Leishman Coaching

I started Leishman Coaching in 2019 because, while I had a successful corporate career for many years,   I also made a lot of mistakes. So while I got there in the end, I wish I had someone to guide and coach me. 

I worked with some great leaders along the way but I always knew that it was difficult for them to be truly independent when they were coaching me.  I needed someone who was. Someone who didn't have conflicting priorities. Someone who could support my career ambitions and accelerate my learning.

There were things I just didn't know. 

In the last few years of my corporate career, I was privileged to work with a couple of incredible coaches. I learned so much from them and still remember the things they taught me. 

And so, I decided to retrain and become a coach.

What makes my coaching approach different is what I call the triple threat.

🔵 I have an extensive corporate and business experience.

🔵 I am an accredited professional coach, AND

🔵 I am a writer, so with me, it can be a one-stop shop - and you can be confident that your personal brand is supported by great career documents.

I have coached more than 500  clients since 2020, across a variety of roles, industries and countries.  

While I have an extensive background in financial services, I have found that the challenges people experience at various points in their careers, are both universal and global.  

I am a lifelong learner, a voracious reader and I regularly pick up new strategies and approaches which I put into practice in my coaching business.

Principal

Financial Basics Foundation

FBF is a national NFP focused on building financial literacy in young people in Australia. As a long standing charity, it has delivered free resources to Australian schools for more than 20 years.

Chair

CUA - Credit Union Australia Limited

Chief Operating Officer

General Manager, Member Experience

Chief Operating Officer (Acting)

Head of Customer Experience and BPR

Responsible for program management, change strategy, and execution of the ANZ Distribution Transformation major projects portfolio.
Business dimensions and scope: Program budget $75M. 800 branches, two call centres and 6,000 employees.

ACHIEVEMENTS

1. Carriage of the GM Distribution Transformation position for an extended period of time - full accountability for strategy development and execution.

2.Branch redesign program to support evolving customer needs resulting in 37 new look branches in 2013.

2. Ongoing development and build of customer management and home loan systems.

3. Development of change strategies and tools for ANZ staff and customers, culminating in the ANZ 'Better Ways to Bank' program.

Portfolio Change Director, Distribution Transformation

Management of all support functions including major projects and program office, investment slate, risk functions, vendor management, business information and improvement teams (Lean Six Sigma community). Business dimensions $40M opex, $100M+ in project capex and opex.

ACHIEVEMENTS

1. Development of a new strategic operating model for all support functions which delivered both a 25% reduction in overall run rate and an increase in stakeholder satisfaction of 20% over an 18 month period. 

2.Leadership of the Australian Retail Offshoring Program. Moved 1000 roles to Bangalore and Manila over a 3 1/2 year timeframe.

3. Capacity planning focus and re-engineering work supported productivity improvements of an average of 27% across all teams and a 20% reduction in customer complaints.

4. Successful Delivery of a number of key infrastructure programs including a new fraud management platform. Benefits exceeded all business case targets.

5. Reduction in vendor management costs of $21M over 2 years.

Head of Business Enablement, Australia Operations

Quest Limited

Responsible for developing a Pacific Operations Hub in Fiji to mitigate financial and operational risk in the region. Business dimensions Opex $6M* Capex $12M. 
*NB Low cost of labor drove relatively low opex in Fiji.

ACHIEVEMENTS:

1. Developed the Pacific Hub strategy and centralised functions from 12 Pacific countries and 2 Asian countries into Fiji.

2. Developed a strong company culture and employment brand. Benchmarked using the Hewitt's survey. Achieved Best Employer status for three consecutive years and moved staff engagement from 68% to 92%. Became an employer of choice in Fiji.

3. Led the company safely through the 2006 military coup and subsequent upheaval, followed by Cyclone Gene in January 2008. 

4.Achieved ISO 9001 2008 accreditation in 2008. 

