What does career development mean to you? Taking extra courses to improve your current skills? Or maybe moving on from your role to a much more senior role. At Medibank, employees are not only offered both of these opportunities, but also the freedom to move into a completely different business area.
Commercial Planning & Delivery Manager, Garrath Tonkin, did just that by starting his career with Medibank in the Retail store and then later on transferring to a role based in Head Office.
“I joined Medibank in October 2014 as a Team Leader in Camberwell after which I moved across to the concept store at Docklands. Being downstairs from Head Office meant that I could get quite involved in a number of working groups and gain valuable exposure to areas outside of Retail. It also meant that I was able to meet different people across the business.”
Garrath with his Docklands Retail store team and CEO Craig Drummond.
Garrath says that diving into different working groups was something he did deliberately as he knew how important it was to expose himself to any networking opportunities available. During his time at the concept store, a secondment arose to fill the Retail Operations Manager role, an opportunity Garrath didn’t think twice about going for. Afterwards, he then moved on to become the Commercial Planning & Delivery Manager. According to him, the biggest difference between being in the Retail store to where he is now is the depth in which he can have an impact.
“I quickly realised that my career move had opened up a very important door for me. It meant that I could now help shape ideas, projects, and initiatives that have a huge impact on the lives of our customers through our customer channels. It was very refreshing to see both the resources and effort firsthand, and outcomes we are trying to achieve as an organisation.”
Garrath with his colleagues.
Medibank offers plenty of room for growth and development, and employees can be sure that support will be given whenever needed.
“My transition from Retail into Head Office was largely self-driven as I believe we need to create our own opportunities, both in work and life. It’s great that this was then accompanied by encouragement from the business. I’m very lucky that various people throughout my transition offered career advice, guidance and sometimes just an ear to listen.”
Being a part of Medibank means that individuals are surrounded by a great culture and supportive colleagues who help each other reach a common goal.
“I have formed bonds with both inside and outside work who will be friends for life. It makes coming to work every day a real pleasure, that’s for sure. They’ve helped me get through very challenging times!”
Garrath with his colleagues and close friends.
From here, Garrath is taking it day by day but hopes to continue progressing onwards and upwards, wherever that may take him.
“It’s all about learning and growing, and I don’t believe there is any limit to where I could go in the future. I’m really well supported by my manager and colleagues so only time will tell.”
Whatever his next step is, Garrath reminds himself daily of the impact he and every other employee has on the business and its customers. He also says that the work that he delivers is directly correlated with how he is feeling within himself.
“We’re in an amazing position to have a positive impact on our customers’ lives, by giving them great support, care, advice and having a tangible result on their health outcomes. In order to do that, though, we have to make sure we also focus on ourselves to ensure we are happy and healthy so that we can bring our best selves to work.”
In his downtime, Garrath loves gallivanting around as a self-proclaimed foodie accompanied by a delicious glass of vino or two, and spending time practicing his much-loved tennis.