Articles / Recognition
How O’Brien Celebrates Team Member Excellence In The Face Of Adversity
14 March 2022
When reflecting back over the last two years, most would immediately think of how challenging the times have been for everyone. Social distancing, lockdowns and “the new norm”, just to name a few.
But at O’Brien®, we’re proud to say that we’ve risen to the challenge – and we can attribute that mostly to the resilience of our people.
So, despite the adversities and challenges the world faced, our teams at O’Brien® continuously persevered. All of our team members continued to show up every day and deliver fantastic support to customers in need, wherever they may be and whatever their requirements were.
At O’Brien®, it’s in our nature to foster a culture of recognition – especially as our members always go above and beyond. We take the time to acknowledge the excellence of our teams and the exceptional service they deliver, especially during these busy and trying times.
The 2021 O’O’O’ Awards: Honouring Our People
Each year, we formally recognise the phenomenal individuals and teams who actively embody what we call the O’Brien® DNA; where we celebrate when people are caring, collaborative, genuine and driven. That’s because, in the end, it’s our PEOPLE who make the true difference.
Although we constantly acknowledge everyone’s valuable contribution to our organisation, we still take an extra step to recognise those who have gone above and beyond to deliver truly outstanding results.
Through the O’O’O’ Awards, we honour the achievements of these Team Members nationwide who have delivered excellent results, created a meaningful or positive impact, and engaged in cross-functional collaboration throughout the year.
What these awards mean to our people
At O’Brien®, we make it a priority to encourage our people and nurture their talents. Our Team Members work hard to ensure our company’s success, and we want them to know how much we appreciate their effort.
When interviewed, Raj Murugesu, Special Projects Manager & Estimator (Glazing) in the Sales & Marketing department, said, “It’s really nice to see that people recognise and reward you for your contributions to the company”.
For Raj, this is what has inspired him to stay with O’Brien® for 15 years now – and Raj is not alone. We have a large number of team members who have been with us for over 10 years, demonstrating how our great culture supports our great people and keeps them feeling fulfilled every day.
Customer Delight Awardee, Jim Poulimenos said that winning the award was a delightful surprise to get at age 62! “I love what I do and I always do my job the best way possible. So being recognised for the work I do invigorates me. At O’Brien®, they praise you to become better”.
That’s why we put so much emphasis on support and recognition at O’Brien® – as it allows people to grow, feel fulfilled and enjoy the team comradery every day.
Our O’O’O’ Awards winners!
With so many amazing teams across the country, we’re proud to admit that selecting O’Brien®’s top winners was no easy feat. However, without further ado, here are the O’O’O’ Awards categories and winners for 2021!
Standout Individual
These people have gone above and beyond to achieve outstanding results, deliver exceptional customer service and consistently meet and exceed performance targets.
| 2021 Standout Individual Awardees | |
|---|---|
| Adele Wardrope Glazing Team Manager Nunawading Glazing |
Meliame Tuiloma Workforce Planning Real Time Analyst Customer Solutions |
| Jack He Inventory Planner Supply & Distribution |
Rhyan Trewartha IT Operations Specialist Information Technology |
| Kelsey Marquardt Administration Assistant Supply & Distribution |
Roukiah Beyrouthy Inbound Sales Consultant Customer Solutions |
| Sam Clark Auto Technician O’Brien® AutoGlass Bayswater |
Customer Delight
Those individuals who have demonstrated exceptional customer service to their internal and external customers.
| 2021 Customer Delight Awardees | |
|---|---|
| Hayden Jones Auto Technician O’Brien® AutoGlass Lambton |
Jim Poulimenos Sales Consultant Customer Solutions |
Innovator of the Year
The individual who has identified and/or implemented a new and innovative idea that has had a demonstrably positive impact on our customers and the business.
| 2021 Innovator of the Year Awardee |
|---|
| Raj Murugesu Special Projects Manager & Estimator Sales & Marketing Glazing |
Safety Ambassador
The individual who has demonstrated outstanding health, safety and/or wellbeing support.
| 2021 Safety Ambassador Awardee |
|---|
| Sean Geraghty Glazing Field Manager Silverwater Glazing |
Safety Leader
A manager and/or team leader who has personally role-modelled and actively driven health, safety and/or wellbeing support.
