FBAA appoints inaugural chief development officer

Ms James, who currently chairs the FBAA’s women’s forum ‘Artemis Space’, will take on the new role later this month.

In her new position, she will be responsible for membership growth and building member services.

The position will also include managing the various internal teams and working closely with state managers and national partnership managers.

Speaking of the appointment, FBAA managing director Peter White AM highlighted Ms James’ “extensive finance and lending background”, stating that she would bring “great substance and fluidity to what we do”.

He commented: “The FBAA continues to grow, develop and expand. We must always be getting better and providing more for our members.

“To achieve this we need more resources and the right people, and Joanna not only has an impressive resume and is well respected across the industry, but importantly is aligned to our culture and purpose.”

Ms James commented: “My primary focus is always the people. I have developed and led many leadership teams over the years, across many areas of business.

“I love to motivate, and support others to succeed not just in their professional roles, but in life.

“My experience brings an empathy for the complexity brokers traverse in the day-to-day of business, the highs and lows of the journey and the dexterity with which they must adapt to shifting landscapes.”

Ms James said she hopes to bring “a stable and calm approach to assisting brokers [to] navigate future changes”.

You can find out more about Joanna James, her leadership techniques and why she believes the finance industry is a great industry for women in the Women in Finance podcast, here:

[Related: Women in Finance Podcast: Why Joanna James believes in visualising and emotionalising success]