5. Won a number of external awards including: DHL (Fiji) Exporter of the Year Westpac Services award in 2007 and 2008. Fiji Business Excellence awards in  2006, 2007, and 2008. These awards were an integrated part of the business strategy to develop our quality standards and employment brand.

6. Obtained government approval for 10 year tax free status in 2006.

7. Oversaw design and implementation of a building fit out with all the associated challenges of doing so in a politically unstable and  developing country.

Managing Director

Responsible for mortgage processing Australia wide and all major Mortgages infrastructure projects.

ACHIEVMENTS:

1. Remediation and successful delivery of two infrastructure projects.
2. Restored service levels in 2002 to achieve lead bank status with mortgage brokers.

Head of Mortgage Processing

Responsible for running the end-to-end mortgage business in New Zealand. Business dimensions Budget $170M. FUM $10BN. 

ACHIEVEMENTS:

1. Exceeded profit targets in 2000 and 2001.

2. Achieved market leadership with a new broker value proposition.

3. Staff satisfaction levels of 90%.

General Manager, Mortgages

Responsible for national team of 1000 operations staff across five locations. Business dimensions: 1000 staff. Budget 30M.

ACHIEVEMENTS:

1. Rationalised processing sites from five to three.

2. Managed national restructure to align to new business model.

Chief Operations Manager

Led national  team of 500 staff across 8 locations managing all back office transactions.

ACHIEVEMENTS:

1. Major site rationalisation - from eight locations down to three.

2. Reduced run rate by in excess of 20% over 18 months.

Head of Retail Operations

Responsible for leading and developing all new retail and business distribution strategies.

ACHIEVEMENTS: 
1. Multiple new initiatives including centralised credit and cash processing, network configuration strategy, and ATM profitability model.

Head of Distribution Strategy

Various retail and corporate banking roles

You know you need to work on your career,  but life gets in the way.

We’ve all been there. 
 ➡️ The resume that’s sat half-finished for months. 
 ➡️ The vague idea of "planning the next step" that never makes it to your to-do list. 
 ➡️ The creeping feeling that you could be doing more, earning more, or feeling more satisfied at work,  if only you knew where to start.

Since 2021, I’ve worked with more than 700 professionals to break through that stuck feeling. Whether it’s career direction, preparing for a move, stepping into leadership, or navigating a tough patch, I will help you cut through the noise and take real action.

With over 30 years’ experience as an executive, leader, parent, and business owner, I know the career game from all angles. My coaching is honest, practical, and focused on progress, whatever that looks like for you.

Here are some of the topics I coach on: 

🔵 Gaining clarity on where you are heading with your career and putting a plan in place.

🔵 Pinpointing why you are not getting interviews, jobs, or promotions, and working with you to close the gap.

🔵 Navigating the boardroom as a new or aspiring executive.

🔵 Learning the art of executive presence and high-impact communication.

🔵 Helping you get market ready if you are preparing to leave, between jobs, or returning to work after a break.  

🔵 Writing your career documents because you have looked at them so many times you are losing the will to live. 

🔵 Building a plan to help you come back from the brink when you are sliding backward down the corporate ladder, or have made a career-limiting mistake.

I am a qualified coach with more than 30 years' experience as a leader and executive, both in Australia and internationally.  

I know what good looks like, and I will work with you to help you get there. 

"Brigid offers a rare combination of "expert/practitioner" and "coach/mentor" that distinguishes her from other executive coaches I've worked with throughout my career" 
CEO, Melbourne, Australia

I share practical career advice here every week — follow me for free tips.
Or message me if you’re ready to make real change, and we’ll book a free discovery call.


🕸 Or check out my website for packages and pricing.

leishmancoaching.com

Brigid Leishman

Findex

Reporting to the Chief Operations Officer, this role holds accountability for developing and executing growth strategies to attract new clients and deliver additional value for existing clients. This critical management role is focused on driving business development and leading the interface between Strategy, Marketing and Client Services Delivery. 

