Tanya Graham: Leadership Tips for Digital Transformation

With a career spanning operational leadership, transformation, consulting, and technology-driven change, Tanya Graham has built an impressive portfolio of leadership experience across multiple industries. Now the Group Executive-Digital & Transformation at iCare, Tanya leads corporate strategy, customer experience, technology, digital data and analytics, and transformation—an end-to-end leadership role that combines her expertise in strategy execution and business transformation.

Tanya’s career began in operational roles before she transitioned into transformation-focused positions. After moving to Australia over 20 years ago, she joined a consulting firm, which exposed her to a wide range of industries in a short space of time. This varied background has shaped her adaptive leadership style, allowing her to draw insights from multiple sectors, including healthcare, retail, and financial services, to drive innovation and customer-focused change.

Beyond her corporate role, Tanya passionately advocates mentorship, diversity, and leadership development. She believes in empowering teams, creating clarity, and fostering a culture of trust and collaboration—an approach that continues to shape iCare’s digital and transformation agenda.

Background and Career Journey

Can you tell us about your career background and how you arrived in your current role?

My background is quite varied. I started in operational roles and quickly transitioned into transformation-focused positions. When I moved to Australia 20 odd years ago, I was a management consultant, which was a fantastic introduction to the country. It gave me rapid immersion across multiple industries. I gained more business exposure in my first two years than many people experience in their entire careers. This experience served me well as I moved between different roles within Australia, increasingly focusing on technology-driven transformation and, more recently, ensuring those roles have a real impact. My career has gradually expanded to encompass community purpose, healthcare, and now, the blend of both within the New South Wales Government. It’s been a journey of technology, change, and leadership.

You’ve worked across so many different industries. Was that a conscious decision?

Not entirely deliberate, but I think I have an inherent thirst for learning. When I consider a new opportunity, I assess the learning potential. The learning opportunities are immense if it's not only a new company but a new industry. You learn how that industry operates, identify parallels with your previous experiences, and understand the value you can bring. So, while it wasn't a conscious plan, something in my subconscious probably attracted me to new industries.

I've found so many parallels, even between seemingly disparate industries. For example, I worked for Westfield (shopping centers) and then Healthscope (hospitals). It sounds strange, but the parallels were bizarre. Both organisations own and manage physical assets. The customer dynamics also have similarities. At Westfield, the primary customer is the retailer, and we collaborated to create an experience. In hospitals, the primary customer is the doctor, and you work together to ensure a good patient experience. Similarly, at Westfield, we focused on shopper flow. In hospitals, the focus is on patient flow and efficient use of space. When you map it out, a hospital is essentially a production line focused on efficiency and effectiveness.

Current Role and Responsibilities

Tell us about your current role.

My current role brings together everything I've done over the past few years. It is a full-service role that includes strategy development and execution. I have the corporate strategy team, customer experience (our holistic customer capability), all the technology teams, data and analytics, digital, and the change and transformation teams. We drive everything from defining the strategy and how to get there, to owning and driving the delivery. There’s a close partnership between my teams and our two main business units, which are the frontline teams dealing with injured workers and employers daily. It’s challenging and rewarding.

Mentorship and Sponsorship

What role has mentorship and sponsorship played in your career?

They've been a big part. I've had mentors on and off for the past 20 years. One memorable mentor was an ex-CEO who helped me navigate working with executive teams, understanding their perspectives, and now I could demonstrate value. Another key experience was sponsorship. When I began my first CIO role, a former manager tapped me on the shoulder. It was exciting yet daunting, and she said, "I know you can do this. Just tell me you've got this, and I've got your back." That confidence boost was amazing.

Now, I have a group of trusted advisors – almost like a ‘personal board’ – that I can reach out to for career decisions or challenges. I've also been a mentor and enjoy helping people grow. Even now, I support talented individuals within my team by putting them forward for opportunities and ensuring they receive the development they need.

Is mentorship still crucial for women in tech?

Absolutely. There’s still a confidence gap. At iCare, we don’t have a gender imbalance at senior levels, but we need to ensure the talent pipeline remains strong. Women need encouragement to put themselves forward for opportunities, and mentorship plays a key role in that.

That said, we also shouldn’t over-index on women; men face similar challenges, particularly as expectations around flexibility and work-life balance evolve. In fact, a networking group at Westfield started as a women’s initiative but eventually opened up to anyone interested in growth and development. Many men found it just as valuable, which reinforced that career development is a universal challenge.

Leadership Style

What leadership style do you believe is most effective?

I believe in a genuine, transparent, and collaborative leadership style. I’ve seen directive and aggressive styles that I don’t think work. I focus on what I call the five Cs: Care, Context, Clarity, Clearing the Way, and Celebrate. Showing genuine care, providing context, being clear about expectations, clearing obstacles for the team, and celebrating achievements are critical for a successful team.

It’s important to understand how you operate as a person and a leader. That way, it comes across as genuine. If you’re open and transparent, people will feel comfortable giving you feedback and the information you need. If you’re aggressive, they won’t.

Work-Life Integration

How does iCare support work-life integration?

We offer hybrid working, which is highly valued by employees. Interestingly, our surveys show that both flexibility and time in the office are equally valued.

While people appreciate the ability to work from home and flex their hours, they also want meaningful office experiences. So, we’re focusing on curating those in-office moments to foster social interaction and collaboration.

Work-life integration isn’t just a women’s issue—men need it too. If we only push for flexibility for women, we risk reinforcing traditional gender roles. Encouraging paternity leave and flexible working for men is equally important.

The key is that when organisations get work-life integration right, productivity is amazing. When people value flexibility and trust, they give 100%.

Desert Island Book

If you were stranded on a desert island, what book would you bring?

My initial thought was a book on how to build a boat from scratch! But seriously, I’m currently reading Jodie Picoult’s latest book, By Any Other Name. It explores the theory that some of Shakespeare’s plays were actually written by a woman, Amelia Bassano. It’s fascinating, especially given our conversation about women’s roles and recognition. So, maybe I’d bring the complete works of Shakespeare and reread them with a different perspective.