Thanks to Visa, CommBank brought together the best in sport and business to the regions by partnering with Australian Olympians to showcase the business of winning

In a year where many Australians will be going for gold, thanks to Visa, a worldwide partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Commonwealth Bank proudly hosted the Business of Winning event series in locations across regional Australia.

Throughout May local businesses got the rare chance to hear from sporting and business luminaries and gained valuable takeaways on how the best get better, with insights backed by CommBank’s Economists on the current and future economic factors influencing regional Australia from a local and international standpoint. The Business of Winning event series visited five major business districts located around the country, including regional hubs of Warrnambool (Vic), Busselton (WA) and Cairns (Qld), as well the major metro cities of Brisbane and Perth. 

Under the banner of “Going for Gold”, Australian Olympic freestyle skier and gold medallist turned small business owner, Lydia Lassila, led a panel discussion on the themes of adaptability, teamwork, and resilience. Lydia was joined by fellow sporting legends and business experts, including gold medallists and Australian Olympic swimmers Susie O’Neill and Eamon Sullivan, Australian Olympic beach volleyball and performance and mindset coach Kerri Pottharst, and Australian Olympic hurdler Sally Pearson.

CBA Executive General Manager Regional and Agribusiness Bank, Paul Fowler, said: “As Australia’s leading business bank, we’re proud to have partnered with Visa on the Business of Winning event series to help regional communities identify new ways to tackle today’s business challenges by taking lessons learned in sport and applying these to their businesses. After all, the careful planning, resilience, inspiring leadership and self-care elite athletes and sporting teams rely on are regularly found in thriving businesses.

“At CBA, we’re deeply commited to supporting the regions. We have continued to grow our footprint of team members who serve regional business customers and our partnership with Visa on the Business of Winning event series further demonstrates our focus and the continued investment we’re making to support the economic growth of the regions.

“Increasing numbers of people are leaving capital cities and heading to the regions and businesses across a wide range of sectors are taking advantage of the growth in people coming to the area, moving at pace to explore new and innovative opportunities.”

Visa’s Head of Marketing for Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific, Natalie Lockwood, said: “As a Worldwide Olympic and Paralympics partner, we’re delighted to have partnered with CBA on the Business of Winning event series to their regional business customers in the lead up to Paris 2024. This offered a unique opportunity to hear from inspiring sporting legends and business experts about what it takes to compete and win at the highest level.” 

For over 110 years the Commonwealth Bank has proudly served regional and rural communities right across the country. Last year, CBA announced its commitment to keep all regional branches open, until at least the end of 2026. 

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