‘It has to count': purpose quest shaped this finance leader's career

The Australian

a day ago

Samantha Douglas is Executive General Manager of Finance at Coles Group and has built a distinguished career leading finance functions across the sport, retail and banking industries.
In this interview, Samantha shares key lessons from a journey that's included senior positions at National Australia Bank, the Carlton Football Club's finance committee and the CFO role at Cricket Australia.
For Samantha Douglas, purpose and connection have always been central to her life. Whether supporting high-performing teams or driving financial strategy in the boardroom, she's guided by a strong belief in the power of impact.
That conviction was shaped early. When Samantha was young, her father employed 12 young people with Down Syndrome. She saw what working meant to them, and the experience instilled in her the importance of purpose.
'He was ahead of the time,' she says with immense pride. 'He showed me that inclusion, care and kindness are important leadership qualities and that everyone can have an impact. I carried that with me.'
But purpose can be hard to come by in corporate finance.
'It's not like working on the medical frontline where your purpose is really tangible,' she says. 'In big organisations, and especially support functions like finance, you can feel like a cog in the machine. It's not always clear how your work connects to real people or outcomes.'
Samantha Douglas is Executive General Manager of Finance at Coles Group
That search for meaning became a throughline in Samantha's career. When the work felt disconnected, the long hours were harder to justify.
'If you're missing bedtime or rushing through dinner, you want to believe it's for more than just paying the mortgage. That's when it really has to count.'
Samantha didn't just seek purpose for herself: she created it for her teams. In various senior finance roles at NAB, she helped create skilled volunteering programs that connected finance professionals with customers in vulnerable financial positions.
'Even small things like that helped,' she says. 'It reminded people their work mattered.'
Capitalising on her experience in sport to take a role on the Finance Committee at Carlton Football Club was also an opportunity to connect with something that provided meaning.
'I love how sport brings people together and provides a platform to provide awareness for issues bigger than the game.'
While Samantha didn't take the most linear path, she made deliberate decisions at each step, anchored in purpose and balance.
One pivotal move came when she took on the role of chief of staff to the Group CFO at NAB where she had a front-row seat to executive leadership.
'I got to see everything,' she says. 'Balance sheet committees, interactions between senior leaders, strategic planning. It demystified the CFO role and gave me exposure I couldn't have gotten elsewhere and whilst it was fast paced and challenging, it gave me confidence I could do it.'
It also gave her clarity on the type of leader she wanted to be.
'I saw how decisions were made and how relationships mattered. That experience was invaluable.'
Later, she was encouraged by the same CFO to step into the role of financial controller, recognising it would give Samantha the skills and experience she was missing.
This saw her leading large teams both onshore and offshore. It wasn't a role she had aspired to, but looking back she realised, 'if you're serious about becoming a CFO, it's important experience.'
It wasn't just the roles that shaped her — it was the internal work too.
'The most important relationship I've had to build is the one with myself,' she says. 'I had to learn to get out of my own way.'
Building confidence became a deliberate practice that didn't happen overnight. She started small, writing down what went well each week and more importantly what she had done to make it go well.
'Eventually I just got sick of standing in my own way and got on with it.'
Support was also key. A deeply supportive partner helped create space for her to balance ambition with family. Trusted former leaders remained in her corner for the occasional coffee when she hit a fork in the road, and she worked with an executive coach when she felt stuck or lacked momentum.
'It was about finding someone I trusted to help me get moving again,' she says.
Like many, throughout her career, Samantha navigated the complexity of raising a young family. For over a decade, she worked part time.
'I disappeared into the wilderness of part-time work,' she jokes.
During this period, Samantha learnt how to be softer on herself despite her driven nature. 'If you choose to work part time, you have to let go of everyone who rockets past.'
But what it really taught her was that career progression doesn't have to come at the cost of family. It also gave her a deep appreciation for flexibility, something she now drives as a leader.
'There's more genuine flexibility now,' she says. 'If I look at teams that I've been a part of over the past few years, many women work five days, because now we can get to school functions and appointments.'
But she's realistic about the challenges. 'There are parts of finance that are immovable: month-end, year-end. But with rhythm, planning and support, it's doable.'
Now with decades of experience across stretch roles, part-time work and purposeful pivots, Samantha brings it all to bear as executive general manager of finance at Coles.
Her advice to others?
'Chase personal growth. Back yourself, and build broad experience early. And don't feel guilty about how you do it, whether full-time, part-time, or in-between. There's no single path.'
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