Josh’s Journey
We recently sat down with our NSW / ACT Insurance Manager, Josh Jackson, who has just ticked over 10 years with Paynters!
From estimating to project management, to now playing a key role in the growth of Paynters NSW & ACT Insurance operations, Josh has had an incredibly inspiring career run to date. A loyal member of the Paynters family, we sat down with Josh to hear his thoughts on the last decade! Take a look.
When did you start at Paynters – and in what role?
I started with Paynters in June 2012 as an Estimating Technician. The role involved assisting Senior Estimators within the business to prepare competitive tenders and cost plans on projects to the value of $50 million.
Is there a story on how you landed at Paynters?
Yes. I was working at another construction company in Brisbane when a colleague who had landed a job with Paynters and pushed me (for weeks) to interview with them. I interviewed with our Managing Director (then General Manager) Brett Johnston and the rest is history. That colleague (and now great mate) was Mitch Kruk, Project Manager with Paynters – we recently celebrated our 10 years with the company together last month.
Have you been in the same role, or transitioned over time?
If you told me 10 years ago I would be where I am and done what I have done with Paynters, I would have laughed at you. After 3 years in the estimating department, one evening in 2015 I was pulled into a meeting by the company directors and given an opportunity to relocate to Newcastle to establish the NSW operations for one of the group’s subsidiaries, Rizon.
I naively jumped at the opportunity, packed my bags and moved to Newcastle 4 days later, not understanding the difficulties of establishing a business unit in a new state, with new staff. A year after this move, I relocated again to Sydney and set up another office. Within 2 years I had 20 direct reports, two offices and was managing a fully operational business unit as General Manager – NSW for Rizon.
In 2018 I was given the opportunity by the board of directors to ‘come home’ and establish Paynters Insurance sector for NSW, based out of Sydney. Again this had its own unique set of challenges including trying build a brand in the middle of the pandemic. However, a testament to our company we continue to strengthen our position as a leading major & complex commercial loss insurance builder within NSW (and more recently the ACT). Now 2022 looks like it will be our biggest year yet.
It’s been an incredibly challenging journey so far, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. The growth I have had not only in my career but also personally, I don’t think I could replicate if I wanted to. Looking forward to the next 10 years!
What did you do prior to joining Paynters?
I’ve been in the construction industry since I was 17, however growing up on the Sunshine Coast meant that surfing and pubs held ‘equal’ importance to me whilst I finished my university degree. Once I graduated, I traveled to Japan and worked for a full ski-season – snowboarding almost every day for four months gives life some perspective. I returned to Australia only 3 days before the Fukushima nuclear disaster and after three months of surfing every day I moved to Brisbane to (re)commence my professional career.
What do you love about your role and more specifically Paynters?
I feel my current role is truly unique. Every day I am able to draw on all the knowledge and experience I have gained over my 14 years in the industry – estimating, project management and stakeholder management to name a few. I am also in a privileged position to be able to influence outcomes that benefit the wider community. One example comes from the recent Northern NSW floods that continue to devastate the region. We worked tirelessly for two weeks including working weekends and evenings to facilitate the reopening of a primary school that had to be closed due to flood waters. This was an incredibly important outcome for the community as many families of the school had lost their homes as a result of the floods and returning to school was the only form of normality that anyone could offer the children.
