Karen James is the CEO of Business for Development and one of Australia's most well-loved businesswomen. Her vast network and her support of women in the corporate and SME sectors has been a hallmark of her relentless work advocating for women during her time working as a senior executive in the Australian banking sector and her ongoing engagement with Business Chicks, a professional association for women.
Karen has an amazing professional story to tell. Her career took many turns over the years, and she has embraced change, risk, and novelty along the way. Listen as she describes her career transitions, and give tips and advice to those who are willing to embrace career change as well.
 
About our guest, Karen James: 
With a background in Systems Thinking and Engineering, Karen James (KJ) has a unique talent for unpacking complex issues with companies to determine strategic opportunities. Her work with clients has enabled them to define and bring to life their purpose, vision, and strategy, with a strong focus on execution. KJ’s strengths lie in facilitating dialogue with various stakeholders and broker partnerships between organizations to achieve shared value.
KJ started her career in providing technical solutions for the European and Asia Pacific markets. Over time this led her to work for Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), taking on responsibility for Corporate Financial Services’ strategy and operations. Given her personal commitment to changing the way businesses tackle sustainability, KJ founded CBA’s Women in Focus community, which supports women in developing their businesses, providing connections and access to the latest tools, practical guidance, and insights to guide them on their business journey.
She also worked with the bank to develop and execute strategies for Community Business Finance. She led the Vision & Leadership Program at CBA, which resulted in analyzing The Hunger Project’s strategies at tackling complex issues with McKinsey and incorporated those learnings into the bank's own strategic approaches.
In 2014 Wiley International published KJ’s book On Purpose – a business book for people who want to steer their work back on course, with purpose leading the way – and started a consulting business. Key projects include building a new FinTech business in Ireland; developing an Indigenous language revival platform for the Federal Government; and working as an advisor to the CEO of a finance company, working to change the culture.
KJ achieved her Masters in Environmental Engineering at the University of Sydney and earned her Bachelor of Science from the University of Hartford, where she studied Electrical Engineering.
 
Timestamps:
05:29 – How to lead a team during a pandemic
09:51 – Karen’s career journey
17:47 – Thanking the people who helped us in our career
20:21 – How Karen and Renata met
23:23 – Karen’s key strengths that helped her career transitions
26:09 – Poor house concept
28:41 – Living life on purpose
31:03 – Photos in Papua New Guinea
32:08 – What Karen has learned from her career transitions
36:33 – Interview process for not-for-profits
42:41 – Importance of your network
44:59 – Advice for introverts
49:06 – Advice for people in between jobs
54:42 – A bit about the NGO Business for Development

 
Links mentioned in this episode:
NGO: Business for Development
Women in Focus by CBA
Karen‘s book: On Purpose: Why great leaders start with the PLOT, by Karen James
Glennon Doyle’s book Untamed
Download a transcript of this episode

 
People mentioned in this episode:
Melissa Browne
Wendy McCarthy
Professor Muhammad Yunus
Olivia Ruello

 
About your host:
Hello, I'm Renata Bernarde, the Host of The Job Hunting Podcast. I'm also an executive coach, job hunting expert, and career strategist. I teach corporate, non-profit, and public professionals the steps and frameworks to help them find great jobs, change, and advance their careers with confidence and less stress. 
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