Archive, Industry News

2019 BUSNSW YOUNG LEADERS FORUM CONTINUES SUCCESS

BUSNSW INVITED 25 up-and-coming state industry professionals to attend a one-day forum in Sydney recently, marking the second successful Volvo-backed Young Leaders gathering to date.

BusNSW executive director Matt Threlkeld says BusNSW was very pleased to be hosting the Young Leaders Seminar in conjunction with Volvo Bus Australia.

“We needed a partner to make this event happen and Volvo Bus Australia has been a long-time advocate for the development of young people in the industry,” Threlkeld he said.

“The event follows a successful inaugural event last year and the forum is designed to develop and promote the next generation of leaders in the industry”, he explained.

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“Participants were from metropolitan and regional areas, family businesses and multi-nationals, and are involved in business functions including operations, administration, planning and maintenance.

“We wanted to capture the thoughts and ideas of the participants, for them to get to know each other and form networks, and for them to better understand their own management style,” he said.

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A CHANGING WORLD

BusNSW president John King officially welcomed the attendees.

“The theme for the recent BusNSW Conference was Forging the Future Together and we have carried the theme through to this forum”, King said.

“In a changing world we need to do integrate new technology with the safe and efficient movement of people on the ground.

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“We need young people to take up the challenge and get involved, both within their own organisations and at an association level.

“There are plenty of us that have been around for several decades; though, we don’t have all the answers to the challenges that we are facing today, so there is an opportunity for the younger generation to contribute”, he said.

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FAMILY HISTORY

A sponsor’s welcome was provided by Stuart Woodward, NSW Regional Sales manager for Volvo, who spoke about his family history in the bus industry and journey to date after starting with Volvo as an apprentice mechanic.

Yale Wong, from the Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies, University of Sydney Business School, commenced the presentations with “Why Bus? Calling our Young Leaders”, which was an insightful report on the state of the bus industry in NSW and Australia and also covered some of the industry’s hot topics including demand-responsive services, autonomous and electric vehicles, MaaS and future contracting.

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Other presentations included:

Managing People and Building a High-Performance Culture by Ian MacDonald, National IR manager, Australian Public Transport Industrial Association, which included the importance of employee health and wellbeing and tips to manage people;

A Transport for NSW Report on Operators, Drivers and Buses by Shirley Khalil – Bus Safety officer, Compliance and Regulatory Services, Safety, Environment and Regulation, Transport for NSW, which covered the new TfNSW operating model and how the bus industry is performing.

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STRATEGIC PLANNING

The seminar involved a session on improving work productivity, teamwork and communication using the REACH personal assessment tool. Participants completed a questionnaire prior to the event and were given a report detailing their personal style profile.

Ross Judd from Team Focus provided attendees with some useful insights into personal behavioural preferences and productive workplaces using a number of interactive exercises.

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The sessions finished with a strategic planning exercise where the groups provided a young leaders’ perspective on priorities for the bus and coach industry, and how they would be presented to the NSW Minister for Transport in a 30-minute meeting.

The day finished with a cocktail function where the participants were able to further network in a relaxed environment.

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STRONG BELIEF

Lauren Downs, general manager of Volvo Bus Australia, says that Volvo was pleased to support the event.

“The professional development of young people is something that we strongly believe in and view as important for our industry,” Downs said.

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Photography: Fabian Cotter

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