Title: Strategy Associate

Department: Finance

Joined TAL: February 2022

I love working at TAL because we play an important role in protecting Australians’ quality of life. During university, my internships helped shape my career interests. One was in a pharmaceutical company, where I saw the tangible benefits of my work, and another in financial services, where I enjoyed city life and dealing with complex numbers. The TAL graduate program gave me the opportunity to blend of these experiences and use the skills I’d learned.

I also didn’t want to get pigeonholed too early, so the TAL graduate program has been a great way to explore different areas. Over the two-year program, I did four rotations across different finance teams. I then was offered an ongoing, full-time role working across strategy and M&A.

My role as a Strategy Associate helped me build out my skill set beyond finance and accounting. It’s been a fantastic opportunity to both develop my breadth on the broader business context, while also building a deeper skill set in business strategy. I’m learning from some of the brightest minds in the industry, while helping to shape how we support Australians through tough times.

For example, a big highlight was working on the board strategy day—something I never expected so early in my career. I was given the encouragement to develop this work independently and collaborate with senior executives, which was a brilliant learning opportunity. It’s powerful to know my work in the strategy team is helping Australians live a life filled with choices and options—no matter what happens.

This work also showed me that you can gain a lot just by being curious. TAL has plenty of industry experts with deep knowledge, and everyone is willing to help you. A casual conversation to learn more about an area and career paths can open a lot of doors. A recent example of this for me was how my new role as a Quantitative Analyst came about. By taking part in a project outside my usual BAU role, the connections I made opened the door to my exciting new role as a Quantitative Analyst in the Investments team.

TAL brings its commitment to helping Australians to life in other ways, too. I’ve recently been accepted into the Army Reserves, and TAL has been so supportive of my desire to serve my country. I’m being given the flexibility I need to meet my service requirements, alongside the responsibilities of my role.

In addition to training within the graduate program, TAL has also paid for me to do both my Chartered Accountant (CA) qualification and my Chartered Financial Analyst qualification (CFA), while also providing paid study leave. I was also able to go on a work trip to Japan, learning more about our parent company and how TAL fits into a broader international business, which was an incredible opportunity.

Working on a comprehensive strategic plan for the board felt like swimming in the deep end, but I was given the support and trust to succeed.

Interested in applying?