Sam's journey of learning with Gallagher
Sam Afzali has lived all over the world. He was born in Iran, moved to the United States, and today lives in Australia. These experiences mean he brings a global perspective to the table, and now based in Sydney, Sam is a Technical Business Development Manager for our Security business in New South Wales.
We caught up with Sam to learn more about his career and the skills he’s gained at Gallagher.
While the security industry was new to Sam when he joined Gallagher in 2005, the broader technology industry wasn’t. Prior to joining #TeamGallagher he worked for a range of sizable brands including HP and Coca-Cola Amatil, the Australian distributor for the brand.
“I actually started studying a science degree to be an engineer in the United States, but it wasn’t for me,” explains Sam. “Then in Australia I studied computer programming and loved it.”
Once Sam had plotted the broad map route for his career, he took steps towards his goals which guided him along the way. For many years these steps were in the software industry working for a firm that provided solutions to telecommunication companies.
Come the 9/11 attacks, Sam noticed a shift in the global interest of security, and that more and more, technology was going to play an even bigger role in the years to come.
“I was looking for something a bit different, and got lucky to come across Gallagher,” Sam says. “The company was actually recommended to me, and while I didn’t know anything about Gallagher at the time, I knew I wanted to find something that’d help me learn and grow.”
Sam recognises that progression isn’t purely about a career ladder – or moving up in seniority – these days. Progression is all about learning and growing, and progression doesn’t necessarily need to involve moving from role to role. It’s up to us to determine what our career playground looks like.
“One of the key things I’ve learnt throughout my career is importance of being resourceful. I’ve learnt how to fill the gap when I didn’t know something. If you don’t know, you can only ask.”
Sam credits one of his long-time teammates, Sales Manager Adam Smith, for being a close connection at work since the beginning. Sam says their peer-to-peer learning has been incredible.
“Adam’s skills are different to mine, and together we complement each other really well. We’ve learnt together. He’s no less than a brother to me. We collaborate closely. I think external learning like courses and conferences are great, but don’t underestimate just how much you can learn from someone at work.”
This strong peer-to-peer learning connection at work has led to a number of significant and exciting work stories. Sam’s been across the multi-year Sydney Opera House deal and many others including the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Deloitte, AMP, many universities & hospitals across the region.
“There’s a beautiful view of Sydney’s skyline from Darling Harbour, and we often look to the high rise buildings above and think about just how many of them we already secure. It’s a great feeling to be involved in such meaningful work.”
Learning and continuing to increase his skillset has always been important to Sam, and this continued with Covid’s arrival in 2020.
“Just like everyone else, at the start of the pandemic we needed to change the way we’d been doing things overnight, and I don’t think we should underestimate just how much we’ve learnt and grown as a result.”
From in-person engagements to video calls, and classroom training to self-directed learning modules, and everything in between, Sam says Covid has presented a learning opportunity in itself.
“Over so many years I’ve seen a lot and I feel here at Gallagher I’m part of something that’s so great,” Sam says. “Even though I’m not based in Hamilton I feel such a strong connection to this engine room and I love our culture. I feel a sense of family at Gallagher.”
Think of everything in life as a steppingstone to the future. Each role, experience, and piece of learning is a gift, and all of it will help us somewhere down the line.