Sponsors are a huge part of Hackagong. Without the generous contributions from our sponsors, we wouldn’t be running this awesome Hackathon! This is Sponsor Watch, where we take a quick look at one of our sponsors.

Company: Commonwealth Bank
Company Website: Commbank.com.au/careers
Location: Our head office is in Sydney, but we have offices all around the globe – in Asia, Europe, the United States and South Africa.
Number of Employees: 52,000

What does your company do?

We are Australia’s leading provider of financial services including retail, premium, business and institutional banking, funds management, superannuation, insurance, investment and share-broking products and services. The Group is one of the largest listed companies on the Australian Securities Exchange and is included in the Morgan Stanley Capital Global Index. With customers at the heart of everything we do, we’re focused on helping people and businesses move forward financially. We are driven to deliver seamless experiences, in smart, innovative ways.

A workplace of the future, our 52,000 people are able to bring their different backgrounds and unique perspectives to our collaborative environment, and are supported to share ideas, initiatives, talent and energy – making a positive impact on colleagues, customers and our business. It’s what makes CommBank a place of opportunity, where your skills can take you in unexpected directions and you can achieve great things.

How did your company first get started? What’s the origin story?

Australia’s first banks were established early in the 19th century, either as private companies or as partnerships. Government banks, created and guaranteed by colonial (later state) governments, were established to promote land settlement and rural development, and to accept savings deposits.

It was in this tradition that, in 1911 (a decade after the Australian Colonies federated), Andrew Fisher’s Labor Government decided to establish a government bank for the newly formed nation. Over the years, many State Government banks established in the 19th century were amalgamated into the Commonwealth Bank, most recently the State Bank of Victoria (1990) and, via the Colonial merger in 2000, the Rural Bank successor to the (Government) Savings Bank of NSW.

Today, we’ve grown to a business with more than 800,000 shareholders and 52,000 people working in the Commonwealth Bank Group. We are recognised as leading the industry in IT and operations, thanks to our world-class platforms and processes, agile IT infrastructure, and innovation in everything from customer payments, to internet banking and mobile apps.

Why did you sponsor Hackagong 2015?

At CommBank, our Digital and Enterprise Services teams drive the digital experience for more than 14.5 million customers across Australia and the world who rely on us for a seamless banking experience.

We are a fast growing team with the opportunity to shape the way Commonwealth Bank serves customers digitally and beyond and we’re looking for switched on, ambitious innovative thinkers to join us and help engineer the future of banking.

Has your company ever held internal hackathons?

Yes, we have held a number of hackathons over the past few years.

What is the most awesome thing or project your company has done?

We have a long and proud history of delivering innovative solutions to our customers. Take a look back at the many other ways we have been at the forefront of technological development since opening our doors in 1912 in this short video.

What are you most looking forward to at Hackagong 2015?

Seeing what the innovative and talented software engineers from UoW can build.

Are you currently hiring and if so, what type of person are you looking for?

You are an innovative thinker, happy to take the initiative, a driver of change, dedicated to creating a better experience for our customers; passionate about technology, the simplification of processes and organisational change.

We have a wide range of opportunities from software engineers and UX designers to cyber security experts and digital producers.

Hackagong and WITS thanks Commonwealth Bank for supporting our event! Without them Hackagong would not be possible.