Take a look at the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) in almost all Australian industries, and you’ll notice just 22 per cent of them are women. Examine that 22 per cent more closely, and you’ll find Jane Kittel.
Jane is the CEO of the MPM Group – Australia’s largest group of National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) plan management providers, supporting more than 60,000 NDIS participants across the nation.
Her career began in financial services in 1986. From that point, she climbed the ranks of the Westpac Group to become the first woman in more than a century to lead its Pacific banking operations, and later BankSA in South Australia.
Commencing with My Plan Manager in January 2020, Jane led a significant transformation of the company as it invested substantially in its people, processes and technology to provide the highest level of service and innovation.
In 2022, she led the MPM Group’s acquisition of National Disability Support Partners (NDSP).
A former Director and Chair of multiple boards, a current Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and an alumna of Harvard Business School, Jane is a female leader and changemaker at a time when women are under-represented in all key decision-making roles in the Australian workforce.
In honour of International Women’s Day, we spoke with Jane about what drives her, why she entered the disability sector, and how she leads the way for women at MPM Group.
Here’s what Jane told us.
A. I love the sense of achievement that comes with leading a business and the satisfaction of being able to make a difference.
I am passionate about working with people and helping clients, and I have always loved learning and challenging myself and others to do better. These are the things that motivate me to succeed in leadership.
A. I had reached a point in my life and career where I wanted to find a role that enabled me to contribute more and make a positive difference to the community.
I felt that the depth and breadth of my business experience, combined with a real commitment to – and love of – helping people, could add real value to the growth and transformation occurring in the NDIS and the broader disability sector.
A. A couple of the key initiatives we have prioritised in the area of gender equality include:
1. Creating conditions where everyone can succeed – underpinning this has been our focus on creating an inclusive company culture, supporting a safe and respectful workplace, implementing a flexible work policy and family violence leave, committing to gender pay equity and measuring it annually, and supporting progression and leadership opportunities for women.
2. Leading by example by ensuring we have gender balance in our Executive and management roles.
A. Throughout my career I have been fortunate to work within – and lead – some truly innovative organisations, and I have also had the opportunity to learn from staff and peers in those businesses and others.
Some of the most effective strategies I have seen for supporting women to excel in their chosen careers have been:
1. Creating workplace flexibility with demonstrated leadership from both men and women at the top of the organisation.
2. Enabling young women to see themselves in a leader (make sure there are female role models in leadership positions).
3. Setting organisational targets for gender equity in management positions and regularly reporting on progress.
4. Encouraging mentoring and sponsorship of women to provide general guidance, advice and support.
5. Measuring and monitoring gender pay equity.
A. Being open to the perspectives of others, and to the opportunity they present for your own learning and development, is a vital trait for leaders. That means I always seek to create an environment where the voices of staff and leadership are heard and respected.
Important to this approach is:
1. Listening actively and empathetically – seek to understand the perspectives, experiences and emotions, and be open minded, curious, and respectful.
2. Creating a safe and trusting space for employees to share their thoughts and feedback – recognise and reward people who speak up and ask the tough questions.
3. Encouraging participation, collaboration, and teamwork.
4. Recognising and rewarding diversity – acknowledge and celebrate achievements and contributions of people right across the company.
5. Role modelling and mentoring diversity – demonstrate and bring to life the values, principles and expectations of diversity and inclusion in our actions and interactions.
A. In 2006, I was leading Pacific Banking for the Westpac Group across seven countries. My first visit was to the Solomon Islands business, and I was surprised when having met with one of our team leaders there, a woman with more than 25 years’ experience asked to shake my hand and congratulate me.
Her genuine warmth was fantastic. I wasn’t sure why she wanted to congratulate me. It turned out that her offer of congratulations was because I was the first woman to lead the Pacific Bank in more than a century.
Prior to that conversation I hadn’t focused on the significance of that milestone, but she certainly was. She was pleased and proud, and viewed my appointment as an achievement for her and other women in what is a very patriarchal culture and, of course, it was! It really brought home to me the importance of role models and being able to see people like you in leadership positions that you can aspire to.
A. I don’t really have a motto as such, but I’ve always operated on the basis that I never walk away from an opportunity, and I always seek to learn new things!
A. My Mum! She ensured me and my siblings received a good education and encouraged us to aim high so we could have a better life.
It’s this focus on learning that has really stood me in good stead right throughout my life.
A. Find your passion in life and work and enjoy it!
Be positive and confident. Trust your instincts and seek out opportunities – and grab them with both hands!
Remember to always remain true to yourself and let your personality shine through.
A. In my experience, successful women in business that I’ve admired share the following traits:
A. Some years ago, I had the privilege of working in developing countries in the Pacific region for four and a half years, and I saw quite clearly the difference you make by investing in women, who often are the backbone of families and communities.
Women tend to invest more of their earned income back into their families, driving better outcomes and creating a multiplier effect from that investment.
Added to that, women account for much of the labour market growth and are the primary source of untapped talent right across the world.
So, when you invest in women and provide opportunities for women, it has the potential to yield long term returns through higher economic growth in developed – and particularly in emerging – economies.
Learn more about International Women's Day here.
At My Plan Manager we put clients at the heart of everything we do. That’s why we are proud to announce we have been recognised as a Top 10 AFR BOSS Most Innovative Company in 2021 in the Banking, Superannuation & Financial Services Category for launching Kinora, a truly unique and sector-leading service to the disability community.
Kinora is where people with disability and their support network can connect with each other. You can ask questions or share thoughts with the Kinora community. You can also respond to questions and share your knowledge and experience. Built on inclusiveness, kindness and support, we make sure it’s a safe space, free from judgement or negative behaviour.
