2024 Winner: Outstanding Alumnus Award (Griffith Business School)
Bachelor of Commerce, Class of 1993
2024 Overall winner
Chair of RACQ and Helia, Leona Murphy is determined to make a difference and have an impact. A highly regarded senior executive with nearly 30 years of experience, Leona has been instrumental in shaping corporate strategy, and operational efficiency and leading large-scale transformation in the insurance industry.
“I run a portfolio of businesses, chair two companies, am a director on another, and do not-for-profit work,” Leona explains. “No day is the same for me; there is a lot of variety and inspiration. One constant is that I try to ensure that whatever I am doing, I am making a positive difference that helps others.”
Graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce from Griffith University, she quickly rose through the ranks in the insurance industry. While creating shareholder and commercial value in her various roles was important, Leona has also demonstrated a commitment to community service, which extends far beyond her professional endeavours. “I approach leadership within my work and community involvement with equal enthusiasm and passion,” she says. “I have always looked at integrating community and social value with business value.”
Leona engages in philanthropic initiatives aimed at improving the lives of individuals and communities, both locally and globally.
In her role with RACQ, Leona says she is committed to “driving a positive future for all Queenslanders with a strong focus on helping people transition to clean energy for their homes and vehicles, and being a trusted partner to help Queenslanders live safely, securely and sustainably.”
She is also chair of Helia, which plays a pivotal role in the Australian Housing Market. “We exist to accelerate financial well-being through home ownership,” she explains. “We do that by helping people achieve their dream of home ownership sooner.”
In addition, Leona is proud to be an Advisory Board Member of Griffith University’s Climate Ready Initiative. “It’s such an important societal impact initiative to help the transition to net zero emissions and enhanced resilience as effectively as possible.”
Another initiative of which Leona is particularly proud is her contribution to the healthcare space through WeCU. “My husband and I developed and designed a program to assist the loved ones of ICU patients at Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital through the very difficult state of treatment, focusing on emotional, physical, and financial support.”
She’s currently also a Non-Executive Director of Liberty Financial Limited and has held C-Suite roles in Top 20 ASX-listed insurers for ten years.
Leona was part of the team behind the development of the United Nations Environmental Programmes Finance Initiative (UNEPFI) Principles for Sustainable Insurance and was Co-Chair of the Initiative. This initiative was responsible for the development and governance of a global framework for the insurance industry to address environmental, social and governance risks and opportunities.
To date, the PSI is the largest partnership ever entered into between the Global Insurance Industry and the United Nations. During her time as Chair, she led the Global Resilience Programme. This programme built a phased approach to helping create more disaster-resilient communities and economies. This important work saw Leona recognised as one of Australia’s 100 Women of Influence.
Moreover, she led an award-winning executive support and mentorship program between Royal and SunAlliance and the Blackwood Centre for Adolescent Development, which won a Prime Minister’s Award.
Leona says mentorship has always played an important role throughout her career. “I’ve had mentors at all stages of my career, including today,” she says. “Learning from other people's perspectives and experiences has been rich ground for me, and I ensure I seek people from different backgrounds and experiences. I also mentor others and think I learn as much from them as they do from me!”
Her time at Griffith has helped shape her career in many ways. “I was interested in law and finance but wasn’t sure whether I wanted to become a lawyer or an accountant. Griffith offered a Bachelor of Commerce that allowed me to study both accounting and law in administration. It was a terrific decision,” Leona says.
“Studying at Griffith helped me to gain new insights and different perspectives,” she continues. “It also helped me realise that I was interested in being involved in business leadership rather than being a ‘functional’ expert like a lawyer or accountant.”
One of the biggest lessons that Leona has learned from her long and storied career is that circumstances don’t make us, how we react to them does. “Even what appear to be the biggest failures at the time can be turned into success,” she says. “The other valuable lesson is that when something goes wrong, ask yourself if this will matter in five or ten years. It helps get perspective and consider what you can do to move forward.”
When it comes to advice for others wanting to follow in her footsteps, Leona is clear: “Lead from the heart,” she says. “Be clear about your values and purpose, and everything else can flow from there.”
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