A trailblazer in corporate social responsibility

Currently CEO at Future Generation Australia, Caroline Gurney has held senior roles at UBS and Citibank and has worked in London, across Asia-Pacific and Australia during her career. She is a member of the Centennial Parklands Foundation, an ambassador for the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation (AIEF), a director of Our Watch, an organisation focused on preventing violence against women and children and set up and was a director of the UBS Australia Foundation.

Caroline has also previously served as a director of Future Generation Australia, a member of Ascham School Council and as a Council Member of Chief Executive Women, which she is currently an active member. Caroline is this weeks Pro Bono Australia change maker!

Describe your career trajectory and how you got to your current position.

My first career break came when I was 24; I was made partner at Lansons Communications, the top financial marketing agency in the UK. 

But then I met my husband, an Australian, and, like all Aussies in London, he wanted to return home. So, we met half-way – both literally and figuratively – and ended up in Asia. There, I took on the role of Vice President at Citigroup, with marketing and communications responsibility for Private Banking, Asset Management and the Retail Bank.

In 2003, having turned down a job in New York in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, I was offered a role in Sydney by UBS. My husband was ecstatic! Over time, I became UBS’s Asia Pacific and Australian Head of Corporate Affairs, Marketing and Corporate Responsibility. In that role, I set up and became a director of the UBS Foundation and also took on several external roles, including board director of Our Watch (an organisation focused on preventing violence against women and children), a Council Member of Chief Executive Women, and a director of Future Generation Australia.

Three years after joining the board of Future Generation Australia, its founder, Geoff Wilson, asked me to be the Chief Executive. It was a big decision to leave UBS after almost two decades, but I haven’t looked back.

Take us through a typical day of work for you.

The success of Future Generation relies on the engagement of so many stakeholders: the shareholders who own the company; the fund managers who manage shareholder capital pro bono; our not-for-profit partners who work to improve the lives of young Australians; and all the service providers who don’t charge us any fees.

I am constantly checking in with them – either by travelling to see them or via phone or email. 

A huge part of my job involves raising awareness about Future Generation. It is such a win:win:win model, but sadly, there are still too many people who have never heard of it. My team and I are always trying to raise the group’s profile – through roadshows, webinars, traditional media, social media, videos, podcasts and events. A lot of my time is spent planning for – and producing – those. I also meet regularly with financial planners and brokers to educate them on the Future Generation model.

What all this means is that there really is no such thing as a typical day, which is one of the reasons why I love this job so much!

What is the biggest challenge you’ve encountered in your career, and how did you overcome it?

Convincing investment bankers that we had a social responsibility to the people we work with and the communities in which we live! 

On the back of that, we set up the UBS Foundation, which was a founding funder in both Nura Gili, the centre for Indigenous programs at the University of New South Wales, and Story Factory, which teaches creative writing to children in under-resourced communities in Sydney.

If you could go back in time, what piece of advice would you give yourself as you first embarked on your career?

Can I give two pieces?

The first is not to sit on decisions for too long. Be a person of action. When people offer you something, say yes and seize the opportunity.

The second is to ask questions. Continuously. Someone once said to me, “He who asks is a fool for five minutes; he who never asks is a fool for life” – and I’ve always followed that advice. Speaking of advice, ask for that too. You’d be surprised at how many people want to help!

How do you unwind after work?

I try to walk home so that I can take the time to breathe before I get back to my husband and kids. 

And, whenever I get the opportunity, I go horse riding. I find that galloping hell for leather really clears my mind because there is only one thing I can concentrate on: staying on!