Life in Samoa

Sucharu Tandon became the Country Head of ANZ Samoa in mid-2023. Sucharu is responsible for overseeing ANZ Samoa banking operations that includes Retail, Commercial, Markets, Payments and Enablement functions.

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Monday

Monday starts early with a group, “The Samoa La’a La’a” (meaning walk or stroll), for a walk and banter around the sea wall in Apia at 5.30am.

I grew up in India before migrating to Australia but everyone else in the group is from Samoa and they all have diverse backgrounds.

This is a special time for me talking to this very worldly group. Aside from giving me – a newcomer to the country – a sense of community, it also allows me to learn so much through the conversations and good company.

By 7 am, I’m usually in our Beach Road office – overlooking the government building and Matagialalua Friendship Park on Apia Harbour, which is only a short five-minute drive from home.

Luckily my favourite Apia coffee shops – Milani Café and Cakes, Coffee Roasters, Nourish Café – are all near the office.

Typically, I get an hour before team members start arriving and it gives me the opportunity to think and prepare for the day. It also gives me a chance to go and say “manuia le aso (have a nice day)” to our staff before the day begins.

A habit I have developed in this role is to start my day responding to customer emails which have come in overnight. It surprises me still that people who I have not met, find my email and I get satisfaction from responding to all customer emails as soon as I can. 

At 8.45am every Monday the Samoa Tautai (Leadership team) has a stand-up discussing key things happening in the week, how we can support each other and also reflect on what we learned in the previous week.

This Monday I have a four-hour ANZ Samoa Board meeting.

ANZ Samoa has a local board with five directors, including two independent directors. Many of the prudential standards which ANZ Samoa adheres to, are like the requirements from our Australian prudential regulators. This includes company governance requirements for an ANZ Group Subsidiary like us.

At today’s meeting we are finalising our Financial Statements – following a KPMG Audit - to issue our annual report as per the Central bank of Samoa requirements.

Tuesday

In the morning, I am leading a steering committee for programs aimed at improving our proposition and service.

This is a great opportunity to be involved in a Pacific wide initiative, and leverage some of the experience gained from working on similar projects during my time in Australia. The Pacific is unique as ANZ has a retail presence here. We continue to focus on improving the digital banking experience for our customers and due to our leading position in the Pacific we are often able to bring some of our learnings and opportunities ahead of our competitors. Being able to connect the dots between Pacific, New Zealand and Australia to create better outcomes for our customers is something I enjoy a lot.

Later in the day, I attend ANZ’s Pacific Leadership Meeting.

Most of the Leadership Team members are based in different countries so this is a good opportunity to connect.

In the afternoon, I dialed into the Pacific Credit & Market Risk committee meeting which provides valuable insights for the region and creates a platform for all Country Heads to learn from each other.

As the work-day ends, we have a walk around the sea wall in Apia.

As part of our Health and Wellbeing agenda, we have rolled out Tuesday walks around the seawall where all team members are welcome to join.

Samoan culture is focused on food…so we are aiming to embed exercise as part of our “healthy habits” agenda.

Let’s just say that the attendance on these walks is growing.

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In the evening, I attended the farewell event for the Japanese Ambassador to Samoa.

ANZ Samoa has strong relationships with Samoa’s development partners, Japan being one of them.

Our connection is even more meaningful given ANZ’s presence in Japan and our ability to connect Samoa and Japan through payments, trade, and capital flows.

Samoa is a small community so typically when I attend these events, many of our customers are also there, and it is a good opportunity to chat to them.

Wednesday

I am grateful for the opportunities my position in Samoa brings, and Wednesday starts with one such opportunity.

In the morning, I attend a community consultation on barriers to increased adoption of solar energy in Samoa.

Samoa currently generates electricity through a combination of fossil fuel, wind, hydro and solar, with some estimates indicating over half of the electricity is produced via renewables.

While there has been good progress, there is still more to do – and as a bank we play a key role in facilitating the transition to more renewables.

As one of the major banks in the region, ANZ often engages with the government as well as organisations including the United Nations, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and others.

Often when such consultations occur, they cover a vast range of topics so, to prepare for these meetings it is key to reach out to experts within ANZ. I see this contribution – from people within ANZ’s vast footprint – as an important element of living our purpose and helping Samoa progress.

