Petrus Swemmer is a finance leader that has genuinely embraced change and innovation as an individual and in his leadership role with The University of Sydney.

With a focus on curiosity and a belief that we don’t always have the answers immediately, Petrus went on a quest with his colleagues to understand how business partnership can no longer be an intangible and “fluffy” concept, and turn it into something that can be measured, understood and embraced in all parts of finance.

For many finance professionals who default to their analytical mind, it is difficult to wrestle with the fact that business partnership may not be a strong point and that not every business person needs or wants “advice”. In fact, across many teams there is a denial or a blame the business for not seeing value in finance. It begs the question; How do you shine a light on the the things that matter in business partnership and own it?

In leading change, many of us need to believe it is possible and know how to make sense of our progress. Petrus explores this in driving a cultural and performance transformation that has presented genuinely positive change, and continues to be evolved.

In this interview, they explored:

• Why “guessing” how well we partner is a difficult starting point for changing performance.
• Exploring the dynamics of time, focus and a change of mindset through real work experiences in moving a culture.
• His research and application of “Trust and Legitimacy” in finance and business partnership.
• His personal journey for enabling change with his leadership group.

Business Partnership capability and culture is almost universally an area of finance that is not optimised, listening to Petrus’ journey acts as a fantastic learning opportunity.