When a bank undergoes major transformation, clear and effective internal communication is essential. With experience in communicating complex change across large-scale transformation programs, 421’s Emma Wadmark knows how to connect strategic decisions with the people responsible for turning them into reality. In this interview, she discusses how the right expertise can help organizations navigate transformation successfully, from early planning to post-go-live.
As Communications Lead within a Project Management Office (PMO), Emma works across the organization to ensure that everyone, from executive leadership to development teams, understands what is happening, why it matters, and what it means for them.
Communication in transformation projects is much more than sending out updates. You need to understand what different stakeholders need to know, when they need to know it and what level of detail they each require. And when things change, you need to be able to move quickly.
Before building her career in business, Emma spent six years in the US; first on a golf scholarship, combining her studies in Business Finance with competing at the highest collegiate level, and later as a professional golfer on the LPGA Symetra Tour.
I’ve always been very competitive, both on and off the golf course, and I think that has shaped me as a professional. I like having a challenge in front of me, figuring things out and finding a way forward.
Back in Sweden, Emma took on the role of Finance and Events Manager for an IT company, which quickly grew into full responsibility for the finance function across the whole business group. Since joining 421 in 2020, Emma has built experience across several areas of banking. Today she focuses on PMO and communication within complex transformation programmes, bringing together her understanding of banking, structured programme delivery and the human side of change.
Reporting is a key PMO task, including keeping everyone up to date on the project’s progress. That means creating clear structures for reporting, decision-making and stakeholder management, while making sure communication keeps pace with the programme.
Weighing every word is important. We always try to be as transparent as possible and communicate quickly when something changes. Having recurring routines and clear forums creates order and allows for efficiency and reliability, even when a lot is going on.
When it comes to creating that structure in a complex transformation – especially when multiple parts of a bank are involved – the combination of payments expertise, PMO capabilities and communication is particularly valuable.
Having seen how different banks work, we can bring the best of that experience into a new context. But you also have to understand the organisation you’re working with. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach.
For 421, this means being able to support banks across the transformation journey, from early planning and mobilisation through execution and into stabilisation after go-live.
The role of a strong PMO is ultimately to make complexity manageable: connecting strategy with execution, keeping stakeholders aligned and ensuring that decisions and dependencies do not get lost along the way. Combined with clear communication and deep Payments expertise, we can help banks navigate Payment transformations with greater confidence.
How is your organization ensuring clear communication throughout major transformation projects? Contact us and let’s find the best way ahead.
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