{"id":18737,"date":"2024-03-08T13:39:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-08T05:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/?p=18737"},"modified":"2025-07-17T13:32:03","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T05:32:03","slug":"curiosity-is-marnies-cup-of-tea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/curiosity-is-marnies-cup-of-tea\/","title":{"rendered":"Curiosity is Marnie’s cup of tea"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

T2 Global Director of People, Dr Marnie Gibson.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Author | Carmelle Wilkinson<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Marnie Gibson was just three years old, when she entered full time schooling to quench her thirst for knowledge and the world around her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With more questions than her mum could answer, a decision was made to place her in a Montessori School, where her strong interest in learning could be nurtured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Global Director of People for popular tea brand T2<\/a>, Marnie is a born leader, and a highly qualified HR professional with expertise in employee engagement, leadership development, cultural transformation and management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Add to that growing list a natural flair for acting and presenting and a fascinating side hobby as a competitive roller-skater \u2013 and you have one impressive and colourful resume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marnie holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Sociology from Curtin, a Master\u2019s in Human Resource Management, Diploma in Business and a Doctor of Business Administration, HR and Leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI never really thought that was a lot, but now that you mention it,\u2019\u2019 she laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just like lots of things, I love variety and I\u2019m naturally very curious.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marnie said a good education was always cherished in her family, and she never took the opportunity to study for granted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy grandparents met in a concentration camp in Poland before they were relocated to a refugee camp. It was here, in the refugee camp that they had my mum,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne day they managed to escape and fled to Australia by ship, arriving in Perth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen my grandparents got here, they didn\u2019t speak English. They didn\u2019t have a great deal of money either, so they never had a car or wore great clothes, but any money they did have they invested in their children\u2019s education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy mum and her brothers were sent to good schools and following high school, mum went on to become a teacher.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marnie said growing up she was that annoying child following her parents around wanting to know the answer to a flurry of burning questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I was three, mum decided childcare wasn\u2019t enough for me, so she enrolled me in full time school. She was happy with the Montessori approach to learning so off I went. I absolutely loved it,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before tackling her many university degrees, Marnie originally had dreams of becoming a performer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI actually wanted to be the next Bette Midler,\u2019\u2019 she laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cActing and performing was and still is my happy place, which is why I never gave it up. I still have an agent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHowever, it was while studying at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) and juggling a number of random jobs as a barista, night club hostess and waitress, that I also discovered my interest in connecting with others.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile carrying out temp work in a HR department someone noticed this interest and suggested I pursue human resources as a career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShortly after, I re-enrolled at Curtin to study a Bachelor of Arts in English and Sociology, and I\u2019ve never looked back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In her current role as T2\u2019s Global Director for People, Marnie is passionate about leadership, people and positive engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Curtin<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Marnie is passionate about leadership and human connection.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs human beings, we have an innate need to connect and are social animals,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe seek to care, progress and cooperate, not only in society but in our workplaces. And building employee engagement is key to cultivating a positive work culture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marnie said when employees felt overlooked, undermined or downtrodden they were prone to disengaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been quoted that employees don\u2019t leave jobs, they leave managers, and this is so true,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy advice to employers is, provide feedback, have your employees\u2019 backs, listen, be understanding and recognise potential,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With International Women\u2019s Day this month, Marnie was hopeful more girls would be empowered to chase those senior, leadership roles in their chosen careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCurrently in Australia, 57% of retail employees are female and just only 17% are CEO\u2019s,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019d love to see those figures improve in my lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marnie also encouraged young women to embrace change, step out of their comfort zone and fuel their curiosity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t stop asking questions,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo this day, if I\u2019m in a meeting and I don\u2019t know an acronym, you better believe I\u2019m going to google it straight after.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t take yourself too seriously either. I certainly don\u2019t. I crack a lot of jokes, I like Kylie Minogue and wear sequins whenever I can, but I also know when to focus,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a diverse portfolio of work experiences spanning various industries, including lecturer at the University of Southern Queensland<\/a> and People and Culture Director at Treasury Wine Estates<\/a> in Melbourne, Marnie has learnt to bank on herself and her ability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEarlier in my career, I did struggle with imposter syndrome. At the time I was working in an Asia-Pacific role, where I was the youngest and only female in the leadership team,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat took some adjustment, and I found myself constantly trying to prove myself, even though at the time I was studying for my doctorate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNowadays, and as I\u2019ve gotten older, I\u2019m more confident in my strengths and whilst it used to make me cringe, I don\u2019t mind if people call me Dr now, as I know I\u2019ve earned it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marnie\u2019s desire to always push herself, saw her take up roller skating classes after the Covid pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With her mean roller-skating skills, she now competes at State competitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Curtin<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Marnie is an avid roller-skater, regularly competing at State competitions.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh gosh, I\u2019m really not that good,\u2019\u2019 she laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDuring Covid my sister and I started roller skating around the neighbourhood together. After she stopped and became bored with it, I continued, enrolling myself in roller-skating classes where I was the only adult.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfter completing the five levels and earning my gold stars, I asked the instructor where to now? And he suggested I start competing. Now I compete and had to source a costume because there aren\u2019t a lot in my adult size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s pretty funny, I have a coach and everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marnie said at her last comp she was she cheered on from the sidelines from the kids she formally trained with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Curtin<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A big kid at heart, Marnie is always open to new experiences.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was so cute. There were shouting \u2018go Marnie!\u2019 I\u2019ve now got many 14-year-old friends,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know how I got here, but I just embrace new experiences and I don\u2019t quit. I probably should. Haha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe I\u2019ll try for the national skating team, now that would be exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A big kid at heart, Marnie said she was always open to new experiences and had her sights set on immersing herself in a new culture and working overseas at some stage in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Author | Carmelle Wilkinson<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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