Meet the leader driving growth at Suncorp's new game-changing hub
After almost two decades working at Suncorp across various teams, Kelly is now the Regional Customer Manager at our new Regional Hub in Townsville’s CBD. With a recruitment drive currently under way, Kelly will eventually lead a team of more than 100 people, bringing a major jobs boost to North Queensland.
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Regional Customer Manager Kelly (centre) with some of her team at the new Regional Hub in Townsville.
From graduate to leader
Kelly has worked at Suncorp for the past 17 years, starting her career as a Graduate Internal Audit Officer.
She has since honed her skills working in areas such as Risk & Compliance, Strategy & Performance and Personal Injury.
She also managed a Home Insurance portfolio before starting her new role at the helm of the Customer Service team in Townsville.
Her appointment as Regional Customer Manager is a culmination of many years spent getting to know the business inside out.
Since Kelly started at the new site in June this year, recruitment for the Customer Service team has been done in waves and 120 local jobs have been created.
“The quality of candidates has been exceptional and there is lots of enthusiasm from people about working for Suncorp," Kelly said.
Kelly's team supports inbound customer service for our Suncorp, AAMI and GIO brands.
Regional Customer Manager Kelly leads the Customer Service team in Townsville.
Professional and personal change
As well as starting a new role, there has also been a major personal shift for Kelly.
She relocated from Brisbane to Townsville with her family for the job and is embracing life in North Queensland.
“We moved up here for this role and it has been a fantastic experience. We are all loving and embracing the change of scenery,” she said.
“We love living near the beach and my son is spending more time outdoors.
“I’m looking forward to exploring more of Townsville.”
Kelly was one of seven people who relocated to Townsville to launch the new Regional Hub.
She added: “We have a wonderful mix of skills and backgrounds across the Townsville team.”
Enhanced disaster response
At Suncorp, we are committed to showing up in all the moments that matter.
As well as bringing a major jobs boost to North Queensland, Townsville’s new Regional Hub will allow for greater insights and communication with local customers and stakeholders during severe weather events.
It has been equipped to transform into a satellite disaster response hub, integrated with Suncorp’s state-of-the-art Disaster Management Centre in Brisbane.
‘Larry’ is one of Suncorp’s five new Mobile Disaster Response Hubs and is permanently stationed in Townsville, ready for immediate deployment.
The Mobile Hubs are designed to provide rapid on-the-ground support to impacted communities.
The 2019 Townsville floods were a stark reminder of the need for greater disaster preparedness in the region.
It saw more than 9,200 Suncorp claims, with further devastation in recent years from Tropical Cyclone Jasper in December 2023 and from North Queensland’s Tropical Low in February this year.
The new site in Townsville and one of the Mobile Disaster Response Hubs.
Community outreach
“Townsville’s new Regional Hub really matters to the community and it is a place where we can mobilise our resources,” Kelly said.
“We also have a brilliant partnership with the North Queensland Cowboys.”
Suncorp announced a new two-year partnership with the club last year, aimed at making a difference on and off the field.
Suncorp is a major partner of the Cowboys NRL and NRLW programs, the Presenting Partner of the Cowboys Game Participation Program (schools and juniors, regional and rural) and a partner of the Cowboys Community Foundation.
Suncorp initiative Spirit to Cure is also expanding into Townsville, which raises funds for cancer research, support and prevention.
Spirit to Cure is in its fifth year and more than $7m has been raised to date through various walks, runs, bike rides and swims.
There are 10km and 21km walks taking place in Townsville this September and Kelly and her team are excited for the event.
“We are doing our first Spirit to Cure walk this year in Townsville and the team are really getting involved with fundraising,” Kelly said.
Customer obsession mindset
Recruitment for Townsville’s Customer Service team is under way and the team has capacity to train several new team members in each cohort.
“We have a multi-week training program and on-site facilitators support the in-person delivery of training,” Kelly said.
“We make sure our new starters understand who we are as a company and they learn about our brands and the products we offer.
“We also make sure they feel familiar and comfortable using our systems.
Regional Customer Manager, Kelly
By the end of their training, we want our new starters to feel really empowered to live out the customer obsession mindset that is deeply important to us.
Kelly was particularly impressed with the first cohorts of trainees who have paved the way for others.
“They were the first people on the phones at our new site, working directly with our customers and I’m so proud of how quickly they have picked up everything. They set the benchmark very high,” she said.
Speaking about the workplace culture, she added: “It is such a happy place to be.
“Every week we grow a little bit more and everyone who goes through training is committed to improving customer outcomes.”
Click here to explore career opportunities at Suncorp.
