RISING STAR TACKLES MASSIVE CHALLENGES
THE head of The Star Gold Coast has spoken out on the challenges of steering the organisation through the COVID-19 lockdown, and re-emerging into a changed business world.
Chief operating officer Jessica Mellor said dealing with the coronavirus pandemic presented her with a massive challenge.
“Responding at a local level to the impacts of this global pandemic has been, like for many others, the biggest challenge of my career,” she said. “It’s the speed at which things have changed, the shock and the uncertainty that has been hard to navigate.”
When the pandemic hit, Ms Mellor moved quickly. In late March, The Star Gold Coast temporarily stood down 95 per cent of its workforce and paid out two weeks of pandemic leave to ease the initial shock, while setting up a hardship grant program for those worstaffected by the lockdown.
Ms Mellor’s thoughts turned immediately to the people around her and supporting them through the uncertainty, but she admits to taking a moment to reflect as The Star Gold Coast closed its doors.
“I remember the last day when everyone had left, and we had turned all the lights out and it was just … silent. We didn’t know how long it would be before we were back. That was a very emotional moment and very confronting.”
Ms Mellor has blazed a trail as the youngest and first female chief operating officer at The Star.
The 35-year-old, who completed a Bachelor of Property and Sustainable Development at Bond University in 2009, was recently named one of six AFR BOSS Young Executives of the Year for 2020. She said it was a thrill to receive the award.
“When you’re a busy executive, it can be hard to find time to pause and reflect on what you have achieved or what you’re capable of, so it was a nice opportunity to do that," she said.
“Certainly, the process and the simulation you go through to test your skills, abilities and strengths, were some of the most interesting things I’ve ever done. The opportunity to reflect on what your blind spots might be or how you can improve your leadership style, that was the real prize.”
The Star Gold Coast reopened its doors at the start of July, and in an interview published in the August edition of Bond University’s alumni magazine, The Arch, Ms Mellor said she was keen for the organisation to learn from the past, as it looked to the future.
“The resilience that we’ve been able to build through this challenging time – and the way we’ve been able to look at the business, make changes and really challenge some of the assumptions around the way we operate – will be a long-term benefit.”