Melinda Narayan accepts new role to support rapid growth in Victoria
After 3 years as a Team Manager at KINNECT Melbourne, Melinda Narayan found she had a growing interest in the client side of the business, and the process of building and nurturing the crucial relationships that help KINNECT grow. After discussing this with her State Manager, James Buckley, a role was created for Melinda to be Victoria’s first Workplace Rehabilitation Account Manager.
Melinda originally joined KINNECT as a Team Manager in 2020. Over the last 3 years she has seen the Victorian organisation grow from a small team of less than 10 consultants, to a significant operation with close to 25 consultants.
In her role as Team Manager, Melinda supervised and supported a team of allied health professionals including Osteopaths, Nurses, Exercise Physiologists, Occupational Therapists and Rehabilitation Counsellors as they delivered workplace rehabilitation services. She also helped with the management of pre-employment and health monitoring medicals as well as injury prevention programs.
While the role was fast-paced and challenging at times, Melinda found she was able to tackle these challenges, thanks to the support and positive outlook of the broader KINNECT team.
Melinda said of the Melbourne office, “It’s so nice to come in and see everyone happy and approaching their work with positivity. The team in Melbourne really makes an effort to check in on each other and join in on social events run by KINNECT.”
As her role spanned many different areas, Melinda began building relationships with employers, insurers and brokers across the state. She found she enjoyed working alongside other businesses to drive the best possible outcomes for individuals while also expanding KINNECT’s impact. Her genuine belief in the company’s service offering made advocating for KINNECT easy.
“Because I’m going out and meeting with people directly, I’m often the one that receives recognition on behalf of KINNECT, and it’s so great to have that positive feedback coming through and know that clients really value our services,” said Melinda.
Melinda’s hard work – and that of her team – contributed to KINNECT achieving the best return to work outcomes for original employer services under the WorkSafe Victoria scheme last quarter.
Upon transitioning to Workplace Rehabilitation Account Manager, Melinda has found her favourite part of the role to be meeting with clients and exploring new opportunities.
Melinda said, “I really enjoy meeting the clients face-to-face – having a catch up over coffee but then also being able to discuss shared our opportunities in a casual setting.”
When asked what advice she would give others looking to pursue a similar career path, Melinda highlighted confidence as a key factor to success.
“You have to be willing to call people that you haven’t spoken to before and be confident in communicating our service offering. Also as an Account Manager you are working pretty independently so being organised with your schedule is really important.”
Glad to be able to take on a new role within the business, Melinda is excited to help KINNECT expand both its team and client base across the state.
“I’m glad I now have more time to invest directly in building and nurturing these relationships and contribute to growing KINNECT in Victoria,” said Melinda
If you’re interested in a career with genuine mobility and growth opportunities, why not join us?
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