Later in the day, I take part in a workshop where we are discussing financing options for a new business customer. I also joined the team on a customer visit, to discuss how the relationship is going, and explore how we could support them further. Samoan customers are very hospitable and often in these meetings I get to meet the entire aiga (family) and witness firsthand the passion they have for their business and the pride in banking with ANZ.

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Samoan culture has many parallels with the Indian culture I grew up with, with a strong emphasis on family values, community bonds, and rich traditions that are passed down through generations. For example, in Samoa, the concept of 'aiga' (family) is central to social structure, much like the importance of 'parivaar' in India. Both cultures value hospitality ('afio mai' in Samoan and 'swagat' in Hindi).

Thursday

Thursday is our monthly 90-minute Tautai meeting in which each department shares their wins, and priorities.

We have eight business units and on a day-to-day basis, everyone is busy running their business, so coming together to create visibility on what is happening across the bank and for our Tautai members to be across this, helps in creating alignment. This meeting also focuses on debriefing from the ANZ Samoa Board meeting and the Pacific Leadership Meeting. I am lucky to have a resilient team with much experience – so conversations are insightful and constructive.

The day also includes catching up with talent and culture. ANZ Samoa has high tenure staff which is a great competitive advantage for us. But with significant change happening around us (both in customer needs and how we deliver on those needs), we need to keep investing in our people and think about how we continue to attract top talent to join the bank.

Later in the day, I took time to review our Assets and Liability Committee pack for next week’s meeting. In this forum we are responsible for the oversight and strategic management of the country balance sheet, liquidity and funding positions and capital management activities.

I also do a wellbeing check-in with some staff, which I typically do once or twice a week. This is a good way to know what’s on their mind and how I can help, and reinforce our team motto of “One Team, One Dream”. 

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Friday

I start the day catching up with a New Zealand customer who is starting a new business in Samoa.

Given our home markets of Australia and New Zealand, many customers setting up businesses in Samoa want to bank with ANZ as we are the ‘known’ bank for them.

In the afternoon, I met with the UK High Commissioner to debrief on the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in Samoa last year. I also shared my reflections from the roundtable discussion on Unlocking Green Investment at the Commonwealth Business Forum, which I participated in.

CHOGM was attended by HRH King Charles and leaders from 56 nations. This was a significant moment for the British High Commissioner in Samoa and will hopefully create new opportunities through increased visibility across the Commonwealth.

Together with our Customer and Community Experience Manager, we met with the Samoan Women in Business group. We recently delivered MoneyMinded training which aims at empowering farmers to improve their financial wellbeing.

We are keen to strengthen this partnership and run this session regularly across both islands.

On Friday afternoon I attend the opening of Vailima brewery along with the relationship manager and Head of Commercial.

It was great to hear firsthand how meaningful this was not just for the business owners, but for Samoa.

Saturday

When my appointment was announced, a couple of friends within ANZ reached out and connected me to their family in Samoa. That has been amazing and has allowed me to build a network outside of day-to-day work.

On the weekend, I would typically go out to eat, especially when my wife Maree is in Samoa.

Favorites for dinner include Bistro, Paddles, and Giordano's Pizzeria Samoa.

Many of the places we go are owned by our customers, so you end up seeing them and chatting to them, experiencing their products and services.

Whenever I muster the courage, I attempt the Mt Vaea trek on weekends. This popular walking trail in Apia leads to Robert Louis Stevenson’s tomb and offers stunning views of Samoa’s capital city. The terrain is quite steep and never seems to get any easier. While some of my colleagues can complete the trail in 15-20 minutes, it often takes me twice as long!

Sometimes I take a 40-minute drive to O Le Pupu-Pue Coastal Walk / Lava Field Coastal Walkway. The trail is through a forest which leads to beautiful lava fields. Although the trail follows the edge of the cliffs, for most of the walk you can hear the ocean – but you can’t see it, until you reach the viewpoints and lava fields.

Fishing is amazing in Samoa but unfortunately, I get seasick, so I have not been able to enjoy that aspect of Samoa!

Sucharu Tandon is Country Head, Samoa ANZ