Soraya Alali, Commonwealth Bank of Australia

Meet Soraya Alali, General Manager, Digital & Transformation Business and Institutional at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, winner of the WiBF Award for Achievement in Small Business Banking and lover of Latin dance!

Soraya Alali is the General Manager, Digital & Transformation Business and Institutional at Commonwealth Bank of Australia. In this role she has “the opportunity to reimagine leading customer and employee experiences supporting businesses of all sizes to prosper and thrive through the use of digital and technology solutions.”

Soraya attended WiBF’s 2022 Award Celebrations at the Ivy Ballroom in Sydney, she shares that she “was so grateful to be nominated and interact with such strong and talented female colleagues. To win was the cherry on the cake, the talent and the stories on the stage and around the table were very empowering.” Soraya went on to say that she feels “incredibly honoured by this industry recognition and proud that we are making immediate impact to our customers. It’s also an acknowledgement of the critical role customer centric design and digital leadership plays in the future of Banking and Australian Businesses.” Adding that “the recognition, support and such warm wishes have made this a beautiful experience. It’s humbling as a leader in this industry and a reminder of the impact we can all make when there is passion and purpose.”

When asked about what advice she could give to others growing their career in the banking and finance sector, Soraya shared that her “tips for other woman is know yourself and believe in yourself, give opportunities a go as you never know where it will lead you, be curious and make sure to lift other woman up with you as you travel along your career.” A powerful message that resonates with many. Soraya added that it was through her own experience in believing in herself that gave her the courage to go after those impossible opportunities. “I leap frogged opportunities and this allowed me to be more courageous and comfortable with being in uncomfortable positions – that ultimately led to more personal growth.”

Besides her impressive career, Soraya shared with us that she is a “multi-cultural queen – Iraqi, Colombian, Australian and English, and that she is a lover of Latin dance and music. We are impressed and want to see those dance moves! Though we are sure that there will be no dancing on high platforms or stages – Soraya shares like many of us that “she is terrified of heights.”

With a 2022 WiBF Award in hand, Soraya leaves us with this positive message – “be yourself, everyone else is taken and have fun along the way!”

Watch Soraya Alali acceptance speech – here.