantra. But it's also a mantra if you think about it in a learning growth mindset. Okay, well, what can I learn from today to make better tomorrow? I think if you've got that mindset, you're afraid of a hell of a lot less, and you're not afraid of failure. I think fear is so rife through our industry and something that people talk so little about, but it actually inhibits most people.
[00:35:05.800] - Deanne Stewart
So for me, I feel like I have a hell of a lot less fear with that advice resting on my shoulders.
[00:35:14.150] - Camilla Love
Yeah, definitely. And that could be a whole another podcast talking about fear in the industry. Oh, my gosh. We could have five podcast about this one. We got a series going on here. Because I agree with you because the ability to... Our industry takes risks every day, but that ability to take risk without that reflection and that mindset, whether it be a personal risk or investment risk or any other risk, does hold you back, really.
[00:35:45.980] - Deanne Stewart
Spot on. And if you don't do enough self reflection, then there's so many people that don't realise that in themselves. Totally.
[00:35:55.440] - Camilla Love
Oh, my gosh.
[00:35:56.800] - Deanne Stewart
So deep. Stay tuned.
[00:35:59.160] - Camilla Love
Stay tuned. Next time. So we're at the end. I've taken up way too much of your time already, but super excited about my quickfire questions. Have you listened to any of my podcast? Do you know what you're about.
[00:36:11.490] - Deanne Stewart
To get into? I have. I'm like, Oh, dear.
[00:36:14.980] - Camilla Love
So I've got some cracking ones for you today. So remember, first thing that comes into your head.
[00:36:22.650] - Deanne Stewart
It comes.
[00:36:23.070] - Camilla Love
To my mind. Okay, all right. Okay.
[00:36:25.710] - Deanne Stewart
What happens if nothing comes into my head?
[00:36:27.680] - Camilla Love
Well, you could say blank, but there wasn't there was a huge big pause. No, they're pretty simple. They're pretty simple. Okay. How would your friends describe you?
[00:36:42.800] - Deanne Stewart
Extraverted, caring, a bit funny, and very driven.
[00:36:49.970] - Deanne Stewart
I wouldn't say too funny, a bit funny.
[00:36:53.310] - Camilla Love
A bit funny as in funny odd or funny? Could be both. Okay. What is the most important money lesson you've learned?
[00:37:09.870] - Deanne Stewart
Well, I'm going to have to say this clearly is save a bit from the moment you start earning. Just put a little bit away, even if it's just a dollar, just that magic putting of compound interest is the biggest thing.
[00:37:26.180] - Camilla Love
What did they say it's the eighth wonder of the world. Yeah, exactly. My hidden talent is?
[00:37:37.110] - Deanne Stewart
Well, actually, I have told a few people this, my hidden talent is Zumba. I am pretty Well, I wasn't awesome when I started out.
[00:37:47.820] - Camilla Love
I actually looked ridiculous.
[00:37:50.280] - Deanne Stewart
But now, I've got some moves. You're down. Yeah, I'm down.
[00:37:54.330] - Camilla Love
Great. I might have to join the class. I am not so down.
[00:37:57.960] - Deanne Stewart
On the work. Definitely. You have to. All right, we'll talk after.
[00:38:01.830] - Camilla Love
The podcast. Okay. Could be slightly embarrassing. On my bucket list is...
[00:38:09.180] - Deanne Stewart
Well, we as a family really want to go to Africa. We've spent time in South Africa and going to another part there. But I really want to see the migration, and I just haven't. So that is definitely on my bucket list.
[00:38:25.630] - Camilla Love
That would be fabulous.
[00:38:28.900] - Deanne Stewart
If.
[00:38:30.510] - Camilla Love
I was a superhero, I would be...
[00:38:34.960] - Deanne Stewart
Oh, the first thing that came in mind is Wonder Twins. Do you remember the.
[00:38:40.230] - Camilla Love
Wonder twins?
[00:38:40.840] - Deanne Stewart
No. Tell me. When I grew up, wonder twins, power, activate, fomal, and ice cube. These were twins. I always wanted to be a twin. I grew up with twins. They were awesome friends, and I always wanted to be a twin. There was Wonder Twins, and they could basically fist pump and then turn themselves into anything they wanted.
[00:39:01.550] - Camilla Love
So.
[00:39:02.440] - Deanne Stewart
I wanted that superpower. Now I just want to teleport. I just thought teleporting would be a very cool superpower.
[00:39:10.670] - Camilla Love
I call it the beat me up Scotty. If we could have a beat me up Scotty and I can be in Paris for the weekend, so much fun.
[00:39:20.350] - Deanne Stewart
Or you can just take me with you. Yeah, exactly.
[00:39:26.250] - Camilla Love
Who do you admire the most?
[00:39:29.900] - Deanne Stewart
That's a tough one. I admire so many people. I admire people that are really putting themselves out there and making a difference. I know that's a cheap answer, but it's the first thing that comes to mind. I admire Gandhi and Dalai Lama and people like that that are incredible. But in an everyday sense, I just love seeing people step up and make a difference.
