Human on the Inside with Lizzy Geremia
Human on the Inside. We’re big believers in the power of human skills. But don’t just take our word for it - the evidence for excellence powered by human (‘soft’) skills is everywhere! In this engaging, ever-enlightening series, we speak with industry leaders, innovators and game-changers to learn a little about their personal career journeys, and how human-led strategies, philosophies and cultures are proving a force for good in their working worlds …
Maxme: Welcome Lizzy, and thanks for stepping into the #SuccessIsHuman Spotlight!
You’re a C-suite Leader, passionate about transforming social impact, brand and employee reputation. Currently, you’re Group Brand & Culture Director with Reece Group.
In 1 sentence (ok, we’ll give you 3), what does this work entail?
Lizzy Geremia: Supporting businesses to bring their brand to life through their people and the good work that they do.
M: You’ve held your current role for almost 2.5 years now, but first joined Reece in mid 2017 as Workplace Transformation Lead, and in 2019 were promoted to Chief Communications Officer. After a further two years, your role shifted to Group Corporate Affairs Director. With all this said, your impressive career of course extends much deeper.
Before 2017, you built a strong foundation in brand, culture, and corporate social responsibility across several high-profile organisations. This included BUPA, where you played a pivotal role in implementing the Insurer’s global values across an extensive workforce of 80,000 employees. Other notable tenures include seven years with NAB, two with Barclays, and almost three with KPMG, both in Australia and the UK.
How does all this work speak to your personal purpose and what drives you as an individual?
LG: My personal purpose is to make people’s lives (and in turn businesses) better through creativity and great storytelling.
I love working collaboratively with great people to solve problems and build the brand experience. The best work I have been involved with has always had a wonderful blend of strategy, brand, simple communication and energy. I feel really passionate that when employees are engaged, and committed to the business aims, while feeling connected to the brand, the employee experience enables a great customer experience. It all cascades from the inside out; from a business's purpose to its promise to its customer.
M: Tell us a little about your personal education pathway/s - what led you to where you are now? How closely do your formal qualifications match your current career?
LG: Ha - well during my school years I was very into the arts and specifically drama, and was an avid reader (I still am). I was very interested in the impact art can have on culture, and the role theatre has played in reflecting or pushing society’s boundaries. This led me to do a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Theatre Studies, focussing on theatre and arts marketing, art history and playwriting. Moving to London in my early 20s I soon realised that a career in theatre administration would require me to self-fund. My background and circumstances didn’t allow for this, so I needed to think differently.
After a couple of years working for a conference and events company, I had a life-changing conversation with a recruitment agent. I was at a complete loss when it came to my career options. She helped me realise that I had strong emotional intelligence, loved writing, had creativity and energy and was a natural collaborator. She then said I should think about a career in communications - I didn’t even know what that meant - but she put me forward for a comms role at KPMG, which I landed, and at 24 started my career.
I believe my early passion for the arts enabled my creative thinking and passion for creating impactful experiences. Although I don’t write plays, I write copy, speeches and challenge others to think differently.
While I’ve certainly learnt ‘on the job’ over the course of my career, I found becoming an accredited coach particularly helpful. Through this training, I honed my ability to enable others to find the answer to their questions. More recently, via my work in corporate affairs and closely with boards, I became a graduate of AICD. This allowed me to become even better at asking great, open questions to broaden business thinking.
M: If you could share one piece of career advice to your 21 year old self it would be ...
LG: Don’t be rigid in your career journey or expectations - just bring energy and enthusiasm to everything you work on and go the extra mile.
If someone sees something in you that you don’t see in yourself, embrace it. Learning through experience is just as important as formal education.
M: Maximising the potential of individuals, communities and businesses through the power of human skills is the reason Maxme exists. Can you tell us a little about the role and / or value of human skills in the rapidly evolving, AI-augmented world of work right now?
LG: I believe emotional intelligence and human connection are enduring capabilities that are going to become more and more valuable. We will only truly unlock the power of AI by helping workforces to adapt and change. Businesses who are change-adaptive and deeply connected to their people will be able to accelerate the power of AI. This requires openness, curiosity and the ability to question - fundamental requirements of any great leader.
I also think that the power to use business for good is uniquely human - ensuring there is a conscience alive in the organisation, and that people continually use purpose and values as a compass for creating great commercial outcomes while doing the right thing.
M: Self Awareness sets the critical foundation for all Maxme learning experiences. With that said … what’s your strongest trait / personal super power?
LG: I think my strongest trait is the ability to bring people together, get to the heart of a problem quickly, simply, and make the work to solve it fun.
I bring energy, optimism and creativity to the way I work, and enjoy fixing things that are broken. They say a problem shared is a problem halved. Throughout my career, I’ve often been sought out as a sounding board to actively listen and see things from the employee or customer perspective.
M: And on the flip side, what’s one human / ‘soft’ skill you’ve had to really work on improving over the course of your career?
LG: I can often be very passionate about what I think the right thing to do is. One of the things I’ve had to continually work on is identifying where the business is at, when it will be ready for change, and how long that may take.
You have to meet people where they’re at, and when things aren’t going smoothly, I have to remember to slow down, understand, and be realistic about what is achievable.
M: If you could share one piece of career advice with recent Uni graduates or candidates keen to work in the fields of brand or culture, what would it be?
LG: In your 20s - really explore different places to work. Observe which cultures and leaders bring out your best, and where you feel hindered. Start to build a mental list of the ideal culture for you, be curious to understand what different companies do to invest in their culture, and how that impacts their customer experience.
M: You’ve been granted approval to add one University graduate to your team, but have 100 applicants, all with outstanding academic results. How do you find your perfect candidate - what are you looking for?
LG: People who are energetic and curious! If you’re a candidate, your capability is largely a given. So what I’m looking for is adaptability, grit, and someone who has both learnt through life experiences, and has the ability to share what they’ve learned about themselves in this process.
M: In the words of John Dewey, “education is not preparation for life, education is life itself.”
What’s next on your #learning agenda?
LG: I have recently moved into a new role at the Breakthrough Innovation Group (BIG) - an internal and external agency arm of Reece - and lead the team across four of our agencies. This covers brand, digital products, website design, and insight. This is a whole new area for me, so my current learning is definitely on the job - being aware of what I don’t know, building a great team of experts around me, and knowing that I will make some mistakes along the way!
Lizzy Geremia
Brand, Employee & Social Impact Champion
Lizzy Geremia is an accomplished brand, communications and culture leader, and the current Group Brand & Culture Director at Reece Group. With a background that includes leadership roles at Bupa Australia and New Zealand, Lizzy is known for her ability to drive cultural transformation, brand alignment, and purpose-led initiatives across large organizations. At Reece, she has championed major internal shifts, including the company's headquarters relocation to Melbourne’s innovation precinct, Cremorne, to foster greater collaboration. Lizzy also helped launch the Reece Foundation, focusing on global access to clean water, and has partnered with health institutions to support tradespeople's well-being through programs like the Ticker Test. Her work has been recognized across industry platforms, where she regularly speaks on the power of brand, culture, and communications to shape sustainable, people-first businesses.
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