Jackie Babbage
Graduate 2011
Jackie’s start-up company, Gifting Owl, provides experiences in 103 countries. Whether it’s a gift to enhance a friend of loved one’s overseas trip or an opportunity to tick off those must-do bucket list items, Gifting Owl’s innovative integration software allows the user to book using a live calendar and in their own currency. Different to other platforms, experiences are transferable worldwide and have a generous and flexible redemption time frame.
As a global platform, gifts can be purchased from anywhere in the world and sent instantly via email to someone on another continent. If you’re in Australia but need to buy a gift for a friend in France who’s going travelling in Argentina, Gifting Owl has you covered. Purchase vouchers in your chosen currency and immediately send it to your loved one, free of charge. Recipients can then book the activity online wherever they are or swap it for another experience, also free of charge!
Jackie has been working remotely for 2.5 years now from all over the world (working from 13 different countries since leaving Australia) and will usually spend a month or so in each location as well as trying plenty of Gifting Owl’s experiences along the way. As long as she has her laptop and an internet connection, Jackie can work from anywhere. Her team is also scattered around the world, living similar adventure-filled lives!
Along with growing Gifting Owl to where it is now, Jackie is particularly proud of building a flexible lifestyle that prioritises exploration and personal growth.
To obtain more information about Jackie’s business please visit the website https://giftingowl.com/
Jackie graduated in 2011 and was awarded guaranteed admission to Griffith University, via the GUESTS program, where she completed a double degree, Bachelor of Business/Bachelor of Digital Media Marketing. In 2014 and 2015 Jackie received a Griffith Award for Academic Excellence. Choosing to study a double degree at Griffith wasn’t luck but it was an easy choice for Jackie. Not only did it allow her to stay living at home on the Gold Coast, but it provided her the chance to combine her interest in business theory and desire for a creative yet professional outlet.
Jackie said “My final year of study was the busiest time in my life so far. But I thrived in the fast-paced environment where I was constantly putting what I was learning at uni, straight into practise”
Not one to shy away from hard work, Jackie’s busy lifestyle didn’t stop at the end of her studies. She launched straight into full-time work at Riverlife group, another opportunity that was presented to her whilst completing her studies. It was here that she met John Sharpe, a ‘serial entrepreneur’, who would later become a business partner and mentor.
From 2015 to early 2018 Jackie held several positions in Marketing, Digital Marketing and Graphic Design. Then in January 2018 Jackie co-founded No Expiry. In February 2019, Jackie, aged 24, co-founded what would become her most successful venture to date. Along with former work colleague and mentor John Sharpe, Jackie established the on-line gifting business called Gifting Owl.