HR and Finance may seem like different worlds, but for Anna Calder (Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) and Darryl Ward (Australian Taxation Office), having both those skills have become a powerful combination. In this interview, they share how financial insights strengthens HR practice and supports better workforce outcomes.
What initially drew you both to work in both Finance and HR? Was it planned or something that evolved over time?
Darryl: After an extended stint in finance roles, I was looking for a role that genuinely challenged me and allowed me to grow in new ways. At the same time, I wanted to be in a position where I could better support staff – helping them navigate challenges and support building capability from an individual and organisational perspective. Combining my finance experience with a HR role has given me the opportunity to challenge myself while contributing to a more positive and supportive workplace for others.
Anna: I began my career with a Bachelor of Accounting, working as a cadet accountant in a small firm in my home country town. I enjoyed investigating datasets and spotting trends, but the work didn’t give me the elevated sense of purpose I was looking for. That led me to complete a Masters in HR and transition into the HR profession. I ended up working on complex HR issues, and managing profit and loss in a role that covered both HR and operations.
How has your experience in Finance influenced the way you approach HR challenges today? Why do you think financial literacy is important for HR professionals in the APS?
Darryl: My finance background shapes how I approach HR challenges by helping me see the broader business context behind people decisions. It’s taught me to analyse risks, prioritise resources, and link capability initiatives to organisational outcomes. Financial literacy is essential for HR professionals in the APS because it strengthens our credibility, enables more informed workforce planning, and ensures we can design initiatives that are not only people focused but also sustainable and value driven.
Anna: I’ve found my finance experience has really shaped the way I work in HR. I value measuring outputs and outcomes, understanding the interaction between our HR operations and our financial position and how resources are neither finance or HR alone. We need each other to function well. Financial literacy is essential for understanding how we resource our workforce and for supporting managers to operate effectively within their funding envelope and ASL caps.
What advice would you give to HR professionals who want to strengthen their financial acumen?
Darryl: Actively seek exposure to budgeting, forecasting, procurement and financial decision making, rather than viewing finance as a separate discipline. Ask questions and partner closely with finance teams. Even a working knowledge of financial concepts can significantly strengthen the quality of advice that HR professionals provide to executives.
Anna: You don’t need an accountancy degree, but rather look to the numbers in the HR reports. Befriend your finance colleagues. And explore why costs matter behind workforce numbers. You’ll start to see that workforce is one of the biggest costs we have and one we can influence appropriately from our HR perspective.
What do you enjoy most about working at the intersection of HR and Finance?
Darryl: What I enjoy most is being able to work in a very outcome-focused way, using both HR and finance perspectives to solve practical problems. I find it rewarding to develop solutions that not only make financial sense, but also genuinely support people and build capability. Seeing initiatives move from concept to implementation, where real, measurable impacts for individuals and the organisation is particularly motivating.
Anna: The intersection of finance and HR in the APS and more broadly private and other sectors, will continue to be navigated closely particularly as we strive for that balance of optimum output for optimum cost. Our external environment continually changes and so we need to be able to adapt this every so often.
Being able to bring the detail of costs and expenses into the realm of HR means we can really measure the impact of our work. That’s where a real sense of purpose intersects with clear evidence of outcomes.
(Left) Anna Calder, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. (Right) Darryl Ward, Australian Taxation Office