- How did you get started in the Fleet Industry? I entered the Fleet Industry through my background as a mechanic but with a desire to explore diverse career paths beyond a sole focus on mechanical work. Transitioning into various fields, my initial departure from the mechanic’s role led me to pursue a trade qualification in Greenkeeping and Golf Course Management. In my workplace at the time, there was a significant fleet of valuable ground care equipment, yet no dedicated individual overseeing its management. This gap prompted me to introduce management practices, encompassing aspects such as service, maintenance, procurement, and disposal. These early stages marked the initiation of rudimentary strategic asset management, and from that point onward, I followed this career path, albeit a very winding one!
- How long have you been working in fleet and what roles have you had? My journey in the fleet industry began at the age of 15 with a mechanic apprenticeship, specialising in Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche vehicles. During my tenure in greenkeeping, I took on the responsibility of managing the fleet. Over the next 13 years, I held diverse roles, including Fleet, Depot, and Logistics Operations Manager for prominent contracts spanning the Rail, Gas, Water, Civil Construction, and Renewable Energy sectors with a leading construction organisation in the UK and Ireland. My first job when moving to Australia was serving as the Fleet and Logistics Coordinator for Tweedshire Council in NSW. I currently hold the position of Manager of Plant Fleet Services for a Logan City Council.
- Tell us about your current fleet? The fleet is strategically modelled to suit efficient operations and deliver cost-effective solutions to the community. We adopt a flexible approach when considering asset investment, procuring assets only when acceptable optimisation is identified. Additionally, we manage a fleet through external hire contracts, where our decisions concerning hire/buy align closely with the operational dynamics of this model.
- What do you think are the top 2 challenges currently facing the fleet industry? In my experience, the fleet industry currently grapples with two primary challenges. Firstly, the absence of a forward-thinking and strategic approach to Fleet leadership, coupled with insufficient resources to actualise such an approach. Through my experience, I’ve navigated two distinct models of fleet business management. The first model, I call the ‘1 person does 3 jobs’ approach, is prevalent in many local government operations due to funding and resource constraints. Contrarily, the second model, which I now apply, involves strategic resourcing to enhance efficiencies and deliver better value for money. Although this model may initially be perceived as incurring ‘forever costs, we can’t afford’ my leadership team and I have successfully implemented business support roles that are pretty much compulsory to effectively deliver a fleet business model, such as Green Fleet Project Lead, Fleet Analyst, Business Analyst, Business Services Coordinator, and an embedded Finance Analyst. While these positions may be viewed as upfront expenses, they can be structured as temporary contract arrangements, allowing time for building a business case and seamlessly incorporating costs into the budget, eventually recouping them through internal hire rates distributed across the entire fleet.
- How should fleet practitioners better prepare themselves to be leaders? You have to devote yourself to leadership as it is a continuous journey – there is no half-measure. The culture of your team and the wider organisation is shaped by how you lead and your leadership style. My leadership and management style are shaped significantly by four key factors – my Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, my DiSC style, my Lifestyle Inventory (LSI) Profile, and my self-identification as a ‘connector’ within the 5 Voices framework. These assessments have been instrumental in enhancing my leadership capabilities, offering a wealth of insights into both my strengths and areas where I can further develop.
- If you could change one thing about your career in fleet, what would that be? If I were to reflect on my career in fleet, I wouldn’t alter a thing. The journey has been a long and winding road, encompassing both positive and challenging experiences. I recognise now that every stage has played a role in shaping who I am and influencing my professional endeavours. None of my experiences have been in vain, and each has contributed to my profession.
- What’s your favourite sport and team you follow? Football, the round kind to us Englishmen, and of course the best team in the world – Arsenal; both women’s and men’s teams. I lived close to the Arsenal ground in London, and while this had its benefits it also put another 1.5 hours on the journey home from work if a match was on!
