"It is important to have female voices in the leadership of transport because women in our community use transport in different ways and have different pressures."
Current Position
- Chief Executive Officer, ITS Australia
Previous Positions
- Member, Ministerial Freight Reference Group
- Director, ITS World Congress Board
- Manager, Logistics Strategy, SCA Hygiene Australasia
- Logistics & Strategic Planning, Bovis Lend Lease
- Senior Consultant, Sinclair Knight Merz
- Senior Consultant, Henderson Logistics
Career Snapshot
With an extensive career in transport strategy, as Chief Executive of ITS Australia Susan is ideally placed at the nexus of technology and transport to translate the benefits to business and the Australian community, supported by strong connections to the international ITS community and the global network of ITS Associations.
Susan is highly regarded for her roles supporting the growth and innovation of our industry across a number of industry advisory groups and as a regular advisor to government and Ministers on transport technology and mobility related issues. She is inspired by the opportunities that technology can deliver across transport and mobility.
In her own words
My entry into the transport sector was a twist of fate. After obtaining an applied science degree in environmental management, I graduated in the middle of a recession and found myself in a boutique transport consulting firm as a junior. The problem-solving aspect of transport drew me in, along with the opportunity to be involved in diverse and engaging projects, working with executive teams and thinking strategically to improve business outcomes. You get a lot of experience quickly in consulting! That was my entree into the transport industry, and I haven’t looked back.
Among the interesting work I did early in my career, a highlight was a project for the Department of Defence looking at supply chain improvements. To fully understand the breadth of challenges, I visited navy submarines and ships, as well as air force and army bases around the county. It was fascinating to apply my insights from a supply chain and logistics perspective to their specific challenges. I also worked in mining and the electricity industry during the major reforms of the 1990s.
ITS Australia is the peak body for advanced transport technology in Australia. We connect internationally to both bring the best technology into Australia and to make sure we are harmonising with international efforts as part of a global supply chain. We also have the privilege of supporting our members in Australian companies to expand internationally and have their amazing technology adopted offshore.
Australia is both a taker and leader in the transport technology space. We are always thrilled to showcase the diversity of our industry and the leading women in our sector.
In Australia’s mobility space, there is a very strong presence of women but when we look at core technology (the meshing together of transport and IT) there is a real scarcity of women in that sector. It is heartening to see a wave of great up and comers who have huge potential to make a real impression, delivering technology and thoroughly engaging people along the way.
Disrupting for diversity
ITS Australia has a long history supporting women in transport, showcasing our senior women and supporting the establishment of peer networks at targeted forums locally and internationally. In 2021 we established a NextGens forum where young transport professionals from differing backgrounds can connect and engage. Recently launching a mentoring program we are striving to retain expertise and diversity among our young professionals in our industry at a time when competition for our people has never been fiercer.
Gender can’t be the only diversity lens we apply, but it is a useful way to support diversity more generally.
To make drastic change we need to attract people from other sectors with strong project management and communication skills, technical expertise, as well as an innovation and marketing focus often seen in start-ups.
Different journeys
It is important to have female voices in the leadership of transport because women travelers use transport in different ways and have different pressures. Women tend to take on a greater portion of caring responsibilities, be it children and/or older relatives, generating numerous shorter linked journeys to different locations throughout the day. Personal safety also has a more significant influence on how women plan their journeys.
We need to ensure these nuances are reflected as we consider the application of emerging transport features to cater for the whole community. We are already seeing a greater influence of women leaders in this space, but it needs ongoing focus.
My vision for the next five years is...
…we are going to have technology front and centre in terms of delivering and enhancing transport services, resulting in seamless, convenient, multimodal solutions that are safer, more sustainable and address transport disadvantage by design. The diversity of the transport workforce will drive this outcome, more strongly reflecting the diversity and needs of the community.