RACQ women share their career journeys this International Women’s Day
To mark this year’s International Women’s Day, we spoke to some of RACQ’s inspiring female workplace pioneers – taking on, and succeeding, in traditionally male-dominated roles.
From university graduates succeeding in the competitive insurance world, to our Chief Operating Officer’s rise to the top – and everything in between - these women are paving the way for future generations in the workforce.
Lixing Zeng – Insurance pricing analyst
Can you tell us about what your job entails?
I am part of RACQ’s Insurance Pricing department, which is responsible for using different modelling to determine insurance pricing and premiums.
How did you end up in your role?
I moved from China to Canberra when I was 19 to complete an undergraduate and postgraduate degree in actuary studies at The Australian National University in Canberra. It was scary at first, but then I started to settle in, made friends, and my English became stronger.
Earlier this year I moved to Brisbane and started my first ever job as an insurance pricing analyst at RACQ. I love maths, and loved it all through school. I figured insurance is a good industry which combines my interest in equations and algorithms and will also give me a long and prosperous career where I can continue to develop and learn.
What career advice do you have for others?
While some may think mathematics, actuary studies and insurance are traditionally male-dominated fields – I think insurance, or pricing analytics more specifically, is well suited to women, because it’s all about attention to detail and problem solving, which we are great at!
I encourage all females, both at RACQ and elsewhere - especially international women – to be confident and show their abilities and talents and share their ideas.
For those who don’t speak English as their first language, I know it can be difficult to start a career in a diversified country and work in an environment where you need to use a second language. I have found it’s always helpful to communicate as much as possible, don’t be shy and embrace the different culture with an open mind.
Rochelle Clark - Digital and Automation consultant
My job involves assessing current business processes for the viability of automation - so changing something that may currently be a manual process into something our systems can do automatically, saving the business time and money.
What attracted you to your current job?
I worked in RACQ’s contact centre for nine years, and during that time I was always looking for ways to improve processes and reduce unnecessary admin time to allow staff to get back to our member calls faster. In this role, I had worked with the automation team as a business subject matter expert and saw the potential of automation. I have also always had passion for new and fun techy things. I wanted to move into a new area and push myself beyond my comfort zone.
This year’s IWD theme is equity, what does that mean to you?
For me fairness is about the right person being given the right opportunity, it shouldn’t matter who you are, you should get the opportunities you work hard for.
What career advice do you have for others?
If you have a passion for something, stand up and show people you have that passion and skills. Too often, we sit quietly, and watch others reach their goal. Be proud and back yourself.
Bernadette Stone – Chief Operating Officer
Can you tell us about what your job entails?
I am the Chief Operating Officer of the Member Engagement and Transformation team and that includes the member contact centre, retail branches, technology and data and analytics. Being new to this role my focus has been understanding our people, our challenges and our opportunities. What I love most about the role is that I have carriage of making sure our member services and operational capabilities are at the heart of what we do.
What attracted you to your current job?
When I joined RACQ two years ago I was really excited at the thought of being part of an organisation that is passionate about its employees, members and delivering value to Queensland communities. I started as Chief Technology Officer having had over 20 years’ experience in technology but also more than five years outside of technology in large transformation roles. I believe enterprise-wide transformation and large delivery experience is what led me to taking on the Chief Operating Officer role, which I started in late last year.
This year’s IWD theme is equity what does that mean to you, particularly in the workplace?
My career's been spent predominantly in male-dominated industries (mining, transportation) and in the early years I don’t recall diversity and inclusion being a live conversation. I was naïve to issues such as the gender pay gap, unequal access to promotions, and sexual harassment or discrimination. We are lucky at RACQ, in addition to having the right policies and practices in place, we're doing the hard work in trying to shift a culture toward eliminating biases. For me, the work is in the conversation and ongoing training to identify the unconscious biases and work together to drive a culture of equity, equality, and respect for all our people.
What career advice do you have for others?
Find a mentor(s) who challenges you. I’ve been lucky in my career to have multiple supporters along my journey. But I worked with an amazing CFO when I was at Aurizon who has been my champion over the past 10 years. She is my touchstone and an important relationship to me to this day. We all have our inner dialogue that sows the seeds of doubt in our own capability at times, so you really need that person that will allow you to be vulnerable and will guide you through those times of insecurity and give you that belief in yourself.
Can you tell us about what your job entails?
I manage the daily operations of RACQ’s three large towing contractors in the south east Queensland metro area, who each have a fleet of dedicated trucks (RACQ livery) and their own fleet, that carry out towing jobs for RACQ members. This includes a lot of collaboration within the business, with the likes of Dispatch, Tech Training, Health & Safety as well as Member Relations. It also includes regular meetings with our contractors to discuss their performance and upcoming changes or initiatives.
What attracted you to your current job?
I enjoyed managing an external contractor in my previous role and saw managing three contractors on a larger scale as an exciting opportunity to develop my skills and challenge myself by taking on something new. In saying that, with the little understanding and knowledge of towing and roadside I had at the time, it was also slightly daunting as much as it was exciting.
This year’s IWD theme is equity, what does that mean to you?
For me, equity means each person is given the same opportunities and treated in the same manner, regardless of any different circumstances. From my experience and feedback received, I believe sometimes it is beneficial to have a different perspective and a fresh approach.
What career advice do you have for others?
Having been in several roles that are traditionally male-dominated, I do believe you need to have self-confidence and resilience. I have probably felt at times that I needed to overcompensate to prove that I am capable, however I think if you treat people with the respect they deserve and aren’t afraid to ask for help, you also gain respect. There’s no shame in acknowledging that you don’t know something and reaching out to someone for their knowledge – we can’t all know everything.
