Empowering Tonga’s growth

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Picture of David Dudley, Country Head, Tonga, ANZ

I was up bright and early at sunrise.

My neighbours have two roosters. Every morning, they fly into our yard very early and wake the whole neighbourhood. 

I don’t bother setting my alarm anymore as these roosters cackling at the break of astronomical dawn is sufficient to wake anything with a heartbeat. 

Following the morning chorus, I stopped by my favourite local coffee shop, Coffee Post, to grab a tea and sandwich. Then I made my way to the Ma’ufanga Head Office at 7:30am.

Mondays are full on, starting with my Leadership Team meeting, where we discuss any issues and business unit updates, review activities over the weekend and plan for the week.

It was also the last day of the financial year which was a great opportunity to reflect on our achievements of the year. 

What was most important in our planning meeting this week was preparing for internal audit which will be undertaken in Tonga later in the year.

Also of importance was the recently approved Tonga Power Ltd. financing to support their move to renewable energy generation. This is a large deal for ANZ Tonga and an excellent demonstration of our value in the region.   

Wellbeing is important in our team, so we also check in on everyone. I find Tonga is such a beautiful place to work we don’t want to forget that people can still struggle amid such idyllic surroundings.

So, I make it priority to focus on wellbeing and see if anyone requires support.

Tuesday

Another busy day with the start of Pinktober and Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

This is something close to my heart from personal experience with a very close family member.

I attended an official launch alongside the High Commissioners of the diplomatic community here in Tonga, key business representatives and members of the Government of Tonga.

The chief guest was the Minister of Health, Dr Siale Akau’ola, and he focussed on the theme ‘Early Detection Saves Lives’.

Pinktober is an important event in our calendar. ANZ Tonga has played a significant role in raising awareness and providing support to the Tonga Breast Cancer Society for many years. Every October we have various fundraising activities where all staff participate.

Last year, we raised TOP$8,000 for the Tonga Cancer Society.

In the afternoon we had an operations meeting to discuss property-related matters and where improvements can be made. This was also an opportunity to discuss how we can be pro-active in providing a safe and secure environment for our staff and customers while ensuring we’re complying with the bank’s risk requirements.

The day ended with some site visits with a local project engineer who is managing large-scale construction projects in Tonga, including the new US$5 million FIFA stadium complex being built in Tonga.

This is a significant infrastructure project for Tonga and it was great to visit and see the progress being made.

It has been underway for two years now. Last year FIFA President Mr Gianni Infantino was in Tonga to check progress, and meet Tonga’s Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku in Nuku’alofa.

Visits like this are one of the aspects of my job that I love the most!

Regular site visits and consistent customer engagement are key to understanding our customers lived realities and how we can enhance our support for their growth.

Wednesday

Wednesday was an office day with some team sessions in the morning to discuss a few commercial files and financing requests. We also conducted some audit meetings with key stakeholders including the Audit Director.

I spent some time in our Nuku’alofa Branch connecting with the team and meeting customers. Our retail team do a fantastic job as the face of ANZ, faithfully serving our customers and maintaining relationships. I always emphasise to our team the reason we exist as a bank is our customers.

In the afternoon, I attended an ANZ Family Violence Training session for our senior leaders. We are constantly learning and this was an opportunity to better understand the issue and how to support people affected. I found this session informative and an eye-opener.

Thursday

I attended various internal meetings relating to our commercial business and had a call with our Country Head for Fiji, Rabih Yazbek. I look forward to our candid discussions and feedback to share learnings and leverage our leadership styles.

I had lunch with the British High Commissioner, HE Philip Malone, and their Pacific Economist Olivia Goldin. Sometimes I feel more like an economist than a banker!

Most visitors to Tonga from embassies and groups including the International Monetary Fund, the Asian Development Bank and World Bank usually arrange a meeting with me to get an understanding of the Tongan economy and to share our experiences, particularly the challenges and opportunities.

The afternoon was skip line meetings with our retail team. It’s a good opportunity to understand the team, what motivates them and how we can support them more.

The day ended with our staff Townhall, where I covered our performance for the 2024 financial year, our financial plan and our ANZ scorecard which shows how we’re tracking against our goals and priorities.  We also discussed what winning in the Pacific is all about.

Friday

To end the week, we had our leadership team planning session, focusing on the 2025 financial year. Each leader presented their priorities for the coming year.

It was a great opportunity to get everyone together to hear about their plans and have open discussions about any ideas or issues. I have an awesome team and really enjoy these sessions with them.

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Picture of ANZ Tonga team

Of course, we enjoyed a nice lunch after the session.

Then it was off to the branch to support our retail team and their sausage sizzles in support of Pinktober, our fundraising activity for the Tonga Breast Cancer Society.

My day ended with a sit down with our Asset Management Unit Manager to review the current portfolio, strategies and milestones. This team has done exceptional work in derisking our portfolio.

I personally cherish having visitors in Tonga and my wonderful in-laws are spending two weeks with us. I look forward to being their tour guide over the weekend.

One of Tonga’s most famous monuments is the Ha’amonga ‘a Maui, a six-metre tall trilithon which holds cultural significance. It is thought to have been erected around the year 1200!

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Picture of Tonga monument, Ha’amonga ‘a Maui

David Dudley is Country Head, Tonga at ANZ