GB Celebrates International Women's day

On March 8th each year International Women's Day is celebrated to recognise the economic, political and social achievements of women around the globe.

In honour of International Women’s Day  we dedicated the month of March to celebrating the accomplishments of some the inspiring female leaders we work with here at GB.

GB held networking events in each of its offices around the country to mark the occasion, and conducted interviews with nine female leaders from across the business to talk about career progression, their professional highlights and their time spent at GB.

We have included links to each of the interviews below, as well as a few stand out comments from each one:

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Kylee Hateley – GB’s GI Account manager was recognised this year because of her success transforming GB's general insurance account management capabilities. Kylee spoke about what motivates her to push for continuous improvement and change.

“In my role, it is the client satisfaction and the public relations that Gallagher Bassett will be the TPA of choice. It is motivating to have a good brand reputation in the marketplace and being proud to say this who I am and who I work for, and have clients to give that positive feedback and to truly have that experience.

At GB, people go above and beyond, that combined with the breadth of expertise throughout the business delivers a very personal client experience to the people and businesses we assist and partner with each day.”

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Andrea Nelson - GB New Zealand's National Operations Manager of Personal Injury, joined Gallagher Bassett over five years ago as a Case Manager and has progressed into both Account Management and Team Leader positions before being promoted to GB’s National Operations Manager- Personal Injury in October last year. Andrea spoke about the leadership opportunities and how she has grown as a leader whilst at GB,

"GB has been an incredible support throughout my career with the provision of a number of leadership opportunities that allowed me to really step up and outside of my comfort zone. These opportunities have allowed me to grow into being the leader I am today. At GB we believe our people are our strength and I have always felt that I have been backed to take risks and make decisions."

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Sophie Potter – GB’s Northern Territory Team Manager who recently relocated to the Northern Territory to lead GB's first ever dedicated NT claims team spoke about the importance of communication and resilience to break down barriers.

“Just being resilient and breaking down barriers through communication. This was a real learning curve for me; I had to think about other people’s roles and their agenda’s. I guess it is about influencing people in a positive way. At the end of the day, your knowledge, behavior and persistence come through.”

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Katherine Johnson –GB New Zealand's General Manager of General Insurance, joined Gallagher Bassett in April 2017 as part of GB New Zealand’s acquisition of leading third party claims administrator Symetri.  We asked Katherine about her career progression, what keeps her motivated in the insurance industry and her time at GB.

"There are a lot of people that inspire me day to day. I like to surround myself with passionate people that are authentic and have a vision for success. I am fortunate to have a team in New Zealand that gives me this every day. I love what I do and it’s fun to be part of a business that has big goals and a clear direction as to how we are going to achieve them."

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Reflecting on an epic 2017, which saw her forge a presence for GB in the Northern Territory, GB’s Strategic Business Development Manager Emma Hosking had some advice for other aspiring leaders at GB:

“Have the confidence to put your hand up for opportunities that may challenge you and provide exposure but always be your authentic self. Try and surround yourself with good support both at work and in your personal life.”

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Christine Damianidis – GB’s Aus-US Partnership Manager talked about the qualities that are required for establishing a successful career within the insurance industry:

“It is important to be realistic about what you want to achieve in life. You really need to view personal and work life as one. You have to be persistent with regards to what you are going to do to achieve those goals, whether it be networking, undertaking additional studies and taking up additional opportunities such as mentoring.”

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Sarah O’Connell is the General Manager of TriEx Health, Safety & Wellness Ltd (now a Gallagher Basset Company) spoke of the people that inspire and motivate her:

"I am quite often inspired by my peers who I witness doing cool stuff. Women in NZ that are visionary, respectful and kind with their people and and being courageous in leadership roles. Women that enable others inspire me. Women that acknowledge their value inspire me."

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GB’s SA Human Resource Partner Tania Bishop, who is known for her depth of knowledge, spoke about some of her significant achievements in GB that not only helped her climb up the career ladder but also enhanced GB’s operation nationally.

“The accomplishment I am most proud of is driving cultural initiatives in South Australia through our Pulse Survey, ensuing Focus Groups and Action Plans, and delivering positive change in the business unit. As a result of this, we have also been able to introduce some initiatives that have been adopted on a National basis.”

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Shontel Dashwood – Claims Operations Manager's colleagues spoke about how Shontel ensures that services are cost-effective, professional, and customer-focused. Her colleagues believe that it is her strong expertise, leadership ability and work ethic which have earned her respect  both in GB and across the industry.

In recognition of their leadership, each of these women will be invited to represent GB at the 3rd Annual Women in Insurance Leadership Summit in Sydney in May. GB’s Stacey Williams will also be presenting at this event. Further, as part of our broader commitment to advancing the role of women in our industry, GB will be sponsoring a scholarship for an up-and-coming woman in the insurance industry to attend this event.

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