Hi! I’m Laura Kutyla, and I’m one of Airwallex’s Workplace Experience experts.
Airwallex is a leading global financial platform for modern businesses, with offices buzzing with culture, innovation and collaboration across the globe. But did you know that Airwallex was founded in Australia? Our co-founders opened a coffee shop in Melbourne in 2015 (soooo Melbourne, right?) and soon discovered the friction points that Airwallex would aim to solve.
Today, we have over two hundred team members working across our Melbourne and Sydney offices. Our team is made up of the most brilliant and innovative people in tech, working together to deliver on our vision to empower businesses of all sizes to grow without borders.
It’s important work, and we believe it’s worth rewarding at every opportunity! With our people coming into the office three days a week, our Workplace Experience team always goes the extra mile to make our offices awesome and welcoming spaces.
Eager to see more? Take a peek behind the scenes with me as I share more about Airwallex culture in our Melbourne and Sydney offices.
Airwallex Melbourne
The Airwallex Melbourne office is right in the heart of the city’s vibrant central business district, surrounded by all the action. We’ve got amazing views of the Yarra River and the MCG, and the office itself is designed to spark creativity and collaboration. It has bright, open spaces with plenty of room to focus or hang out with teammates. Plus, we’re just steps away from some of Melbourne’s best cafes, restaurants, and bars, making it easy to grab a bite or celebrate a win with the team.
Airwallex Sydney
Airwallex’s Sydney office is nestled in the heart of the dynamic Tech Central precinct – the home of Sydney’s tech scene. This strategic location means we’re neighbours with other innovative tech companies and startups. Plus, we’re just a quick walk from Central and Redfern Station, so commuting is a breeze. And with Central Park right next door, there are tons of amazing places to eat and hang out. It’s the perfect spot for our team to get creative and have some fun!
But what’s happening inside the offices? Come and take a look!
Together we feast!
Is there any better way to come together than over delicious food? We don’t think so!
It’s hard to do your best work when you’re hungry, which is why our snack bar is always stocked. From healthy options like fresh fruit, trail mix and popcorn, to not-so-healthy options like chips, chocolates and biscuits – our team will never go hungry when the 4pm cravings hit.
We also believe that regularly catching up over a meal is essential. This is why we host fortnightly lunches at both our offices.
Sushi, salads, burritos, pizza… we mix it up every time! And of course, we always provide options for our vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free colleagues. Everyone is welcome and catered for!
Treat yourself!
We’re all about the little treats here at Airwallex. Whether it’s with a sundae bar, Valentines Day donuts or a bubble tea pick-me-up, we love to surprise with special snacks. And of course – we love to celebrate monthly birthdays with all the cake you can eat!
Something to chew on
Our team is full of incredible knowledge about the tech world and beyond. In our Something to Chew On series we go beyond the workplace to share stories and insights that are important to us.
This year so far we’ve had team members share their experiences around Lunar New Year, Cinco de Mayo, and Anzac Day. It’s a great way to get to know each other on a more personal level and learn about what’s important to people on our teams.
Showing appreciation for traditional owners of the land
The Airwallex Sydney office is on Gadigal Land of the Eora Nation and the Melbourne office is on the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Boon Wurrung Peoples of the Eastern Kulin. In Sydney we are also just a few streets away from Redfern, a significant place for First Nations people and the birthplace of the urban Aboriginal civil rights movement in Australia.
Celebrating First Nations culture will always be an important part of our workplace experience. During Reconciliation Week (27 May – 3 June), we were honoured to host Aunty Jude Jarret, a proud Koori woman from the Gumbaynggirr nation here in the office to share her culture, language, and the history of Aboriginal art, while we created our own Indigenous art inspired painting.
We’ve also been delighted to support local Indigenous-owned businesses by stocking our snack bars with delicious treats from BSKT, Dreamtime Tuka and Jala Jala Treats during NAIDOC week.
Championing our brilliant women
There are so many incredible women and female-identifying people on the team at Airwallex. We take every opportunity to champion their contributions and create space for them to connect.
International Women’s Day (IWD) is all about championing their trailblazing work, and discussing gender parity within our team and the wider tech industry. Earlier this year, we were delighted to invite Stephanie Skevington, the co-Founder of Butter, and Holly Brooks, Content Manager at Startmate, to our offices to discuss all things equality within the Australian business and tech landscape.
Female members of the team were invited to attend the Social Skilled International Women’s Day and FoundHer breakfasts. The day also presented an opportunity for some of the women on our team to share their own stories and tips for emerging female professionals. Read more as they share their wisdom here.
Beyond IWD, we also sponsor Airwallex Women groups in Sydney and Melbourne and provide a dedicated budget for women in the workplace to come together to connect and share learnings and challenges.
Celebrating as a team
As the old saying goes; if you’re going to work hard – you have to play hard!
Our Sydney and Melbourne offices are fitted out with a complete bar and social spaces, and we look for any opportunity to make the most of them. Here are some of the in-house celebrations we host throughout the year.
Pride and St. Patrick’s Day Trivia
Do you know the answer to questions like “which year was same-sex marriage legalised in Australia”, or “why do we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on March 17”? Our team does!
We love coming together on important days to build our knowledge and celebrate with our very own pub-style trivia series – complete with awesome prizes, of course.
Mid-Year Celebrations
Why wait until the end of the year to celebrate our team’s accomplishments? In July we held parties in both our offices to toast to what we’ve achieved in 2024, and get excited for the year ahead.
Cue the cheese boards, canapes, cocktails and mocktails, live entertainment, pinball machines, and a ping pong table (we couldn’t call ourselves a tech company without one, right?).
Monthly Happy Hours
A recent initiative that we kicked off in our offices are our monthly themed happy hours, as just one extra way to surprise and delight our people.
With monthly ‘hosts’ from around the team, we kicked off in Sydney with an ‘Olympics in Paris’ theme – hosted by our Senior Counsel Nick, who may not be French but can pour a mean rosé.
Meanwhile in Melbourne, we invited special guests from Shorty’s Liquor and Oakridge wines to take our team through a wine tasting of their delicious drops.
Come and join us!
Our Sydney and Melbourne offices are buzzing hubs of innovation, collaboration and celebration. So if you want to do the most ambitious work of your career, with some of the brightest minds from around the world – we want to hear from you!
