After 14 years with Royal Wolf, Regional Administration Manager Lily Ciobanu feels as though it’s more of a family than a workplace.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Lily Ciobanu was born and raised in Romania. “I came to Western Australia in 2001 and worked for the government for five years,” recalls Lily. With an affinity for working with numbers, Lily went for an accounts receivable position at Royal Wolf. “I applied and 10 minutes after the interview they called me and asked when I could start,” she says.
With the support of her wolf pack, Lily went on to study an advanced diploma in accounting, and soon moved into an internal accounts position. More than 14 years on from her first day with Royal Wolf, Lily has recently landed her favourite role yet. “Last year, I was promoted to Regional Administration Manager.
A UNITED WORKFORCE
Outside of work, Lily has a tight-knit family. Her daughter lives next door and her son is only a couple of minutes away. “My kids are really important to me; we are a very close family,” she says. But at work, Lily says she’s got another kind of family. “Being at Royal Wolf, it's not like any other job,” she explains. “It's like we are working together as a family to achieve the same thing, to make our customers happy.”
It’s a testament to the culture at Royal Wolf – working in a male-dominated industry as a woman who speaks English as a second language might sound daunting in any other workplace. “I've always felt I was an equal within this company and I’ve never felt disadvantaged by being a woman or coming from a different background,” says Lily.
“At the end of the day, we will have an objective in common and it is finding the solution to meet and exceed our customer's needs and expectations – this means we need to be working together as a team, regardless of background or gender.”
JOB SATISFACTION
No two days look the same for Lily, and that’s just the way she likes it. “I love what I do,” she says. “As an admin and finance manager, I get to communicate with a lot of people, both internally and externally.”
But the best part for Lily is her team. “I really enjoy training and giving support to my team. Nothing makes me more satisfied than receiving good feedback from our customers for the excellent customer service that my team provides.”
Sounds like somewhere you’d want to work, right? “If a position becomes available, I recommend applying because as I’ve said, Royal Wolf is a really great company to work for, and we've got a great team here.”
