Emma McCudden isn’t just a leader. She’s a strong advocate for accessible education; a passionate believer in every person having the power to provoke change. It is her personal values and drive that have steered her in the direction of Suncorp's innovation team, one she now leads after many years exploring different avenues, including a stint in high-school teaching.
“I have my Masters Degree in Education and am qualified to teach Visual Arts and English to high school students,” she says. “But I knew that I wanted to use it to drive capability. Capability is the magic sauce in building confidence. The thought that I could inspire someone and make space for them to have a voice to share ideas and bust assumptions, that’s what gets me out of bed in the morning.”
After working in marketing and public relations roles in everything from government to the Irwins (that’s right, she worked at Australia Zoo for six years!), Ms McCudden sought to broaden her horizons at Suncorp, where she started in the organisation’s Corporate Affairs team. She got to flex her love of storytelling here, building the organisation’s corporate voice via its social media platforms, and sharing its uplifting narratives. And while she says this experience was stimulating, there was nothing like the call of technology to pull her in another direction.
Ms McCudden transitioned to the Digital team, where she was exposed to new technologies and customer-centric innovations. She says that’s when her thinking really begun to broaden, and when a job opportunity arose in the Innovation team, she knew she had found her true home.
Emma McCudden, Head of Innovation
One of the great things about Suncorp is that we’re so diverse, there is opportunity everywhere, and if you really want to pursue something in another field, and you apply yourself, you can learn and grow in all sorts of roles.
Ms McCudden and the Innovation team at Suncorp
One of her key insights during this transition was the power of connection.
“The role required someone who could bridge our historical context in innovation with our future goals and connect all the human beings across the enterprise so we can innovate together,” she says.
Since stepping into the world of innovation, Ms McCudden has embraced every opportunity to bring stories to life. One of her proudest achievements she says, is the creation of Suncorp’s Innovation Academy, a seven-week program that offers all employees a chance to explore new ideas.
“The Innovation Academy enables the adoption of innovation culture across the entire organisation," she says.
"We’re encouraging people to think in a different way; to challenge the norm and fundamentally create change for our customers and our employees.”
The Innovation Academy started as a pilot program for Suncorp’s graduates, but quickly evolved into a much sought-after program for all Suncorp employees. So far, almost 1200 people have been through the Innovation Academy, across Australia to New Zealand, and every function. A three-day intensive version has also just been launched for those wanting intensive learning.
Innovation is one of our key pillars in achieving our ambition. Not all businesses are prioritising innovation like Suncorp is; the fact is: we’re serious about it.
As well as the Innovation Academy, Ms McCudden recently hosted Suncorp’s second annual AI+U conference, an interactive opportunity for employees to understand and experiment with artificial intelligence in a safe environment. The AI+U conference ran 14 sessions in October this year, and saw just shy of 1700 registrations across all events.
Ms McCudden speaking at the Suncorp SunLeader Summit earlier in 2024.
While innovation may seem like it’s reliant on flashy technology, Ms McCudden says it’s got nothing on people power.
“Suncorp’s people are so energised to bring ideas to life,” she says.
“Our team has the tools, but it’s our people and our culture that are creating customer-centered change.”
As for what the future holds, Ms McCudden says the opportunities are endless.
“I get inspired by the human beings that work at Suncorp,” she says. “At the heart of our culture is people, and caring about people. Once people realise that innovation is just making things better for human beings – they embrace it.”
