Purpose and innovation: How Sandeep found the right combination at Hearing Australia

Sandeep Babbar’s journey is defined by a passion for making a difference and years of expertise in the IT industry. By working across multiple teams to implement user-friendly, robust and secure systems, he has found meaning and purpose in his role as Head of Applications. We talked to him about what matters most, and the impact technology can have on our clients' lives.

A shared vision

“Dad, what do you do for work? Do you just fix computers?” This simple question from a curious seven-year-old sparked a profound moment for Sandeep Babbar.

“No, I don’t fix computers,” he replied. “I go to work where I help people hear again and for the very first time.”

As an IT professional with over 20 years of experience, Sandeep has witnessed technology evolve to encompass many facets of our lives. Although he originally qualified as an electrical engineer with a master’s in planning and policy, he found the opportunities in the IT industry offered far broader horizons.

“IT is big enough to encompass people from all sorts of engineering backgrounds. It’s still the same today. I didn’t want to move to a remote region to become an engineer, so I decided to build a career in technology. That was almost 20 years ago, and I haven’t looked back since.”

After building his skills and knowledge and amassing a wealth of experience in the field, Sandeep sought out purpose-driven organisations that shared his values and where he could contribute his expertise. Driven by a hunger for greater change and bigger impact, Sandeep found Hearing Australia.

“For me, it’s simple: the more useful I am, the better quality of life I will live and the more satisfaction I will get. Hearing Australia has a similar purpose - they want to help as many people with hearing loss as they can and move humanity forward. So, we are both in sync. That’s fantastic.”

Driving innovation

As Head of Applications, Sandeep’s role at Hearing Australia is busy and varied. Tasked with overseeing software and application delivery across the entire organisation, he leads pivotal teams specialising in software and product engineering, test automation and solution architecture. By working with general managers and product owners that support our network of hearing centres across Australia, Sandeep and his teams help develop secure and scalable solutions that are fit for purpose.

“At the end of the day, we're the ones behind the scenes that build and support the operating system that our people use on the frontlines,” he says. “So, the more efficiently we can deliver the software, the more people we can help.”

The technology implemented by Sandeep and his team serves as the backbone of Hearing Australia. While their work might not be visible in our hearing centres, without robust, user-friendly and secure operating systems, we wouldn’t be able to deliver effective hearing solutions to those who need them.

Recognising the importance of technology in changing people’s lives, Sandeep emphasises the substantial investments Hearing Australia has made by modernising its systems to anticipate the needs of both its customers and staff.

“We had a lot of legacy systems that were not creating great employee or customer experiences. So, we decommissioned the old systems and adopted this cloud strategy to help us get more efficient and effective results. In the last six months, we’ve been working hard at optimising these systems so that we can accelerate our innovation and implement emerging technologies.”

Pathways for growth

At Hearing Australia, Sandeep found a way to combine his skills and experience with his passion for making a difference. More than just a job, he found a platform for growth. He highlights the many opportunities for lateral and vertical development within a career at Hearing Australia. 

“I have a direct report who started as an Audiologist, and now she’s leading the product engineering team. The opportunities within Hearing Australia are amazing. In the IT space, you could go into infrastructure, business demand, project management, or cyber security, to name a few. Also, the work we do with the National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL) and all the possibilities for ground-breaking research and development that come out of that.”

Yet, beyond the extensive array of professional pathways, Sandeep underscores the distinctive purpose behind Hearing Australia.

“The work we do in helping people hear sound again and for the very first time is quite inspirational. When I talk to people at our hearing centres, they are full of life and enthusiasm for helping people. We all collectively show up. Each year, we help hundreds of thousands of Australians with hearing loss. Everything we do here is purpose-driven.”

Now, when Sandeep tells his son what he really does and the impact he makes at his workplace, his son says, “Wow, that’s so cool, Dad. I’m going to tell that to my teacher.”

This content features real employees of Hearing Australia, sharing their own personal comments, views, opinions, and individual experiences of Hearing Australia.