Subject Name: People, Culture and Contemporary Leadership

Assessment Title: Leadership and Human Factor

Subject code: MBA 401
Submitted by: Sabika Humagain
Student Id: 1804480
Leader: Shemara Wikramanayake
Company: Macquarie Bank

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 Table of content

Introduction…………………………………………………………. 3

Shemara Wikramanayake and Macquarie Bank…………………….. 3

Personal Connection………………………………………………… 3

Effect of the leader on top management team………………………. 4

Strategic leadership in Developing Human Resources……………… 5

Effect on ethical practices…………………………………………… 6

Conclusion…………………………………………………………... 7

References…………………………………………………………… 8

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Introduction

Contemporary leadership as a collaborative management technique that empowers people and

increases an organization's productivity through the leader's personality and impact on teams, as
opposed to traditional leadership (AliciaW. Roberts, 2014).

This essay will discuss Shemara Wikramanayake's possible contemporary leadership style and
strategy, as well as the influences on the top management team, human resources, and ethical
practices within the organizations he has led, and will present my understanding of this study and
examine how it reflects my career.

Shemara Wikramanayake and Macquarie Bank

As the Managing Director and CEO of Macquarie Bank. In 2018, Shemara Wikramanayake is a
prominent figure on the international stage.She is an Australian-Sri Lankan who was born in
Britain and attended schools in both countries before relocating to Sydney. She eventually earned
a law and business degree first from University of New South Wales and went on to graduate
from a Harvard University advanced management program. She first had a position as a
Corporate Lawyer with the business law company Blake Dawson Waldron in Sydney. In 1987,
not long after spending a year at Blake Dawson Waldron, she rejoined Macquarie Bank.

She spent more than 30 years working at Macquarie Bank., where she oversaw a number of
divisions, including Macquarie Engineering and Real Assets and the prudential role for
Macquarie Investment Bank, in six different countries and nine different cities. She headed
Macquarie Asset Management prior to being named CEO of Macquarie Bank.

Personal Connection

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Shemara Wikramanayake was reared and born overseas. She lived first in Britain, therefore in
Sri Lanka, before settling in Sydney, Australia. Shemara Wikramanayake, a Sri Lankan who has
been born and raised in a foreign nation while being exposed to a wide variety of environments
as a youngster, is also a third-culture child, which creates a personal connection. Children from
third-culture backgrounds frequently grow to identify with cultures different than their
own(Spencer, 2022). Shemara has also had a very relatable life, which deepens our sense of
intimacy with this world leader.

Effect of the leader on top management team

Highly increased performance is one of the most important assets to consider while expanding a
firm. This is necessary to improve an organization's profitability standards while also working
for the welfare and good of its people and society (Edward 2019).

To do this, any organization requires talented human capital that is skilled and adaptable to
changes.

Human resources play a significant role in any corporation because of their duties and
responsibilities in the execution of various organizational activities such as planning, staffing,
controlling, and so on (Edward 2019).

She considered various business ventures, established a foundation to support children's

education, took some art classes, traveled a little, increased her gym attendance, and
contemplated the purpose of life. She also had some quiet time with her spouse, former
Macquarie banker Ed Gilmartin. A charismatic leader is someone who can instigate change and
win the support of their team and organization for novel concepts (Le Blanc, González-Romá
and Wang, 2021). A imaginative leader is renowned for being creative, upbeat, and
motivating(Rony, 2019). Shemara is recognized as someone who practices visionary leadership
since she is constantly concerned with bringing about change in the company and the sector. As
a manager, she has aided the company's expansion while maintaining a laser-like focus on
crucial elements like environmentally responsible operations. Because of all that she has

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accomplished while working for Macquarie Bank., she has also served as an inspiration to
several young women.

Strategic leadership in Developing Human Resources

 Training and Developing

Macquarie Bank is a globally reputed bank and there is over 17000 staff. There are range
of learning and developing activities. Director leadership program, Executive Director
leadership program can boost up leadership capacity, skill, and knowledge. They use an
employee-led approach to giving, encouraging our dedicated employees to volunteer,
donate money, and lead community organizations in the places where they live and work.
This means we use their time, knowledge, and networks to make a bigger social effect.

 Employer-Employee Relations.

This is the way to make harmony between the employee and it give the positive result to
organization. This assists an organization's people in improving their functional skills for
their current and future jobs, developing their general capabilities, and harnessing their
inner potentialities for both personal and organizational growth. It helps employees
establish corporate culture in order to maintain healthy superior-subordinate
relationships, teamwork, motivation, quality, and a sense of belonging.

