Welcoming Raquel Kearns to the Navigator Group team

We're delighted to welcome Raquel Kearns to Navigator Group as our Director, Strategic Growth. We caught up with Raquel to find out a little more about her — here's what she had to say.

What drew you to Navigator Group and to strategic growth in the rehab and return-to-work space specifically?

After 15 years working across Workers Compensation insurers — QBE, EML, icare and Allianz — I've seen this industry from almost every angle: the claims, the outcomes, the politics, and the people at the centre of it all. Time and again, what has struck me most is the immense impact of early intervention — getting a worker into the right treatment and therapy early, before a straightforward injury has the chance to become a complex or chronic one. I've seen firsthand how differently a recovery unfolds when a worker receives optimal, timely, evidence-based care — appropriate allied health input, a well-managed treatment plan, a clear pathway back to suitable duties — versus when that treatment is delayed, fragmented or gets it wrong. The difference isn't just clinical; it's the difference between someone returning to work and to their life within weeks, or spiralling into prolonged disability, deconditioning and loss of identity. That's what drew me to Navigator Group. I've referred workers to Navigator over the years from the insurer side and seen exceptional outcomes come from that early intervention firsthand — so moving into a strategic growth role here means I get to help more workers experience the kind of optimal recovery I've seen change lives.

What's your vision for growth over the next 12-24 months, and what excites you most about it?

My focus over the next 12–24 months is building deeper, more strategic partnerships across the insurance and employer landscape — not just growing the client base, but growing the right relationships in the right way. Having sat on the insurer side of the table for so long, I know what good partnership looks like, and I want Navigator to be the provider people think of first because of the outcomes we deliver, not just the services we offer. What excites me most is the chance to bring an insider's perspective to that growth — I understand the pressures insurers and employers are under and can help Navigator position itself as a genuine partner in solving them, not just a vendor. The WC landscape is ever evolving, the recent NSW legislative reforms provide a significant opportunity to support employers with a new untouched cohort of workers who may be lost in the complexity of the system.

What do you see as the biggest opportunities (or gaps) in the industry right now that Navigator Group is well placed to address?

Having worked inside the major insurers, I've seen firsthand where the system creates friction — fragmented communication between insurers, employers and providers, a tendency to treat return-to-work as a compliance checkbox rather than a person-centred process, and a growing need to properly address psychosocial injury, not just physical recovery. Navigator is well placed to close those gaps because it's set up to work collaboratively rather than transactionally. There's a real opportunity for Navigator to lead on early intervention, secondary psych prevention and more joined-up, outcomes-focused case management — areas I saw insurers crying out for.

How would you describe your approach to building relationships with partners and stakeholders?

I lead with listening, not selling. Having been on the insurer side, I know how it feels to be pitched at rather than partnered with, so I try to flip that — understanding what a stakeholder is actually trying to achieve before I talk about what we can offer. I'm big on transparency and following through on what I say I'll do; trust in this industry is earned slowly and lost quickly. The relationships I'm proudest of are the long-term ones built on consistency, not the quick wins. I’ve taken pride in nurturing my relationships over the years and its been exciting to see many of those relationships provide further partnership opportunities since joining Navi.

What's one thing people might not expect about working in strategic growth in this sector?

People often assume strategic growth in this space is all spreadsheets, targets and contract negotiations. In reality, a huge part of the job is deeply human — you're navigating emotionally complex conversations, understanding regulatory and clinical nuance, and constantly balancing commercial goals against what's genuinely best for someone's recovery. It's less "corporate growth strategy" and more "growth strategy with a conscience" — the best outcomes for the business and the best outcomes for injured workers, employers and insurers usually turn out to be the same thing.

Outside of work, what's something people would be surprised to learn about you?

I'm an avid teapot collector — I have a habit of picking one up wherever I travel — and a fully paid-up Lord of the Rings fanatic. Ask me about either and you may not get your afternoon back.