Interview with Alys Barr, co-chair of ASB's Neurodiversity Network Group

🧠No two brains are the same - we all think, process, and experience the world differently. In fact, 15-20% of us are neurodivergent. We’re working to make ASB a place where everyone feels they belong, so we chatted to Internal Communications Manager Alys Barr about her work as co-chair of ASB’s Neurodiversity Network Group. Alys was inspired to help others following her own ADHD diagnosis, which “felt like a weight off my shoulders I didn’t even know I was carrying.”

👉 How do you define neurodiversity?

Neurodiversity refers to the natural differences in our brains. No two people have the same brain - we all think, process, and experience the world around us differently. Neurodivergent is a term used for people whose thought patterns, information processing, behaviours, or neurological activity are outside of what is considered “typical”. These differences can lead to incredible abilities, with some describing their neurodiversity as a ‘superpower’, but it can also mean challenges in other areas. 

👉 What is ASB’s Neurodiversity Network Group?

ASB’s Neurodiversity Network Group is a collective of over 300 ASB people located across Aotearoa. The group is made up of people who are neurodivergent, have friends, whānau or colleagues who are neurodivergent, or simply want to learn more. Building on ASB’s People Promise – We See You, We Back You, We Lift You, our kaupapa is to help foster connection and a sense of belonging, to create an environment where all neurotypes are supported to fulfil their potential. We do this by meeting regularly, sharing external resources and ASB’s support options, driving our own initiatives and working with teams across the bank to embed change within the business.

👉 What is your connection to the group?

I didn’t have much of an understanding of neurodiversity until I received an ADHD diagnosis 18 months ago and ended up down the research rabbit hole! I learned so much about myself, ways of working, and different support options. It lifted a huge weight off my shoulders that I didn’t even realise I’d been carrying, and I became passionate about helping others who might be going through something similar. I helped launch the group at the beginning of the year and have the privilege of Co-Chairing our amazing committee - we all volunteer our time in addition to our varied roles at ASB!

👉 What has the network group been working on?

Our main focus for 2023 is increasing education and awareness across the bank. One way we’re doing this is through a Neurodiversity Lunch & Learn series, where each month I invite one or two speakers to share their personal or professional experiences with the ASB team. We’ve had a range of speakers from different backgrounds covering different topics, including hands-on workshops with Rich Rowley on Cognitive Potential, which were incredible.

Massive thank you to all our speakers Maximiliano Pierret , DivergenThinking , Natasya Jones 🧠 ADHDer💡Top Right , Anton Ashcroft , Nigel Sutton , Tom Little , Sarah Sharpe, Karen Waldie and Jolene Stockman-Quicke who is joining us in a few weeks! Twenty of our network group members have also completed training to become Mental Health First Aid certified with Hato Hone St John . They will form a new Peer Support Hub where anyone at ASB can reach out to a peer of their choice for a friendly and confidential chat about anything neurodiversity; from how to support neurodivergent team members or tamariki, to advice on sharing a diagnosis with your manager.

We also profile neurodivergent people working in different areas of the bank, including Executive Sponsor of our group and proud Dyslexic Thinker David Wills, MIL . Humanising our differences has been extremely impactful in reducing stigma and we’ve seen a noticeable increase in the number of people feeling comfortable sharing a diagnosis with their team or asking for support.

Moving forward, a key focus area is understanding how we can make our internal and external processes more neurodiverse-friendly, particularly around recruitment and onboarding, supporting our community with our community bankers and extra-care teams, and customers in our physical branches.

We have a long way to go, but we’re excited to be on this journey 🚀