{"id":14333,"date":"2024-02-15T11:33:06","date_gmt":"2024-02-15T11:33:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.chubbfs.com\/uk-en\/?p=14333"},"modified":"2025-05-14T13:42:23","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T13:42:23","slug":"from-the-land-down-under-to-an-uplifting-leader","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.chubbfs.com\/uk-en\/from-the-land-down-under-to-an-uplifting-leader\/","title":{"rendered":"From the land Down Under to an uplifting leader"},"content":{"rendered":"
I was born in Sydney, Australia. My father is British, and my mother is Australian. When I was around 18 months old, my parents decided to move to Manchester, England, my dad’s home town. Unfortunately, my parents\u2019 marriage broke down after a few years, and my dad moved back to Australia.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n My mum and I stayed in the UK for another couple of years as she had recently qualified as an architect, and she was determined to follow her. She made the bold decision to move us to London so she could start her career.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n London in the 1980s was filled with opportunities but also presented challenges, <\/span>especially as a single mother. My mum is utterly determined and resilient, but without any family around us, we didn\u2019t have a support network, and there was too much for her to juggle on her own, so we moved back to Sydney.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Back to Oz\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I went through primary and secondary school in Australia and fondly look back on those years.<\/span><\/p>\n If I liked the subject or the teacher, I did well. I had to work hard to achieve positive results if I didn’t. One of my teachers once said I was one of those kids with all the ability, but they just wished I would apply it.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For me, school was more than just learning from textbooks; it was about everything <\/span>else that went with it. I guess you could say I learned as much from the ‘social’ side of school as I did from the academic.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In Australia, schools have Out of Bounds. I guess it\u2019s a bit like the Duke of Edinburgh awards but in the Australian Bush. Whatever you could carry on your back was what you were allowed to take \u2013 clothes, shelter, and food. You were entirely alone for three days, well apart from the snakes, spiders, and critters. It was gruesome at times, but I loved it. All my school reports said I was “in my element”, pushing myself, excelling in a team, and immersing myself in new experiences.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The world of work<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n After completing my exams, I was encouraged to go to university. However, in Australia, you can start working when you\u2019re 14 years and 9 months old.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n At about 14 years, 9 months and 2 days, my mum marched me up the high street to find a job. I wasn\u2019t impressed because none of my friends had jobs. But I learned all the valuable skills that come with getting a job, which gave me independence and choices.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n So, I wanted to do something else rather than continue with my education. I’d moved out of home and suddenly had freedom. I was working and earning money.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Jet setter\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Aussies love to explore and travel. So, with my freedom and regular income, I decided to embrace the spirit of adventure, grab my backpack, and try it too.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I headed to Italy and set up a base there, allowing me to visit other countries. After a few weeks, I enrolled on a language course at Perugia University to study Italian. I\u2019d never spoken Italian before but wanted to immerse myself in the culture.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As the funds began to dwindle, I found myself in England, where my grandparents lived. Like many Australians before me, I worked in various pubs to keep some money coming in.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Around the 10-month mark, my mum reminded me of the importance of having options and encouraged me to go home and study for a degree. Taking a detour through Thailand, I spent a month exploring Bangkok and its surrounding islands and then volunteered at a Homestead village. Building fences and engaging in community service certainly helped me look at life differently.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Building for the future\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Once I returned to Australia, I began searching for a degree \u2013 but I wanted a course that would deliver fulfilment. Influenced by my mother, I chose a degree in architecture \u2013 but with the <\/span>condition that I wouldn\u2019t end up working for the family business.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As it turned out, architecture is all about problem-solving, something I\u2019m passionate about. It taught me that I didn\u2019t need to be an expert in every aspect of construction, but as long as I knew who the experts were and could bring them together, we\u2019d have a successful project.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Back on Greenwich Mean Time<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019ve always been drawn to the UK, so after my degree, I hopped back on a plane to stay for six months and see what opportunities were out there. Within four days, I was offered an admin role in an HR department for an electrical company. After two months, I was given an opportunity to move up the ladder. The company also offered to put me through college to gain the relevant qualifications.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As someone who always embraces opportunities, I said, “Why not?” and before I knew it, I was working during the day and going to Salford University at night to get the qualifications.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A few months passed, and then a larger company acquired the company and relocated its UK head office to Stafford. That\u2019s when I made my move into <\/span>procurement. I didn’t really have experience in procurement, but again, I thought, <\/span>why not?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The new parent company strongly emphasised people, training, and development, much like Chubb. At the company\u2019s global HQ in Paris, the company basically had its own university campus. Every month, I had the opportunity to go to France and join some brilliant training courses.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The aim was to prepare me to travel around France to find and buy the transformer parts for the Eurostar. Getting my bearings in France and driving the wrong way around the Champs Elysees with locals shouting at me were very memorable moments in my working life.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Starting a family\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A short while after that, I got married and became pregnant. My husband and I <\/span>relocated to Warrington to start our family. The only downside was that work was an extra <\/span>20 miles away. On a good day, it was 40 minutes; on a bad day, it was two hours plus. It was a struggle.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I then got a call from a former colleague now working at Chubb. They said there could be an opportunity and asked what I thought. But I wasn’t really interested. I enjoyed work, loved the people I worked with, and had been through some significant life milestones while there.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But Chubb was five miles down the road, which meant no motorway traffic. Working at Chubb would give me more time to spend with my children. So, I went for it.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n