Sibos 25: a STAR from France (and back again)

It’s a long way from Lyon, France, to Melbourne, Australia. And even longer back to Paris.

That’s the path ANZ’s Sibos 2025 STAR scholarship recipient, Aurelie Gobber, has traced in her career journey at ANZ – with a few other stops along the way.

Speaking to bluenotes from Paris, Aurelie says that international experience has “definitely” given her an advantage when it comes to helping clients manage the increasingly global nature of modern commerce.

“I think what really helps is the network you build over the years,” she says. “You get sometimes into situations where clients will ask you about a specific need in a specific market. It really helps to know who to contact.”

Being able to draw feedback from across her broad network helps her find the right answers quickly, Aurelie says.

“I think the network I’ve built working in different geographies, and different business units, has given me a better understanding of how the bank works.”

Aurelie’s journey is one that reflects the breadth of ANZ’s own network which has a presence in 29 markets including Hong Kong, Singapore, the United States, and Europe.

{Image 1}

Aurelie as an ANZ Grad

“As a corporate coverage banker, I work very closely with my colleagues across Asia, Australia and New Zealand,” she says. “Our branch in Paris supports the growth of our clients based across Europe. I’m the key contact with head office.”

Aurelie works with large multinational clients, helping provide them with loans or market products, and linking them with other ANZ specialists across the bank’s network.

Think twice

In late September, Aurelie will travel to Germany, where she’ll form part of ANZ’s delegation at the 2025 Sibos financial services conference. The event is a critical one on the bank’s calendar, providing an opportunity to meet customers, partners and peers at the world’s premier financial services conference.

The four-day event sets the agenda for the industry, and attracts thousands every year from across the banking and regulatory sphere globally.

This year, Aurelie is one recipient of the Sibos Talent Accelerator Route, or STAR, scholarship, which “recognises individuals who’ve made an outstanding contribution to their organisation”, according to Sibos, and promotes diversity in the financial services space. Her experience will be unique, meeting with senior industry leaders and enjoying development opportunities.

It’s Aurelie’s first time at the event, one she admits she’s “excited for” — although she does concede it will be a demanding, yet productive, week. She won’t be alone – ANZ will send a team of bankers to Sibos, all of whom will attend between eight and 12 meetings a day across the week.

“It's definitely a big event for the industry so having the opportunity, especially in my area of the business, is great,” she says. “When I received a notification I had the opportunity, if I was interested to go, I did not think twice about it.”

The learning opportunity around themes of digitising and payments will be “useful for me when I talk to my clients,” Aurelie says, as well as “discussion we have with the other banks.”

“I expect it to be an intense week,” she says.

By happenstance, Frankfurt, the Sibos 2025 host city, is the location of another ANZ branch — one which Aurelie connects with regularly.

“Hopefully I can pop in and speak to my colleagues while I'm there,” she says.

Growing up in Lyon, Aurelie studied in the United States, before joining ANZ in Melbourne 2008. There she took part in ANZ’s success-incubating graduate program, working under the now-retired Esanda brand. Aurelie has worked in a number of divisions since, spending time in Fiji and London before joining ANZ’s Paris branch a few years ago.

Less siloed

Aurelie’s advice for those starting out in banking is to embrace a variety of professional experiences.

“It's great to specialise,” she says. “But it's also quite useful to have experience in different parts of businesses, in different places.

“You think about things differently, and you’re less siloed in your approach. You look at it, maybe, in a more collaborative way.”

Shane White is Editor at ANZ Institutional Insights