When Hue Nguyen found she was stagnating in her work, she went looking for a new challenge.
“At my previous roles – prior to Northern Trust – I was never sufficiently challenged. The markets I was dealing with were domestic (Australia only) and only engaged with a limited number of partners locally.”
And in June 2014 she found the career refresh she was looking for, and so much more at Northern Trust (NT). They opened a world of opportunities for her, both literally and figuratively.
1. The global opportunities
In the very literal sense, NT’s international reach has given Hue’s career the global opportunities to keep her excited about her work.
“I had never worked for a global company like Northern Trust before so saw it as a great opportunity.
“NT has enabled me to engage with clients, partners, and custodians globally. It has been an ideal environment for me to continually be challenged, grow and progress to become a people manager.”
“In 2019 I had the opportunity to travel overseas for work for the first time in my career. Firstly, in August to Bangalore to complete a leadership development course. In October, I was in Manila to lead and train the migration of particular corporate actions tasks from Melbourne to Manila.”
2. The chance to lead
Her career at Northern Trust has also offered Hue the chance to grow, and flourish, as a leader. In the eight years since joining Northern Trust, Hue has gone from being an Analyst, worked through the roles of Senior Analyst and Technical Coordinator, and for the last four and half years as Team Leader.
“I have been promoted on numerous occasions within the corporate actions space, allowing me to be a team leader today. As team leader, I have been exposed to nearly everything including managing my team, new client onboarding, strategic planning, projects in relation to system enhancements, recruitment.”
As she progresses personally, Hue continues to seek new challenges and growth. She’s been dedicated to testing the limits and definitions of leadership, to ensure she is not only holding and directing her team, ensuring it reaches the company’s goals, but also allows the individuals within it to thrive and grow.
Northern Trust has several Employee Resource Groups that help foster the values of inclusion throughout the business.
Working for Northern Trust has allowed Hue to take a wide view on leadership, taking in both the direct needs of a leader to take control and make decisions, as well as ensuring her team is not left out of the process.
“The main thing I’ve learned is to take a bigger picture approach and develop my team by letting them think and complete the work themselves,” she says.
“Previously, I would always do the work myself, but I now understand the importance as a team leader to provide guidance and delegate.”
In doing that, she says, “I always encourage my team to work together and to communicate with one another to increase productivity and engagement.”
“As a result, I think I am able to guide my team to ensure maximum client satisfaction and minimal exposure to risks, including financial and reputational.”
“My ability to adapt to change is also helpful in my role, managing new clients and custodians onboarding and continuous new processes and procedures.”
3. The chance to be authentic
“I’m open minded, a free spirit and always happy to try something new in my personal and professional life. I’d say I like to work hard but prioritize living a balanced life.”
“I love traveling, socializing with family and friends, going to the footy (any type of event really) and watching YouTube videos and listening to podcasts to enhance my self-development and career.”
Her commitment to her personal journey has clearly allowed her to keep returning to her own values and experiences as she negotiates her role, leading her team and navigating her professional networks.
It’s a delicate dynamic that can never be right every time. She admits, “I’m a bit of a perfectionist as well, and don’t like to make too many errors but accept that’s part of life.”
A commitment to balance allows for a group dynamic that clearly puts Hue into the upper levels of management and leadership.
The secret, says Hue, is in knowing where the team starts and the individual stops and in ensuring those two factors can work together to achieve best outcomes.
“I work with an amazing group of people with all different types of personalities from introverts to the more outgoing, from the planner to the more spontaneous, from the more intuitive to those that rely more on facts.
“I appreciate them all as they give something different to the team and the sum of them is greater than the parts.”
