Our people
28 May 2024
When Meg Woods joined Macquarie’s Graduate Program in Banking and Financial Services, Senior Vendor Manager Shalini Sushanth was assigned as her official buddy. Shalini not only supported and mentored Meg over her first year with Macquarie, but the two grew a friendship that has been mutually beneficial, both professionally and personally.
In 2023, Meg Woods joined Macquarie’s Graduate Program in Banking and Financial Services (BFS). As part of the program’s support and mentoring arrangements, she was connected with a buddy, teammate and Senior Vendor Manager, Shalini Sushanth.
“A new job is always scary, but if you are straight out of university, starting a new career, it can be overwhelming,” Meg says.
“I didn’t expect the level of support that I ended up receiving from my buddy, to help me with my transition to full-time work. It’s been incredible.”
In return, her buddy, Shalini, says she also gained a lot from the experience, both personally and professionally.
“Macquarie has a great culture of support, and the buddy program is part of that,” she explains.
Meg says she was fortunate to be familiar with Macquarie, having already completed the Summer Internship in 2021/2022. At the time, she was studying for a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance and Economics.
“Friends raved about Macquarie’s culture,” she explains.
Meg’s manager invited her to stay on part-time while she completed the last six months of her degree, and she was also offered a place on the Graduate Program.
During my three-month internship, I felt people wanted me to stay and were teaching me for the future—Macquarie wanted to invest time and effort into me.”
Meg says she was excited but also needed to consider her long-standing plans to travel.
“My manager and Division Director were very supportive of me taking a short career break to attend language school and work as an au pair in France,” she says.
Meg says she has enjoyed a supportive, welcoming relationship with her buddy, Shalini, right from day one.
“Shalini was always happy to answer any impromptu questions I had, from trivial and everyday questions to more complex, long-term career questions,” Meg explains. “That personal learning experience is unmatched.”
While Meg also valued monthly check-ins with her career manager, she says her buddy has been able to deliver a different type of support.
“It’s more informal,” Meg explains. “For me, the buddy relationship is more of a mentorship.”
Meg says she’s been fortunate to be able to use Shalini as a role model and has gained knowledge, encouragement and confidence.
“It’s inspirational to have someone in the same industry to look up to and use as a sounding board,” she says.
“It has been important – for both my personal and career development.”
Shalini encouraged Meg to take advantage of Macquarie’s Employee Network Groups, and she has since become involved in fundraising for charity through the Giving network, which works closely with Macquarie Group Foundation to promote engagement with fundraising and volunteering opportunities. She has also participated in a swimming carnival and run club through the Wellbeing network and has attended Toastmasters as well as Women in BFS networking events.
“Macquarie’s employee network groups create a unique culture that in many ways parallels that supportive, inclusive relationship I have benefited from with my buddy”.
Meg also believes that the buddy relationship works both ways, with her questions contributing to Shalini seeing her own work in a new light.
Meg’s buddy, Shalini Sushanth, had five years’ experience working across telecoms and financial services companies in her home country of India before she moved to Australia to complete an MBA in 2009. She worked in debt resolution before discovering a niche in financial services supplier management, joining Macquarie’s Vendor Management team in BFS in 2021.
“I was looking for a growth opportunity,” Shalini says.
A year into her journey with Macquarie, Shalini expressed a desire to get involved in mentoring and training, to share her 20 years’ experience. She was invited to become part of the graduate buddy program.
“I received great support when I joined Macquarie, so to be able to help someone else and pay it forward was meaningful and rewarding”.
Shalini was matched with Meg and drew inspiration from her own experiences.
“Sometimes when people are starting a career, they don’t ask questions because they fear looking silly or think they should already know it,” Shalini says. “Meg is strong and confident, but I wanted to be someone she could lean on for support.”
“The whole idea of the Graduate Program is to gain a fresh perspective on how we do things,” Shalini says. “And being a buddy is all about providing pointers but not stifling someone from coming up with their own ideas”.
Shalini says her role as a buddy goes beyond the work itself. She’s discussed a range of topics – from practicalities like LinkedIn profiles to networking, making introductions, and even helping Meg approach a big presentation.
“When you are starting your career, you don’t always know what path you are going to end up on, longer term, so I wanted to make sure she got exposure to different teams and stakeholders so she could form connections and find out where her interest lies,” Shalini says.
Having a buddy is a real benefit of the Graduate Program because a buddy focuses on the individual, making them comfortable in the new environment.”
Shalini found the experience of being a buddy very fulfilling and has grown a friendship with Meg where they still catch up and have met each other’s friends, family and even pets.
“I don’t think it ever really ends if you form a bond,” Shalini says.
Shalini says being a buddy changed her perspective and connected her back to how different people work. As a result, she decided to become a buddy again this year.
“I want to make sure any graduate feels supported to come and ask for a coffee and bounce off ideas,” Shalini says. “I really enjoy the opportunity to work with people from different backgrounds and help them find something in the Graduate Program that they are excited about and can work towards.”
More than a year after joining the two-year BFS Graduate Program, Meg is experiencing the second of three rotations, taking on a business management role within Central Operations (COO).
“I’m seeing a different side of how BFS operates,” she explains.
“When you finish university, you don’t know your forever job. But the Macquarie Graduate Program allows you to experience a range of opportunities, meet different people and learn more about the organisation,” Meg says.
“Thanks to the mobility at Macquarie, my career here could take a number of directions in the future,” she explains. “But wherever I am, I would like to maintain that relationship with my buddy - I think we will always be in touch.”
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