Meet Manila’s ‘number one’ employee

There are not too many people at ANZ who can lay claim to being ‘employee number one.’

But Charmein Katrina “Khay” Capapas, a KYC Lead for CSO in Manila, happily holds the title (well, almost!).

Khay was one of the very first staff members to be onboarded when the bank opened its regional operations hub in Manila, Philippines in 2010.

She was employed as a Senior Analyst alongside nine others as part of a pilot program.

The group of 10 have remained close friends ever since.

“These people are like my second family. They are godmothers and godfathers to my daughter. It’s very special,” says Khay.

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After working for a local company in Manila, Khay made the leap to ANZ, a move that felt daunting at first.

‘Of course moving from a local company to a global company like ANZ… I was scared,” she admits.

“But then I saw so many learning opportunities, and a culture of being equal. There was so much support,” says Khay.

Over her 15-year journey, Khay has held upwards of ten different roles, from an individual contributor to people leader, within Retail, Commercial, and Institutional, to managing large teams and coaching emerging leaders across regions.

“You have new opportunities, and you continue to grow. It’s never boring because you learn and explore new things and face new challenges along the way.”

As a foundation staff member in Manila, Khay says the reason she’s stayed at ANZ is all about culture.

“It’s not just a tag line. It doesn’t matter who I’m working with, whether it’s someone in Bengaluru, Melbourne or Sydney. I believe in our good culture and values.”

Khay is also grateful that her experience managing a team has helped her away from work, in her service to local Christian business community.

Oh, and remember Khay’s close group of 10 who were onboarded together? One turned out to be her future husband! The couple share a beautiful daughter together; nine-year-old Sabrina.

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Alicia Muling is Senior Writer at ANZ