Accountabilities include lead generation and direct revenue growth, proposition and customer journeys, go-to-market strategy and campaigns, revenue operations and enterprise growth reporting and forecasting, B2B Partnerships, Industry Practice Groups and Bids & Tenders across our 4 Client Delivery divisions of Accounting & Tax, Audit, Advisory & Consulting and Wealth.
 
• Key contributor with a team of 16 sales, business development, enablement and marketing professionals who delivered over 7% YOY organic growth in Net Income in FY23 across our 550 partners in accounting, audit and wealth.  
• Expanded the industry specialisation practice groups in Findex for Agribusiness, Healthcare, Not For Profit, Education and Construction. On track to deliver over $2.5M in new to firm business in FY24.  
• Led development of enterprise growth and marketing strategy across service lines and core client segments. 

Skills: Growth Strategies · Business Growth Strategies · Cross-functional Team Leadership · Business Strategy · Business Transformation · Sales Growth · Marketing Strategy  · Marketing Campaign Management

Group Head of New Business Solutions

Reporting to the Chief Growth Officer, this role holds accountability for developing and executing growth strategies to attract new clients and deliver additional value for existing clients. The objective is to achieve double digit growth by FY25 using data and insights across the Findex enterprise to build strategic focus on core segments and sectors including Agribusiness, Healthcare, Not For Profit, Education and Construction.
  
•	Key contributor to delivery of 5.4% YOY organic growth in net income in FY22.  This is significant as it is the first time the company has grown organically in more than five years. 
•	Developed the first industry specialisation practice groups in Findex for Agribusiness, Healthcare, Education and Construction. Designed value proposition and go-to-market strategy and delivered >$500K in new to company business in FY22. On track to deliver $1.5M in new growth for FY23. 
•	Led delivery of the first wave of a transformation program, creating capacity for growth through redistribution of low-value and specialised work to centralised teams. 
•	Led development of enterprise growth and marketing strategy across service lines and core client segments.

Head of Growth Strategy and Transformation

Energy Super

Head of Marketing role focused on delivering integrated brand, marketing and communication activities to drive membership and contribution growth. 
* Led the team and delivered integrated marketing campaign to uplift new membership to record levels in FY21, as well as 500% growth in the niche market of KiwiSaver transfers. 
* Built and delivered marketing program of work for first phase of merger with LGIAsuper. 
* Created a cohesive and engaged team culture through focus on strategy, planning and empowerment of team members.

Head of Marketing, Brand and Communications

*Leading the award-winning, Australian first digital messaging app, iM CUA, to grow from beta pilot to 25K users within 18 months, delivering a new revenue channel and higher than bank Net Promoter Score (NPS). 
*Delivering the first CUA community concept branch for retail banking in Australia, driving 12% membership growth and 82% lending sales uplift in first operating year.
*Developing and executing the business case and target operating model for CUA’s Contact Centre transformation program; on track for delivery in mid 2020. 
*Delivering CUA’s Sales Business Improvement Program in 2019, removing 20K hours from front line processes and creating the first Sales division robotic process.
*Presenting on the global stage at the 2019 Digital Banking conference in Austin, Texas (USA) on “The Promise and Reality of Human Middleware in Banking”.

Head of Sales and Service Transformation

*Delivery of Sales Distribution Strategy 5 Year Plan. 
*Enhanced weekly sales reporting and set-up of analytics function.
*Launch of revised scorecards and improved management of the sales incentive program.
*Received CUA Top Performer award for 2015. 
*Speaker on ‘Influencing Digital Conversion’ at the 2015 Interactive Minds Digital Summit. 
*Led the first intake of Graduates on sales rotation to deliver 6 business problem solutions, including the launch of DigiMates, aimed at lifting digital activation

Senior Manager, Sales Strategy & Analytics

Provide executive support to the General Manager, Sales & Service, including preparation of Board papers, Executive briefings and business cases.
Management of key projects on behalf of Sales & Service business.
Oversee divisional budget in conjunction with department heads.