A global leader's or any leader's overall leadership performance can be evaluated on a number of
important criteria (Andriani, Kesumawati and Kristiawan, 2018). The effectiveness of Shemara
Wikramanayake's leadership may be evaluated by looking at how successful she is at completing
particular initiatives and whether those projects have a beneficial effect on the business.
Research demonstrates how Shemara Wikramanayake has already been reliable in all of the tasks
she has done, including assuming leadership during Covid-19. She offered them positions in the
contact centers run by the Macquarie Bankso that those who had lost their livelihoods due to
COVID-19 would have something to do. She also stood up for the use of business resources, like

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as parking lots, as testing sites to combat COVID-19. This demonstrates her concern for giving
back to the community and her profession while maintaining a focus on achieving her
organization's growth objectives. She is the Chief operating Director of this company. During her
time as the manager of asset management at Macquarie Bank., there was a dispute in which they
were said to have utilized client payments to get substantial profits. But Shemara noted that there
were misunderstandings about this circumstance. She has consistently defined objectives and
made choices as a world powerhouse that provide practical answers to issues.

Effect on ethical practices

An ethical leader is one who is honest and possesses the qualities of integrity (Liangcan Liu and
LongyingZhao, 2019). The genuine leadership style emphasizes ethical and open leadership
behavior (Kelly Labrecque, 2021).

 Transparent accounting practices.

To preserve public support, protect independence, and improve policy effectiveness,

greater transparency and accountability are essential. Macquaire already has a reputation for
excellence and outstanding customer services. It provide the financial report to the public and
investors so that they can easily understand a financial detail.
Shemara is also exceptionally consistent in completing all the jobs she has taken on, including
acting as the department head and directing the organization to develop its asset management.

 Professionalism and Integrity.

Wikramanayake was the highest paid CEO in Australia and this all happen with
dedication and experience in a related field. She was a corporate lawyer before
joining Macquaire Bank and she worked here for nearly 20 years.
Bank's integrity can be described as its most valuable asset that is determined by
the conduct of its directors and officers. They need to strive to avoid conflicts of
interest that could create a loss of trust and loyalty from the bank's customers and
stakeholders.

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Conclusion

When Shemara Wikramanayake was CEO and managing officer of Macquarie Bank., she
demonstrated outstanding leadership on a worldwide scale. It's still too early to say whether
Shemara is unsuccessful in her leadership style, but every leader has their flaws. Personally, I
believe that Shemara Wikramanayake is a true role model for young women and that there is
much to be gained from her. Furthermore, she has advised individuals to never keep practicing
since there is always space for improvement and the belief that one can never learn enough. It is
crucial to strike the right balance between your personal and professional lives in order to be a
successful leader. In addition, empathy and goal-drivenness are essential to ensuring
development in the industry.
She is a respected banker who inspires me and who has ethics. Being a competent leader and
having strong leadership qualities are insufficient. For instance, I owned the modest restaurant
Beers and Cheers in Nepal. I ran that business with the strong aim of empowering women and
promoting love, but I had a clear vision, objective, or strategy to communicate to my staff and
myself where we are going and why we are working so hard. Without a clear and expansive
vision, I was unable to find the drive to carry forward, and the goal also became unclear.
According to the study above, I think that Shemar is a great leader because of his charismatic
personality, ethical behavior, and clear vision for the future, all of which coincide with effective
leadership attributes.

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References
Alicia. W. Roberts, 2014, Finding your Followers: What Makes a
contemporary leader? Retrieved from December 5, 2022,
https://business.wfu.edu/newsroom/finding-followers-what-makes-
contemporary-leader/

Andriani, S., Kesumawati, N. and Kristiawan, M. (2018) ‘The influence of the transformational
leadership and work motivation on teachers performance’, International Journal of
Scientific and Technology Research, 7(7), pp. 19–29.retrieved from Decemeber 1, 2022,
https://osf.io/9m426/download.

Le Blanc, P.M., González-Romá, V. and Wang, H. (2021) ‘Charismatic Leadership and Work
Team Innovative Behavior: the Role of Team Task Interdependence and Team Potency’,
Journal of Business and Psychology, 36(2), pp. 333–346. retrieved from December 1,
2022, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-019-09663-6.

Rony, Z.T. (2019) ‘Generation y challenges in becoming innovative leaders at organization in

the 21st century’, International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering, 8(2
Special Issue 9), pp. 789–794. retrieved from Decemeber 2,
2022,https://doi.org/10.35940/ijrte.B1164.0982S919.

Schäfer, A. and Schwander, H. (2019) ‘“Don’t play if you can’t win”: Does economic inequality
undermine political equality?’, European Political Science Review, 11(3), pp. 395–413.
retrieved from Decemeber 3, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1017/S1755773919000201.

Spencer, J. (2022) ‘The Other Third Culture Kids: EAL Learners’ Views On Self-Identity, Home
Culture, And Community In International Schools’, TESOL Journal, 13(3), pp. 1–18.
retrieved from Decemeber 4, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.657.

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