Maryanne Tran has a fancy title and works as a financial planning company called Priority Advisory Group but she is definitely more than just a desk jockey.
A second generation Vietnamese Australian, Maryanne is one of 9 children. She describes herself as a tomboy growing up and always loved playing sport with her brothers. ‘I thought I was going to be some triple threat athlete playing footy, tennis and running sprints,’ Tran laughs.
Little did she know her brothers were “’letting her win” so being a professional athlete probably wasn’t going to be a practical career choice.
From a call center to life insurance
Maryanne got into life insurance through her connections. She was originally working in a call centre where a supportive manager asked if she was happy. ‘I told him I wasn’t because I wanted to make an impact on people’s lives. Before I knew it, he had introduced me to the big cheese of the financial planning arm in our company.’
After doing an 18 month stint, specialising in risk there was no doubt in Maryanne's mind this is where she was meant to be.
‘The role opened so many opportunities and the people I met along the way helped me grow as an individual.’
Helping change people’s lives
Maryanne loves working in life insurance because she gets to see how much it can change people’s lives.
She also enjoys beating the misconception that insurance just flogs products for the money.
As Client Relationship Manager Maryanne makes sure her clients get the advice they need to protect the people they love and their lifetime of achievements if the worst happened..
Like any role there are challenges, but Maryanne says the rewards far outweigh the obstacles she has to face.
'Knowing that you have played a part in helping families recover after losing a loved one or becoming ill is the greatest reward of all.'
An exciting time for the industry
Maryanne is still amazed to see how innovative the industry has become given when she started paper files and handwritten notes were still the norm. She says technology has helped insurance people focus on what matters the most. That’s the clients of course.
Maryanne is confident anyone who starts a career in insurance will get the guidance and support they need.
‘The industry also offers flexibility for students and part-time mums which is wonderful to see,’ she says.
'I’ve watched heaps of my colleagues develop careers in underwriting, business development finance and even paraplanning, a very technical area of admin.'
Ten years on and Maryanne says she’s just getting started. She truly loves her job.