Gold Coast Finance Manager Mikaelah Paynter on delivering department-wide efficiencies

A lover of all things organisation and order, Mikaelah Paynter found her niche as KINNECT’s Finance Manager. Alongside Head of Finance, Jess Hopley, she’s on a mission to streamline the department, promoting ease and efficiency across the board.

Mikaelah started her career in the automotive industry in a role spanning reception and administration. Within five years she was juggling the domains of Finance Manager, QA Manager and Executive Assistant.

While she enjoyed the fast pace, there were also some challenges which led her to look for a new career and Mikaelah landed at KINNECT as an Executive Assistant in May of 2022.

It wasn’t long before the team needed a new Finance Manager, and with her past experience, innovative ideas and demonstrable ability to multi-task, Mikaelah was the obvious choice.

Just as she started her new role, KINNECT handed down its annual strategic plan, a core goal of which was to establish ‘ease’ across the business. For Mikaelah, this meant going through the Finance Department step-by-step and role-by-role to find opportunities for improved efficiency and streamlining of processes.

While many would think this sounds like a challenge for the ‘too hard basket’, for Mikaelah, it was a motivating opportunity.

“I like numbers, I like spreadsheets and I really like problem-solving. I was excited for the chance to dedicate my time to improving our services, both as a team and a business,” said Mikaelah.

Part of KINNECT’s strategic plan for 2022-2023 was a commitment to simplifying processes across all areas of the business by investing in areas that help make customers and KINNECTers work lives easier.

The Finance team manage all incoming and outgoing payments and are the central point of contact for account queries from both customers and KINNECTers. With team members spread across the country and off-shore, a key goal for Mikaelah was to maintain – and improve – consistency and timeliness in making payments and responding to queries.

Jess and Mikaelah began by reviewing the remit of each role in the department to ensure employees were being given the right type and number of tasks, and individual capacity remained sustainable.

They then reviewed how individual tasks were being actioned and began designing and rolling out a series of new processes.

“I’ve really enjoyed putting these new processes into practice – because even saving 30 seconds here and there can add up to hours over time,” said Mikaelah.

“Our goal is to see everything work more efficiently for ourselves, our clients and everyone else who interacts with KINNECT.”

So far the changes have been a resounding success, with improvements made in response times and an increase in overall NPS for the Finance Department.

Aside from the opportunity to oversee this evolution, what Mikaelah enjoys most about KINNECT is the positive working culture and unique career pathways created for employees.

“It’s so wonderful to work alongside people who really value your opinions and insight on how things could be done better,” said Mikaelah.

“The Managers and Leaders at KINNECT take the time to discuss your career aspirations and are genuinely willing to help you achieve them.”

“I hope to create the same feeling amongst members of my team and help them establish, then work toward their own career goals,” said Mikaelah.

Alongside her day-to-day role, Mikaelah is also taking part in this year’s Emerging Leaders Program.

Looking for career opportunities with genuine growth?
Explore our current vacancies at https://www.kinnect.com.au/join-us/careers/