Learning, earning and leading
12 Mar 2024 3 min readThis year, the theme for International Women's Day is Count Her In. It's a time to remind one another about the importance of equal opportunities in order to learn, earn and lead.
To celebrate International Women’s Day, we are highlighting the many accomplishments of three members of the NGS team.
Miao Yu - Senior Investment Analyst
World travel: I was born and grew up in Beijing, China. I went on to spend 5 years studying and working in France and I also did an exchange to South Korea at KAIST business school before arriving in Melbourne to complete a second master of Actuarial Science.
Learning and growing: I have two master's degrees -- Master of Applied Mathematics in INSA Rouen in France and Master of Actuarial Science in Melbourne University. I also completed several professional qualifications, like the CFA, FRM, AIAA and CAIA.
Physical challenges: I love to run and hike. I have done the 100km Oxfam Trail Walking twice, and the Bondi to Manly 80km trail running relay the past two years. I also completed my first full length marathon in the 2023 Sydney Marathon event last September.
Danielle Kartika – Digital Producer
Becoming a mother. Becoming a mother has empowered me to prioritise self-love and focus on my mental and physical well-being, so I can be the best mum I can for my son, and that we can lead a harmonious and enriching life together.
Immigrating to Australia. Immigrating from Indonesia to Singapore, then Vietnam and finally Australia presented its challenges, but I'm proud of the life I've carved out in Australia. I feel immensely fulfilled in my career and have a lot of joy in my life.
Building a new home. My husband and I are building a new home. I'm so grateful to have the opportunity and create a new home together.
Philippa Minney - Chief Risk Officer & Head of Corporate Services
Balancing a successful career and being a Mum. For all those working mums out there, we all know it’s tough. Climbing the corporate ladder and balancing family is difficult and there were times that I agonised whether it was the right path. My mother did not have a career, she worked part time while I was at school but came from a generation where the mother’s job was to be there for the family. Demonstrating to my daughters, and my son, that mothers can have a career and the division of duties between Mum and Dad is normal was important to me.
Making the decision to dial back my career when my children were small. While I am proud of my professional success, it was also important to me to be able to be more present at times in my children’s lives. For 11 years I worked part-time. This took a lot of creative thinking, reinventing my career and a lot of flexibility. It meant I could be part of school events, volunteer and spend time doing things that were valuable to me and my family. I am grateful for all the managers I had through that time that supported my part-time work.
Mentoring some amazing and diverse people. I have had some great role models throughout my career and the opportunity to give back through mentoring has meant a lot to me. I am always amazed how much I learn from my mentees and seeing them go on to do great things always fills me with pride.
