On-demand COO, General Management, Sales & Distribution, Transformation
+61 459 811 148
Stephen.Dargan@LeadersOnDemand.com
A diverse & inclusive customer centric driven transformational leader with over 30 years leadership experience spanning Australia and Europe. Stephen world class cultural transformation solutions that will embed strong principles, systems and ideal behaviours that will drive sustainable results.
Stephen has a strong track record in transforming business cultures that drive sustainable growth and customer experiences. The strong principle-based strategies he deploys enable businesses to create systems that ultimately drive ideal behaviours and outcomes for customers, stakeholders, and shareholders.
Stephen has built, developed and led high performing teams across Financial Services, Retail Banking, Business and Commercial Banking, Asset Finance and more recently in Mining.
Stephen is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is a qualified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt through Cardiff University.
Career History
Stephen began his career in Ireland working for one of Irelands top financial institutions. During his tenure, he developed several business units (Motor Finance, Marine Finance, Aviation Finance) from start-ups to top 3 in the Irish market.
In 2010, post GFC, Stephen made the decision to move to Australia along with his wife and children. Stephen took up several positions in the Commonwealth bank group. Notably, between 2010 and 2013, Stephen was responsible for setting up Bankwest’s Business Broker division the Small Business Division and led Bankwest’s productivity strategy where he was accountable for rolling out Bankwest’s continuous improvement operating system.
In 2017, Stephen was on the design team for Bankwest’s new operating model. This model was shifting a functional waterfall enterprise into an agile, faster paced delivery model. Stephen became the General manager of Sustainable change across Bankwest where he was accountable for the design, control, delivery and absorption of all change and communications across the organisation.
In 2019, Stephen took over accountability for transforming Bankwest’s engine room, their Contact Centres in Perth & Sydney. Stephen brough an average performing business to global best in class within his 3-year tenure. Growing NPS by 315%, reducing unplanned sick leave, colleague attrition and growing colleague engagement. Stephen and the team brough this division to the highest standards of operational excellence globally as measured by the Shingo Institute, Utah.
In 2022, Stephen left Bankwest to set up his own consultancy with the sole purpose of assisting businesses transform their cultures and operating performances. In October 2022, he was asked by BHP to assist them in coaching their senior leadership teams in the roll out of the new BHP operating system.
Leadership Highlights
National Director for Bank of Scotland (Ireland) Motor Finance Division
National head of Asset Finance for Bank of Scotland Asset Finance Division
National Head of Sales Performance – Bankwest Business Division
State Manager – Bankwest Business Broker Division
Bankwest Head of Productivity
General Manager – Bankwest Sustainable Change Division
Transformed many business units to achieve sustainable outcomes
Improved key processes across Bankwest that delivered sizeable benefits for the organisation.
As Head of Bankwest Contact Centres, transformed business unit to global best in class. Winning many awards along this journey – Asia Pacific Contact Centre of the year 2020, Asia Pacific CX transformation of the year 2020, Leader of Leaders award for WA in 2020, Western Australia Contact Centre of the year award 2019/2020
Qualifications
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (Cardiff University) Graduate of Australian Institute of Company Directors Dennison Miller EGM/GM Commonwealth Bank
Sectors
Automotive, Retail Banking, Business Banking, Operations, Sales and Marketing, Mining
Functions
General management, Operations, Sales, Distribution
Situations
Cultural Transformations, Enterprise-wide transformation, Leadership, Operations Transformations, Process Improvements
Favourite quotes
“Never blame people, blame process” W. Edwards Deming
“Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of, that do the things no one can imagine” Alan Turing
“I joined Leaders on Demand...
... because my passion and purpose are to see the true potential in everyone. To connect, design, deliver and enable businesses create continuous improvement systems and behaviours that will underpin sustainable customer and shareholder outcomes. Leaders on Demand will enable me to fulfil my purpose whilst also addressing customer needs.”
“When I'm not at work...
... you’ll find me spending quality time with my wife and 3 sons or at the local gym 6 mornings a week trying to keep the mind and body in tune. You will also see me walk the many fairways of Perth, reliving my youth as an ex-international golfer and wondering, what if?”