| 2021 Safety Leader Awardee |
|---|
| Blake Wall Branch Manager O’Brien® AutoGlass Bayswater |
Transformational Leader
A leader who has shown exceptional commitment to building and driving a high-performing team, achieving strong results and creating a positive climate.
| 2021 Transformational Leader Awardees | |
|---|---|
| Adrian Jackson HR Operations Manager People & Leadership |
Nik Mihailovic Branch Manager Penrith Automotive |
Stellar Team
The team and/or branch that has worked collaboratively and gone above and beyond, together, to achieve outstanding results for our customers or the business.
2021 Stellar Team Awardees by department
| Finance | |
|---|---|
| Andrew Mclellan Credit Services Manager |
Arthur Michalakis Group Accountant |
| Matthew Hardman Financial Controller |
| O’Brien® AutoGlass | |
|---|---|
| Daniel Lewis Head of Central Operations |
David Portese Supply Procurement & Distribution Manager |
| George Toubia Supply Manager |
Pinaky Raha Store Development & Transformation Manager |
| Todd Campbell Business Improvement Leader |
| Customer Solutions | |
|---|---|
| Fahad Hanif Manager Quality Change & Projects |
Simeon So Workforce Planning Manager |
| People & Leadership |
|---|
| Hayley Johnson HR Business Partner |
| IT |
|---|
| Cindy Low Program Manager Transformation Projects |
| Electrical & Plumbing |
|---|
| Ashley Clemmett Head of Commercial & Systems |
Putting our Team Members’ best interests first
The O’O’O’ Awards are just one of the many things we do here at O’Brien® to show our genuine appreciation of our Team Members. We also look to provide career development opportunities, training and additional support from peers, colleges and managers – something that we are very well-known for internally.
Jim Poulimenos, Customer Delight Awardee, came from the banking sector before becoming one of O’Brien®’s most reliable sales consultants. He said, “O’Brien® never stops training. There is always job progression and if you are prepared to do the work, O’Brien® will reward you. I can’t sing their praises enough. Not because I won the award, but because it’s the truth.”
O’Brien® also understands the value of flexibility in the workplace and allows Team Members to enjoy a balance between their professional and personal lives.
Jim added, “Even with COVID, O’Brien® is unbelievably flexible with the hours of employment. They’re constantly helping university students, mothers, people who want to work on the weekends and earn extra money. They continually try to make their staff happy during these hard times.”
“O’Brien® has a really strong group of people,” Adele Wardope, Glazing Team Manager and Standout Individual Awardee said. “We really stepped up during the uncertainty of the pandemic. The transparency and the communication that we had during this challenging time was an inspiring thing to see.”
Moving forward with O’Brien®
The future at O’Brien looks bright, thanks to our tight-knit community and fantastic team leaders who inspire our people to be their best. For Adele, this sentiment rings true. She said, “With O’Brien®, the amount of assistance and resources they provide to our teams means everyone can get on with their work. O’Brien® is really great at making us feel that there’s no success in business without the people.”
“O’Brien® puts a lot of time and effort into developing a clear direction that the company is headed towards,” Adele added, “from this, everyone works together to achieve this so that all members of the team can contribute.”
“O’Brien® gives us enough freedom and support to explore our ideas” Raj Murugesu, Innovator of the Year Awardee said. “We get the encouragement to support the ideas that we are passionate about. The company is continuously evolving and we evolve alongside it.”
For us at O’Brien®, every success is shared and recognised. This is how we cultivate a culture of growth among our team members, and we aim to continue doing this as we move forward.
O’Brien® believes that good people attract good people. As our business grows, we make sure that everyone grows together with us.
Build your career path with us at O’Brien®
At O’Brien®, our people are our most valuable asset. That’s why we invest in them so they can unlock their full potential, feel fulfilled and achieve more.
If you’re interested in joining our community of driven, collaborative, genuine and caring individuals across the country, our doors are always open.
For more information, email us at careers@obrien.com.au or visit https://www.obriencareers.com.au/ to see the variety of roles available to you!