Business Manager, Sales & Service

*Establishment from scratch of a successful digital marketing and ecommerce function and team, achieving c.30% growth in online sales. 
*Successful rebuild of CUA Health online sales portal, resulting in 150% in sales in first quarter of operations. 
*Established and built social media community across Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn, maintaining CUA as the 3rd most liked financial institution in Australia. 
*Strategic development and project delivery of the highly successful and viral ‘Pink My Profile’ Facebook campaign, achieving over 165,000 social engagements within 48 hours and making CUA the most 'talked about bank in the world' at that time.
*Delivery of online communications program and social media management for core banking upgrade, including customer service channel during transition. 
*Project management and delivery of digital strategy and assets in the CUA Carindale concept branch, nominated for the 2013 AIMIA Awards for Digital Design 
*Development and project management of marketing communications program to support launch of CUA Online Banking for Mobile, resulting in over 6,000 downloads in the first month.

Digital Marketing Manager

Account manager for a wide variety of business stakeholders within the bank, identifying business needs and managing the development and implementation of marketing activities to support business sales targets.

Marketing Account Manager

AEGON

Development of marketing strategy to launch Aegon Direct - a remote (phone and web based) channel for pension (superannuation) sales. B2B marketing to pensions advisers to support sales of Aegon pensions.

Senior Partnerships Consultant

Suncorp

Development and implementation of marketing campaigns to deliver sales targets for Wealth Management division including superannuation, life insurance and retail investment funds.

Marketing Advisor - Wealth Management

Indue Limited

Marketing strategy consultant for a range of credit unions across Australia to achieve various business objectives including customer acquisition, activation and retention for banking products including debit and credit cards and customer loyalty programs.

Campaign Strategist

Hockey Australia

Marketing, media and PR activities to support the game of field hockey.

Marketing Communications Manager

Cuscal

Marketing campaign manager for CUSCAL member credit unions to support business objectives for banking products including deposits, lending and cards.

Senior Campaign Manager

Pinpoint Marketing

Account Manager for development and implementation of marketing campaigns for VISA International to drive debit and credit card acquisition, activation, usage and retention including Sydney 2000 Olympics, NZ banks including BNZ, Westpac and ASB, and Australian banks including NAB and CUSCAL.

Manager, Marketing - VISA International

One of the best things about taking on any new challenge is the opportunity to learn things you didn’t know the day before. And knowing that while you will use the skills you already have, you will also learn brand new ones. I love this about the work that I do.

Some of my recent career highlights:

•	Key contributor in a team who delivered 7.6% YOY organic growth in net revenue in FY24. This is significant as it is the first time the company has grown organically in more than five years. 

•	Developed the first Industry specialisation practice groups in Findex. Delivered value proposition and go-to-market strategy and delivered >$500K in new to company business in FY22 and $2.5M in new growth for FY24. 

•	Drove record membership growth (+60%) at a member-owned super fund from 2020-2021.  This was achieved through B2C marketing campaigns and B2B employer campaigns targeted at the energy sector. Achieved growth in niche segment of >500% increase in funds YOY.

I’m a strategic sales and marketing leader with extensive experience in financial services across ASX200 companies such as VISA International and Suncorp, as well as challenger brands such as Great Southern Bank and Findex. During this time, I’ve led many strategic transformation projects that have enabled companies not only to grow but also to remain relevant for the future. 

Good at building a vision for the future, I develop strategies that I know will actually work in the real world and can be practically executed. My ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with stakeholders at all levels means I can sell the vision and influence others in pursuit of a common objective.

I value diversity, inclusion and debate and working for companies with values aligned to my own. Life is too short to work anywhere where you feel your personal values are compromised and this is a key consideration for me when I am looking at opportunities.

taplio

The Battle

Brigid Leishman

Nicola Lambie

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?