International Women's Day 2024: Security women making waves
This year as we celebrate International Women’s Day, we take a look at four Gallagher women who are forging a path in the Security industry.
Natalie Bannon, Director of Strategic Alliances, Security North America
Natalie describes her role as working to “create world class experience for our end users, our channel partners, our third-party partner, and our consulting community.”
And since joining Gallagher in 2020 she’s made a huge impression on the wider security industry, most recently being announced as a recipient of the Women in Security Forum (WISF) Power 100 recognition programme.
“This programme honours 100 exceptional women in security who are raising the bar, changing expectations, and breaking barriers,” explains the Security Industry Forum. “They lead, they inspire change, and they innovate, and this is their time to be recognized!”
Natalie joins 99 other women in security who model leadership, inspire others and shape and transform the industry.
Pascale Howel, Customer Research Manager, New Zealand
Joining Gallagher as a graduate of Massey University in 2018, Pascale’s research helps us understand our security customers better, make more informed decisions and deliver impactful products to the market.
In recognition of her efforts, Pascale has been nominated for the Outstanding Young Security Professional at this year’s New Zealand Outstanding Security Performance awards (aka The OSPAs).
The award nomination shows Pascale’s deep commitment to her work.
“It’s not uncommon to see Pascale involved in multiple projects across Gallagher’s teams: from marketing to R&D, SMB to training and everyone in between, Pascale is repeatedly tapped to contribute because of her stellar insights, ability to convey complex information in an accessible manner, and excellence in digging deep to find answers to intricate questions.
“Every team within the Gallagher organisation not only directly benefits from her work, but actively uses her research to strategically plan, develop product roadmaps, target key verticals, refine messaging, and identify opportunities for growth and improvement.
“Scott Ridder, Value Stream Lead for R&D, says ‘Each new project she takes on improves upon past work, and despite the increasing complexity, it runs smoother than anticipated. While Pascale herself is very modest, the high regard and praise she constantly receives from both internal and external stakeholders is testament to her continuous improvement mindset.’”
Meredith Palmer, Chief Product Officer, New Zealand
Meredith joined Gallagher during the Alert Level 3 lockdown in 2020 and moved quickly from being a team lead to Security Chief Product Officer. She played a critical role in directing Gallagher’s ambition toward becoming an adaptive, collaborative, and customer-centric team.
In December 2022 Meredith was recognised for her outstanding contribution to the security industry by the Women in Security Awards Aotearoa (WiSAA).
Meredith believes that as a leader, actions speak louder than words: “Every interaction throughout the organisation is important. If I can have a positive impact on even one person, no matter who it is or where they are in the organisation, that is a good outcome.”
To celebrate International Women’s Day this year Meredith was asked to contribute a thought leadership article to TechDay – an international news network spanning NZ, Asia, Australia, UK, and India.
In the article Meredith talks about the importance of listening to build connections.
“Careful listening is a strategic necessity to guide the development of solutions that solve real-world problems. When done with intent, it fosters the kind of foundational trust and loyalty that long-lasting partnerships are built on while also serving as an imperative tool for product development.”
Read the full article here.
Danielle Mitchelle, Training Manager APAC & IMEA, Australia
Joining the security industry six years ago after a chance meeting with Security leadership, Danielle leads a team who have been instrumental in the development and roll out of several company and industry-first initiatives that have changed the face of training.
This year Danielle is speaking at two Australian Security Industry Association (ASIAL) Breakfast Briefing events in conjunction with this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) celebrations – one in Brisbane and one in Melbourne.
At the events, Danielle talks about the importance of building teams with diverse experience and strengths to drive success.
Executive Vice President APAC/IMEA, Craig Schutte says, “Danielle's vision for the industry revolves around challenging the status quo and promoting a culture of innovation. She passionately advocates for exploring new ideas and approaches, pushing back against the notion of ‘we've always done it this way.’ With her visionary mindset and relentless pursuit of improvement, Danielle is poised to make a significant impact on the security industry as she continues to rise as a standout leader and innovator.”
Danielle remains firmly focussed on the future and her advice to anyone starting out in the security industry is this: “Seize every opportunity to vocalise your aspirations, and don't shy away from advocating for yourself. In doing so, you not only assert your intentions but also foster a culture of collaboration and support.”
We’re proud to celebrate women’s achievement – not just on International Women’s Day – and acknowledge their successes.