Siobhan McAuley

Siobhan Mcauley

I have been with ABL Group for over 21 years and this is just my second job!

In my career to date, I have only worked for two organisations. I joined GRE in 1984, my first grown-up job, as a junior in the Household Insurance Department. I carried out various underwriting/ Team Leader roles during my time there.

I then switched from Underwriting to Broking and moved to the company that would become ABL Group. My role developed into Executive Director, with responsibility for Corporate business within the group, along with Group training and development.

One of the achievements I am most proud of is setting up the ABL Academy for the development of professional qualifications across the Group.

Our second Academy will be opening soon to a new group of candidates and I can’t wait to see the progress each academy student makes and the self-confidence proper training and support gives everyone in the organisation. I believe that this supported learning sets ABL apart from other brokers in the market.

ABL Group has changed a lot since I joined and that pace of change has accelerated but we’ve adapted to that. Change is now part of our DNA.

We believe in change in order to grow and develop, both personally and as an organisation. It can be daunting when the company makes a new acquisition or launches a new product or service but we must ask ourselves: “Am I a believer or a non-believer?”

When I’m not at work I’ll be spending time with my family. I live in North Belfast with my husband and three grown-up children (and a Maltese called Ruby).

In my younger days, I was a passionate Irish dancer and competed well into my twenties. Both my daughters followed the same path and that allowed me to continue to indulge my interest through them. Although I have to admit, they were more successful than me!