Nowadays, to be employed by the same organisation for a decade is considered a significant milestone. Using that time to become a leader is an incredible accomplishment. Customer Support Manager, Jodi Swinn, has achieved both. At Medibank, employees have opportunities for growth and personal development, enabled by movement within the company.
Jodi began her career in the Medibank contact centre taking customer calls. She says this was the perfect beginning to understanding the needs of the customer. After two years she got her first taste of leadership, applying to join the ‘Step Up Team Leader’ program.
“I had a great team leader who advocated for me. I found myself taking on a secondment and leading a team of 15 employees in the contact centre. I’ll be honest, from then on I was hooked!” she says.
Jodi stayed on in this role until an opportunity to take on a permanent position presented itself a year later.
“I continued leading a customer service team for five years, which included 12 months leading a training team. I learnt so much adapting to each person’s learning style to really get the most out of them.”
Jodi with two of her Team Leaders Lorraine and Thomas.
In the following years, Jodi continued to lead some other teams before spending six months in a position that specifically focussed on complaint and case processes. She says this was a time of intense learning, giving her a key role in improving aspects of Medibank’s complaint management framework. Jodi has now returned to a leadership role as a Customer Support Manager and is currently responsible for five team leaders and their teams.
Jodi is excelling in her path as a leader and is supporting others in their journeys.
“I have an opportunity to assist my team members in growing and developing, so they’re ready for the next phase in their careers,” she says.
“I give them support and guide them as necessary. Every day in this role, I try to have a ‘people first’ mindset.”
Celebrating 10 years at Medibank with Dave Wagstaff, David Koczkar, Craig Drummond and Mark Brownfield.
Being a leader is an achievement, and Jodi hopes she’s laid a path for other females to follow.
“Female leaders have just as much to offer as male leaders. I love that Medibank understands this. It’s rewarding to know I’m able to motivate others to take on leadership opportunities too.”
Jodi says she owes a part of her success to mentors and leaders who did the same thing for her.
“Every lesson they teach us a piece of the puzzle. I’ve had the chance to learn from great people leaders and their belief in me to make the right decisions, and supporting me throughout, has made all the difference. I’m very grateful and proud.”