SWS Bank’s Jayson Smith, Chief Strategy & Engagement Officer, took home the Riverina Murray Regional Business Award for Outstanding Young Business Leader.
Jayson Smith, Chief Strategy & Engagement Officer at SWS Bank, has been recognised as the Outstanding Young Business Leader at the 2025 Business NSW Riverina Murray Regional Awards.
The award, presented at a ceremony in Griffith, highlights Smith’s inspiring 13-year journey with the community-focused financial institution, which began with him in an entry-level role. He was the sole winner for SWS Bank on the night, triumphing over a strong field of competitors from various sectors, including accounting, marketing, and construction.
Smith, who is based at the Young office, credited his colleagues for the honour. “It’s fantastic to obviously get some recognition for the work you put in,” Smith said. “But it’s very much around the team you have around you as well. I can’t take all of the credit; it’s very much about the team I have around me, and they are obviously allowing me to do good things.”
A Team-First Culture and Unique Structure
Smith’s success is deeply intertwined with the team-first culture at SWS-bank, which he believes is a major draw for both staff and local customers.
“The success of our whole business is always derived from the support and the passion that our team throughout the whole business puts into their work every single day,” he stated, adding, “If you enjoy what you do, you never work a day in your life. I know that’s very much the case for all of the people who work here, and it’s very much something that I believe in as well.”
He also pointed to SWS Bank’s unique, member-owned structure as its key differentiator from the major banks.
The thing that separates us is that we’re fundamentally structured differently. Essentially, every single person who chooses to deal with us is an owner of the business,” Smith explained.
“We don’t have obligations to external shareholders like the majors do, so we’re not tied between paying a dividend and making a profit.” This structure, he argues, allows the bank—which operates across four locations including Young, Cootamundra, Temora, and West Wyalong—to reinvest in its community through meaningful sponsorship and other initiatives.
Looking Ahead to the State Finals
The regional win now elevates Smith to the state level, where he will represent the Riverina Murray region at the Business NSW State Awards in Sydney on Wednesday, October 29.
“I was up against a pretty strong opposition to start with at the Regional level,” Smith said. “I’ve got no doubt that I will be up against a very strong opposition in Sydney. There are some impressive young business leaders out there, and I’m just happy to be part of it.”
The regional win also saw a nomination for his colleague, Sam Hartwig, and the business as a whole. Smith expressed pride in the bank’s collective recognition: “It was the first time around, and I was very happy to be able to take the award home.”
– Tully Potts
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