This month, in honour of International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating the accomplishments of some of our inspiring female leaders.

Jodie Birleson joined GB almost five years ago as the National Learning and Development Manager.

Jodie’s current role, National Performance & Capability Manager includes learning & development (covering induction, technical training and leadership development), strategic planning, succession planning and performance improvement and impacting culture.

We sat down with Jodie to find out a little more about her time at GB.

What has been your journey to get to your current position?

My background is over 24 years in Education and was originally training as a primary school teacher. After completing Uni, my only options for getting a job at that time was to “go into the bush” which I was not prepared to do due to family commitments. I ended up working for RACQ Insurance as a Claims Consultant managing Home, Contents Personal Effects, Trailerboat and Liability Claims and then moved into the L&D Department training staff to underwrite policies before working for the broader motoring organisation for a total of 9 years. I then ventured off to Queensland Rail where I looked after a team of 50 staff and eventually moved into the Corporate Leadership Development Manager role looking after development and succession of our top 75 leadership pool. After close to 10 years I explored roles in mining and engineering with Ausenco as the L&D Manager supporting APAC/Africa before coming back to insurance with GB.

What do you enjoy most about working at GB?

I really enjoy working with my team and all staff I interact with in the business. I also enjoy learning more about the business, designing new and innovative ways of developing people and actively being part of people’s development journey and seeing the results and success they achieve.

How does your role impact clients?

My role and the functions I am responsible for help to build client confidence that we have a capable and competent workforce to not only manage their claims and provide great customer service, but to also protect their brand and reputation in the marketplace. We do this by ensuring staff have the skills and knowledge to do their jobs effectively and are compliant with the necessary legislation, regulations and legal requirements.

What are you looking forward to doing in the future, and how will this impact clients?

This year I am looking forward to rolling out the Talent Management Framework globally for our business and continuing to work on succession planning. Both of these projects/scopes of work aim to ensure that we have a capable and confident team to not only do their jobs to the best of their abilities, but to ensure we provide a great experience and service to our clients.

What are some of your accomplishments during your time at GB that you are most proud of?

The introduction and management of the Impact Leadership Program, the Emerging Leaders Series and raising the profile of the L&D function and capability within the business to strongly align our plans to the business strategy. My most recent accomplishment is the Talent Management Framework and continuing to support and embed this into our business.

How has GB supported you and your career?

GB has supported me in learning more about the neuroscience of leadership and further skills around Executive Coaching. These were specific areas of development that I was personally seeking to ensure I stayed current with new trends in my field and to build on my career plan.

Any humorous or ‘stand out’ memories from your time at GB that you’d like to share?

Oh, there are too many humorous moments to mention! A stand out memory for me most recently was to attend the Power of Gallagher conference and present a leadership session on delegation to our GB International colleagues as well as the opportunity to rollout the Talent Management Framework globally with our US and UK colleagues.

What do you like to do outside of work?

Outside of work I enjoy time with my family, riding my jetski and more recently I have taken up hockey (trying to relive my high school years) which at this early stage is highlighting how unfit I am!