Samantha Taranto

Samantha Taranto is a senior leader who is passionate about delivering exceptional customer experiences, business transformation and sustainability.

Samantha has worked for many of Australia’s blue-chip organisations, among them Commonwealth Bank, Qantas, NRMA, the ASX-listed property company The GPT Group.

Renowned for her honest and engaging approach, Samantha Taranto is a highly motivational speaker at corporate engagements.

More about Samantha Taranto:

Samantha Taranto has achieved success in senior roles in the property, aviation, finance, recruitment and hospitality sectors.

Having started her career working with people in the hospitality and airline industries, she quickly ascended to senior leadership positions and through her business acumen, has added value and made a difference at a senior executive level.

During her 10 years at Qantas Airways, Samantha held a number of positions, including Executive Manager, Customer Experience Domestic and Qantas Catering Group. In this role, she was responsible for the financial performance, operations, strategy, customer experience and business transformation for the division with P&L of $1.3B.

Samantha was able to deliver almost $200m in transformation benefits to the business over a three-year period. In the process, she successfully created an inspiring and safe place for a multi-disciplined team to work and thrive to deliver great customer and business outcomes.

At GTP Group she was responsible for the development and execution of customer strategies for the organisation’s asset management business, which at the time had $18.7 billion of assets under management. As the company’s Head of Customer Strategy and Operations, Samantha over-saw on-site operations across the GPT portfolio (70 premium office/retail assets) with a focus on delivering superior customer experiences for both tenants and end users (occupants and shoppers); and the safe, efficient and sustainable operation of the business.

As COO for NRMA, Samantha’s team was responsible for building a sustainable and strong future for the core of the NRMA, including Roadside Assistance services and networks, MotorServe car servicing, Thrifty Car Rental, NRMA Safe Driving School, Group Human Resources, Group Industrial Relations, Group Safety and Risk.

In 2019, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia engaged Samantha to take responsibility for Human Resources for Enterprise Services (ES). ES delivers technology and group operations services to the CBA group. It comprises areas such as cyber security, anti-financial crimes, digital innovation and group operations. With 15,000 employees, a large part of CBA’s group strategy is supported and delivered by ES – it is effectively the transformation centre for the bank.

Samantha’s professional development and pro bono work also attest to her management abilities and community mindedness, such as her study with Harvard Business School and support for The Abused Children’s Trust.