Growing with Gallagher: Indigo's journey of personal growth
At Gallagher, we’re all about helping each other to grow. Growth looks different for everyone - for some of us, it involves putting our hand up for things that push us past our comfort zone. For others, it’s about listening to learn where we’re flourishing and where we can improve. And for Hamilton-based Production Trainer, Indigo Winter, her personal growth journey has led her to her passion - helping others to grow.
It's hard to miss Indi - she’s got a bright, smiley face and hair that often matches her name. She’s also got ambition - and a lot of it!
Indi started at Gallagher in 2017 in our Operations (Plastics) team - a far cry from her previous job as a massage therapist! But not one to wade around in the shallows, Indi jumped straight into the deep end and hasn’t looked back since.
“I needed a change and knew I wanted a fresh start. I didn’t expect to fall in love with my work, which was like nothing I’d ever done before.”
Although she’s worked in a range of areas at Gallagher, Indi knew from day one that a training role was for her. “I adore people. On my first day at Gallagher, I met Tessa (Coombs), who trained me. I immediately fell in love with her job and wondered how I could do that,” says Indi.
And she wasted no time getting stuck in. As a storesperson, Indi initially applied for a role in the Quality team, but still had her sights set on a training position. This passion was evident to Operations’ Value Stream Manager, Duane Taylor.
“After the interview, Duane and I talked about how I could become a trainer. I was stoked someone had noticed that was what I wanted to do.”
Once or twice a week, Indi would begin work in Stores early and come over to Systems at the end of the day to start learning the ropes, so she’d have some experience should a job opportunity pop up.
She also started taking part in project work, both in the Training and Continuous Improvement (CI) teams. “One of the highlights for me was the ‘sad, mad, glad’ initiative - where we asked the wider team what made them sad, mad, and glad at work,” Indi explains.
“We prioritised changing things people weren’t happy with, and found ways to optimise the positive elements. It was great to find out what people in our team actually wanted - the project’s success is a huge testament to our Logistics leadership team. It’s pretty neat to have managers that actively encourage us to take the reins.”
Indi’s biggest challenge came when she spoke at Gallagher’s first Operations Expo, an internal event for Gallagher people, in 2021 - alongside Group Supply Chain & Manufacturing Executive Derek Pinkerton. Chatting to Indi, you’d have no idea that public speaking wasn’t her forte - but she admits it was extremely nerve-wracking, and it was a while before she even agreed do the Expo! But as with everything else, Indi took a breath and then took the plunge.
“My confidence grew a lot,” she says. “I loved it - so much so that I’ve joined all the Expos since. It’s an awesome way to get talking to people across Gallagher, many of whom you’ve never heard of or seen before”. There are around 400 people who work within the Operations team at Gallagher, and around 800 people in total on the Hamilton site.
Indi’s hard work at the Expo didn’t go unnoticed - she began working in the Systems team in 2021 and took on the permanent position of Production Trainer later that year. This role involves recruiting and training people new to Operations.
Some would take a break after summitting the mountain and achieving their goal, but not Indi.
“Indi has immediately started adding value, taking our inductions for new team members, and supporting training in our Stores areas,” explains Duane. “She does this in her positive style and has a real knack for bringing training to life and getting people engaged in the topic.”
The reason Indi is so passionate about her job is simple - she’s passionate about people.
“I have the best job in the world - I get to give people new to Gallagher the best possible start,” she comments. “There’s not a day where I go home anything but happy.”
So, what’s the advice Indi would give to those looking to take the next steps in their career?
“Putting your hand up and getting amongst everything you can is the only way to go. Get out there and do it!”