Gemma Coombs

A dedicated professional with a robust skill set in leadership, team management, and on-boarding. Demonstrates strong interpersonal skills and excels in communication, problem-solving, and team building. Known for thriving under pressure and maintaining calmness in challenging situations. Committed to delivering structured and organised results while fostering a collaborative environment. Career goals include leveraging expertise to drive impactful change and lead teams towards success.

Loyal employee with solid understanding of training and mentoring employees as well as vast knowledge of Staysure as a whole.

• Singing
• Being Mummy
• Time with family & Friends

Gemma Coombs
In the absence of your PDR, I want to leave you with my comments on you. I intend to send this Jo, so
she has a line manager view of your contribution.
Before I joined Staysure, Gem was the first person to connect with me via LinkedIn whilst on
maternity leave. One year on, I know this is how Gem works.
Gem is passionate about her role and the responsibility this brings. She will often lean into the
difficult challenges with a positive mindset that is contagious and brings out the best in others. I have
seen this time and again with her. There is no ‘show' to her. Her contribution is substantial, with a
work ethic to match. She dives in and gets involved, leading by example…with a smile.
I want to provide more detail to evidence the summary.
When Gem returned from maternity leave, at the same time I joined, it was obvious to me that the
working practices and principles she had set up were eradicated for one reason or another. I could
feel Gem's disappointment through our time together, at the same time as bringing on a new
outsource partner. Instead of focusing on the negative she quickly went into a solution focus and
galvanised the team to get us into place to support the delivery quickly and efficiently.
One of Gem's superpowers is her people leadership. She leads by example, providing clear direction
and support around the clock…literally. Gem is connected with her team and cares passionately
about the working culture. This connection is created by adjusting her style to get the best out of the
people in her team. It is inspirational to be part of.
Gem is not backward in coming forward in providing challenging feedback to others if warranted. She
will partner this with care, support and guidance to help the recipient navigate what has been said to
assist achieving a positive outcome. Again, very impressive to see.
Gem is well respected across the business. She understands the Staysure operation inside and out.
She has a tremendous amount of tacit knowledge, which is invaluable. She is sought out for her
knowledge and guidance. Her personable approach attracts people to gain her advice. I know many
outside of her direct team have benefited from her counsel.
Another quality Gem brings is that she is an excellent problem solver. Where others lose their head
and get stuck into the detail, she keeps calm, reviews the issue objectively and drives for a result. She
is willing to invite others in to help if required but in most cases, she will have the answer.
I have had the privilege to work alongside Gem and Ross to improve our current onboarding process,
and how the Talent team has supported this. Although there were initial concerns about Ross joining,
she was able to quickly pivot (on her own) to see the positive impact this will have on the team. She
was able to objectively assess what is needed and remain open to the change. Gem also championed
Ross to her team to ensure others could see she fully was behind the decision, which was great to
see. Their partnership is a real gamechanger in what we have today vs what I started with. The
improvements they have driven through the team, both behavioural and in delivery, have been
transformational. Gem played a significant role in this, guiding and coaching Ross to achieve the right
focus and approach. This has been one of my main achievements in my time here. They are brilliant!
I have lots more I can say about Gemma because I think she deserves it for her contribution and
commitment. Here is a summary list:
• Amazing leader of people and tasks.
• Open to change.
• Assumes positive intent where others will be challenged.
• Breaks problems down to see the cause and effect, joining the dots where required.
• Focuses on what's most important.
• Excellent relationship with internal and external stakeholders.
• Authentic.
• Honest.
• Clear.
• Compassionate.
• Funny.
• Driven.
• Loves what she does, and this shows in her work.
In my opinion, Gem is instrumental to the success of Redwing and the transition plan beyond this.
She adds tremendous value, which can often be overseen as she doesn't turn the volume up on what
gets done, although she is focusing on this now in the way she works.
I will conclude this review by saying it has been a career highlight working with Gem. And it has been
a long career as Gem will be the first to tell you (black and white days). She is a ‘one off'. It has been
great to get out of the way and watch her in action. She is brilliant. And the great thing about her is
there is more to come. She has huge potential.
Thank you Gem for all that you have done during my time of being here. Keep pushing the good
stuff!