[00:39:54.890] - Camilla Love
That's actually really lovely to say.
[00:39:58.790] - Camilla Love
If you had to invite anyone alive or dead to dinner, who would it be and why?
[00:40:05.250] - Deanne Stewart
That would be very cool. Well, actually, talking of the Dalai Lama, I would love to have dinner with the Dalai Lama and just learn.
[00:40:15.550] - Camilla Love
And soak.
[00:40:16.310] - Deanne Stewart
It all in. Soak it all in. Because certainly in our Western world, we are so time poor, we're just running from one thing to another. I just feel like we've got so much to learn from people like the Dalai Lama. I'd definitely invite him. Who else? I'd love to invite people like Lincoln and Churchill and amazing people that have been amazing at these absolute moments in history. So that would be pretty cool. Then just for humour's sake, it would be fascinating to have someone like Trump at dinner, wouldn't it?
[00:40:59.920] - Camilla Love
Well, at least you'd have great conversation.
[00:41:03.660] - Deanne Stewart
Yeah. Well, I don't know if you'd have conversation, but you might have one way communication. But yeah, I'm curious.
[00:41:13.300] - Camilla Love
I agree. My view on that stuff is that you should have people to dinner that actually are at differing ends of the spectrum or challenge the dinner party conversation. T hat's definitely one.
[00:41:27.680] - Deanne Stewart
Absolutely. It's like whenever I'm in the States, I always watch Fox and CNN just to see what's really going on. What's going on?
[00:41:36.720] - Camilla Love
Okay. My favourite book is...
[00:41:40.850] - Deanne Stewart
Do you know what? I've just finished reading, so I have to say this because there's lots of great books when the Krood Act sing. Have you read that?
[00:41:49.550] - Camilla Love
No.
[00:41:50.800] - Deanne Stewart
Well, there's a movie out now. I haven't seen the movie. I've just finished the book. It is beautiful. It is so beautifully written. Yeah.
[00:42:00.310] - Camilla Love
I have to put that on my list for my very long holiday that's coming up. What really bad movie do you absolutely love?
[00:42:11.240] - Deanne Stewart
My sister and I, although my sister watched it way more often than I did, but growing up, we were quite addicted to dirty dancing.
[00:42:21.800] - Camilla Love
That's not a bad movie.
[00:42:23.660] - Deanne Stewart
No. Nobody puts baby in the corner. No one does.
[00:42:28.450] - Camilla Love
Oh, Patrick Swayze. Oh, my God. He was so good in that.
[00:42:33.540] - Deanne Stewart
He was. I know. It was a beautiful love story.
[00:42:38.040] - Camilla Love
So black.
[00:42:39.130] - Deanne Stewart
I don't know that I'd say it's a great movie, though. That's why I was like, Oh, yeah, that's a really good one. My sister got up to watching it, I think, 16 times.
[00:42:48.190] - Camilla Love
I remember being banned from watching it as a kid because it was M, from my parents. It was M and I think it came out. And I think I was probably 12 or 13, everyone would be talking about it. And I'm like, I'm just going to... When they're out, I'm just going to watch it. I'm glad I did. I don't think I.
[00:43:05.910] - Deanne Stewart
Probably watched it 10 times. It's definitely the worst movie you could have watched as a.
[00:43:07.970] - Camilla Love
12 year old. Yeah, definitely. Okay, last question. Describe in three words why a career in finance is awesome.
[00:43:15.830] - Deanne Stewart
Catalyst for change.
[00:43:18.350] - Camilla Love
That is fabulous. Oh, my gosh. We could do this for hours, I think. But I'm going to stop there. And thank you for all your advice today. I loved the nexus of your parents as teachers and in the job and the people that you represent today and achieving them, their superannuation outcomes. I love the fact that you're a country girl at heart that ended up in New York and has now brought your skill set into the Australian environment. I love that that you'd love to invite the Delai Lama and Trump to dinner at the same time.
[00:44:07.670] - Deanne Stewart
It's pretty.
[00:44:09.480] - Camilla Love
Crazy, hey. That's crazy. But thank you so much for your time and thoughts today. Really, really appreciated it. I hope you'll do it again. I really do.
[00:44:21.630] - Deanne Stewart
Thank you. I've so enjoyed the conversation. And thank you for your generosity, both to me, but also to so many people in the industry. You are an absolute role model. So thank you.
[00:44:32.240] - Camilla Love
Thanks. Thank you. Well, until next time, everybody, we'll see you soon. The information that is in this podcast, we.
[00:44:52.630] - Speaker 3
Always talk about finance in this podcast, but it's not financial advice. It's actually.
[00:44:57.200] - Camilla Love
Really.
[00:44:57.670] - Speaker 3
Careers advice. If you really want financial advice, I recommend that you speak to a financial planner or a broker and work out your own personal circumstances.
[00:45:07.450] - Camilla Love
With that.
[00:45:08.130] - Speaker 3
But this is all about careers advice and how finance will be a fabulous career for you.