The Dyson Group recently celebrated its 70-year anniversary. After being founded in post-war Victoria, the operator is continuing to innovate.
The bus industry has seen a wealth of change since Laurie ‘Pop’ Dyson returned from serving in World War II and began a bus company. Seventy years down the track, the Dyson family is still going strong, with Dyson Group recently celebrating a special anniversary.
After emigrating from England to Australia, Laurie Dyson bought a bus business from his recently passed former boss. Dysons began operating as a company in 1952 with four buses. Now, 1,200 employees and roughly 650 buses carry the Dyson name. Many of them converged upon Thornbury Theatre in June to mark the milestone.
“Most of the time Dysons has been good fun,” joint managing director Neil Dyson told ABC magazine.
“We’re all a little older and wiser for the fantastic journey we’ve been on, particularly since our 50-year anniversary back in 2002, which seems not long ago.
“It goes without saying that, as a family, we’re immensely proud of our company and how it continues to perform.”
Many of the Dyson family attended the 70-year anniversary, with Neil Dyson joined by fellow joint managing directors Lance Deacon and cousin Shane Dyson to welcome the room-full of Dysons employees to the celebrations.
The current joint managing directors comprise the third generation of leadership at Dyson Group. Neil says one of the biggest achievements of his generation is seeing the next crop of leaders emerge and integrate into the growing business.
“I’m sure our grandfather, Laurie ‘Pop’ Dyson, would be amazed at where we are today and where that little company he started in 1952 is now,” Neil says. “To keep it going for 70 years, we must be doing something right, which is satisfying for us leaders.”
The Dyson Group celebrated the milestone by premiering a film on the company’s history over the decades. ‘The Spirit of Dysons’ started with ‘Pop’ Dyson in 1952 operating in and around Reservoir and East Preston, move through to the company’s current position, where it runs services all around regional Victoria and has acquired numerous competitors.
FRESH APPROACH
Yet, after 70 years, Dyson is taking a new approach to its management structure. Instead of Shane, Neil and Lance Deacon handing over control to the next in line in the Dyson family, when they retire at the end of next year they will give control to an external CEO.
Andrew Jakab may not have the Dyson name, but he understands how Dyson has been so successful over the years.
“One feature of the senior members of the Dyson family I noticed quickly is that, like their founder Laurie, they are down to earth and understated people,” Jakab told ABC.
“They don’t talk about themselves very much. Instead, they’re quietly proud of what they have created and of the legacy they’re leaving to the fourth generation.
“It’s that sense of pride that means the company continues to grow, despite its leaders retiring or transitioning into retirement.”
Jakab says ‘The Spirit of Dysons’ film underlined the importance of Dyson’s culture. From when the Dyson Group was founded in a post-war reconstruction era, through to the current debates in the industry over hydrogen or electric technology powering the buses, Jakab says Dyson has been able to adapt to change due to its tight-knit culture.
“I’m so proud to be associated with the Dyson name,” Jakab says.
“The film demonstrates how willing the company is to modernise and evolve with the times in each era that it’s been involved with.
“Dysons has a good track record of being able to evolve due to a strong culture where no individual is bigger than the team. That’ll be important going forward.”
Jakab says adapting to change was a theme that started all the way back with ‘Pop’ Dyson. The current Dyson Group CEO praises the company’s founder for having the wit and will to not just be an ex-serviceman, but also create a company that looks after the people in it.
The Dyson community spirit is taking another step. On the night of its anniversary celebrations, the operator announced it was setting up the Dyson Giving Fund. The company says it will donate $1,000 to three separate causes to continue its work in the charity space, and it would also match any donations made that night.
FUTURE CHALLENGES
Jakab says the donations epitomise Dyson’s approach of when people are looked after and work together as a team, then they can confront any challenge.
The operator will continue facing challenges in the future. With a changing of the guard occurring while the industry transitions to zero-emissions technology, Jakab says Dyson is working hard to stay relevant in the competitive landscape.
“It’s all changed so quickly in our industry,” Jakab says.
“Governments no longer want to support companies providing services in the way they used to – subsidies has become a dirty word to governments while they look for increased competitiveness.
“For Dyson to remain competitive, we have to think about our business in a new way.”
The new Dyson Group CEO says the company must find ways to evolve in the zero-emissions sphere. While companies begin to conceive of an industry beyond the traditional diesel bus landscape, Dyson is continuing to trial technology and expand its rural services for Victorian customers.
Jakab says Dyson will be looking to form alliances within the industry to innovate and meet government mandates for sustainable transport operating.
If the company continues to show the same spirit as ‘Pop’ and his descendants have, the Dyson Group will be in good hands in the coming years.
“Sharing charging infrastructure for buses makes good business sense,” Jakab says.
“The government will demand innovation from its service providers, so Dyson will position itself as a strategic partner that adds value when it comes to zero-emissions operations.
“After 70 years, Dyson has shown it is willing and open-minded to exploring new options that benefits both the company and the wider industry.”