To be recognised as a leading Innovative Company, judges look at how valuable the problem is that the innovation solves, the quality and uniqueness of the solution, and the level of impact that the innovation has had. Judges also assess internal elements such as innovation culture, strategy, resources and process, which demonstrate a sustainable and repeatable approach to innovation.
To join or find out more about Kinora, visit www.kinora.com.au. To find out more about the 2021 AFR BOSS Most Innovative Companies List, visit www.mostinnovative.com.au.
Pictured above: My Plan Manager Founder and Executive Director Claire Wittwer-Smith and My Plan Manager CEO Jane Kittel
By now, you may already know that plan management is one of four fund management options available to National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants (the others are agency management, self management, or a combination of two or more options).
And, if you’ve been plan managed for a while, you’re probably aware of some of the upsides – like being able to access more providers and having someone on hand to take time-consuming paperwork off your plate.
But at My Plan Manager, there’s a lot more to what we do – and that translates into a whole lot more that our clients and their supports can expect from us!
We believe that utilising our services to their full capacity is your basic right as a customer. Our core responsibility is to support our clients to manage their NDIS funds, and to educate them about the opportunities, resources and services available, so they’re better supported to exercise choice and control in every area of life.
We’re Australia’s largest (and leading!) plan management service, and we’ve been around the longest too! That means we’ve learned a lot along the way and refined our systems and processes so they’re the best in the business.
Not all plan managers are created equal, and that’s why choice and control is everything! Weighing up your options? Here’s just a few of the benefits of life as a My Plan Manager client.
We see NDIS plans every single day – hundreds, if not thousands of them come across our desks each week, so our people know the ins and outs of using them effectively and maximising every dollar. We also have a commitment to ensuring you have the opportunity to achieve your goals, like every other Australian, and that vision drives every aspect of our business.
If you have a sticky question about your plan – like what it will fund or how to use it – we’re here to answer it. No question is too tricky for our plan management experts, who’ll give you more confidence and certainty with using your plan.
Budgeting your NDIS funding can help you to access the supports you need for the entire duration of your plan. Here’s how we can help you do this:
This can create a clearer picture of how much funding you have available to spend with the providers you want to use.
If you haven’t had this conversation with us, it’s not too late to get in touch. If one of your budgets is running low, we’ll send you an SMS to let you know, and we can have a conversation about what to do next – like what other budgets you may be able to claim from.
We can also work with you to lock in service agreements with providers, which basically locks in funding to access them for the period of time you want. This can create confidence and certainty with using their services, because you and they know right from the start that there’s funding set aside.
It’s true – a plan manager exists to remove time-consuming paperwork so you can focus on what’s important, like growing capacity to achieve the outcomes you’re after. However, just one of the many things that sets great plan managers apart from the rest is the technology they use to support clients to self service and gain greater oversight of their funding.
At My Plan Manager, we’ll help you to track plan spending, see your budget in a snapshot and check the payment status of invoices to give you more control over your plan. This all happens via our simple-to-use client portal and mobile app, which show your budget in real time whenever you want to access it.
Our tech tools will also give you complete visibility of how much funding you have left, to help avoid a budget blow out. For the clearest picture of your funds, we recommend referring to the budgets we’ve set up with you and to the client portal/mobile app.
We scrutinise every invoice to make sure providers aren’t charging more than the rates set out in the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits (formerly known as the NDIS Price Guide). Our technology is the most sophisticated system in the sector and allows 32 checks (and counting) to be completed on every invoice, to provide confidence that your finances are in safe hands.
We can also help you to verify the services you’ve been invoiced for, and to make sure they’re being billed against the correct budgets. You can also let us know if you have any concerns about invoices or the charges being made by your providers, and we’ll happily assist you.
Today, there are more than half a million Australians participating in the NDIS, and a substantial number of those people and their families place their trust and confidence in My Plan Manager. They invite us into their lives to assist them with managing their funding, and to educate them about the opportunities, resources and services available to them, so they are better supported to exercise choice and control in every area of life.
However, our role also brings with it a responsibility to promote and protect the rights and dignity of people with disability, and to ensure their voices are heard and prioritised in every discussion about them. It is through this lens that My Plan Manager actively promotes an environment of zero tolerance of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability.
We know that people with significant or profound disability are particularly vulnerable to systemic and opportunistic harm, and we’re often their first line of defence in raising concerns about actual and potential risks. That’s why we proactively work to detect and report vulnerability, safety and safeguarding concerns, to improve outcomes for the thousands of Australians with disability who we support.
We work to promote and protect the rights of people with disability and to ensure their voices are heard. If you have concerns about fraud, if something goes wrong with your supports or services, or if you’re at risk of danger, we’re here to listen, and we can provide guidance on who to report to and how.
With your permission, we can speak with your providers to improve the invoicing process. This includes meeting Australian Taxation Office and NDIA requirements, and providing every piece of information we require upfront to avoid a payment delay which may impact their services.
If you’re a client of My Plan Manager, we hope this information has reinforced your decision to entrust your plan to Australia’s largest (and leading!) plan manager. If you’re not yet a client, we hope it’s given you confidence and certainty with choosing a plan manager that’s right for you.
If you have any questions, or if you want to know more about the services we offer at My Plan Manager, be sure to call or email us:
Existing clients – email [email protected] or call us on 1800 861 272 from 8am-6pm (SA time), Monday to Friday.
Not a client? Email [email protected] or call us on 1800 934 170 from 8am-6pm (SA time), Monday to Friday.
