The Public Transport Association Australia New Zealand (PTAANZ) continues to support its member organisations. It’ll look to leap into the sustainability sphere with a new acting CEO.
Sue Chan is no stranger to public transport. Before joining PTAANZ as chief operating officer in June 2022, Chan led the Asia-Pacific Division of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) for nearly seven years. She has worked in the sector for more than two decades as the director of transport and engineering consulting firms and is now taking her career to the next level with PTAANZ.
The premier peak body for public transport and sustainable mobility solutions in Australia and New Zealand recently announced that Chan would take on the responsibilities of former CEO Michelle Batsas.
In an immediate move, Chan will be the acting CEO until further notice as she looks to use her experience in the field to take PTAANZ forward in the industry.
Chan says she is honoured to be leading the association towards a greener and more efficient transport future.
“When my family and I decided to move to Australia, the opportunity arose to join PTAANZ,” Chan told ABC.
“With more than 70 member organisations representing all modes of public transport and sustainable mobility, PTAANZ is helping shape the region’s future.
“I love facilitating collaboration between all the different industry stakeholders so they can work together to deliver the best public transport outcomes for the communities they serve.”
Chan says her experience has given her long-standing relationships with members of the local industry. During her tenure with UITP, she was the project manager for the Asia-Pacific Annual Regional meeting in Canberra in November 2019 and the program manager for the previous two editions of the Singapore International Transport Congress and Exhibition (SITCE).
Chan has also been the director of several transport and engineering consulting firms, including leading the Hong Kong and China operations of Wilbur Smith Associates and CDM Smith.
In these roles, the new PTAANZ acting CEO says she has focused on transport planning, strategy and policy, as well as being accountable for leading business development and membership engagement across the Asia-Pacific region.
Despite all of this experience, Chan says she is particularly thrilled to now be running PTAANZ.
“I’m passionate about bringing together stakeholders from across the public transport sector to work collaboratively to achieve the best possible public transport solutions,” Chan says.
“I believe PTAANZ is a leader in Australia and New Zealand in facilitating those important relationships for the industry.
“I feel a deep sense of responsibility to continue the strong member offering we have established over the past five years and I’m excited to harness my connections from all over the world to give PTAANZ members access to public transport leaders globally.”
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Chan has already got her priorities in order. For her first three months as acting CEO, Chan is focusing on member engagement activities and developing the association’s 12-to-18-month events and training program.
Chan admits it’s an ongoing process, but she wants to complete the groundwork to meet members’ needs and offer them the best value for their PTAANZ membership.
These priorities align with the PTAANZ’s need to engage with members and deliver high-value events for them.
Chan says the association’s events calendar includes member favourites like boardroom lunches, webinars, training sessions and the potential for a major conference series in 2023 following the success of the inaugural Public Transport Australia New Zealand Conference in Sydney in May this year.
Chan says her focus while at the helm of PTAANZ goes beyond local events.
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“We’re also building new partnerships with like-minded organisations internationally,” she says.
“We recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the American Public Transportation Association [APTA] and are collaborating with them on a range of activities including a webinar series.”
Chan says PTAANZ will also continue focusing on championing women in mobility through its podcast Women Who Move Nations and using the Emerging Mobility Leaders Committee to nurture future leaders.
It’s still to be determined how long the acting PTAANZ CEO will be in the role for, but Chan says she’s grateful to have the current opportunity through an exciting time of transition. With the zero-emissions push in the bus and coach industry being a major focus for PTAANZ, Chan knows she will have her hands full focusing on the sustainable transition.
“We’re committed to leading the transition to zero-emissions fleets and it has been a focus for our association for a couple of years now,” Chan says.
“We run a zero-emissions bus working group for public transport authorities in the region and are also hosting more training sessions in Sydney and Auckland in November.
“We’ve also confirmed Dr Josipa Petrunic, the president and CEO of the Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC), as the keynote speaker for our Zero-Emissions Transport Forum to be held in Sydney in March 2023.”
PTAANZ says it’s happy with Chan leading the association. Chair of the PTAANZ board Mark Streeting says Chan is well equipped to carry on the legacy of Batsas.
“Sue is an internationally renowned public transport leader with unrivalled industry connections that will bring invaluable insights to PTAANZ members,” Streeting says.
“Under our former CEO Michelle Batsas, the association has seen unprecedented growth and established itself as the premier peak public transport body in our region.
“Sue will continue the highly valued membership offerings and work with members to shape the future of public transport in Australia and New Zealand.”
Many people may be daunted by the role that Chan has taken on. But the acting PTAANZ CEO says she’s fortunate to be leading an executive group that includes prominent figures in the Australian and New Zealand public transport industry.
Through this experience, Chan is enthusiastic to see what the future holds for PTAANZ.
“I’m excited to bring lessons from the Asia-Pacific, such as China’s world-leading zero-emissions bus transition and Singapore’s advanced on-demand services, to our members in Australia and NZ,” Chan says.
“PTAANZ is lucky to have members and board directors including senior leaders from public transport authorities across Australia and New Zealand and C-suite executives from key industry operators and suppliers who help us keep our finger on the pulse of what’s happening in the region.
“We’re going from strength to strength as an independent peak body for public transport and I’m keen to be part of it.”