Tracey Slatter

In her own words

I have keen interest in leading organisations and increasing public sector value, and this focus has driven my career across various sectors, including health, local government, water, and transport.

I first joined the Transport Accident Commission in 2009 as Head of Claims, bringing leadership experience from previous roles in both the health and local government sectors, as well as an understanding of transport planning through my position as CEO for the Colac Otway Council. I brought expertise in leading complex eco systems to my role at the TAC, as well as a deep understanding of the transport network – in particular the contribution it makes to transport accidents and how to prevent them. For me, the attraction of joining the TAC and the transport industry was the complexity and challenge of accident prevention, as well as the ability to provide the best possible support to people recovering from a transport accident and optimise independence for those who had been very seriously injured. Having been involved in a transport accident as a young person, I remain acutely aware that while transport is our friend, it can also pose a great risk to us if we don’t treat the network carefully and implement safe systems to keep people protected when they are using it.

I returned to local government in 2013 as the CEO of the City of Port Phillip, and was involved in influencing the transport network and providing infrastructure that encouraged active modes of transport. We introduced a range of interventions such as street calming, and pedestrian and cycling corridors throughout the municipality, to help shift the modes of transport used throughout the network. 

When I was appointed Managing Director of Barwon Water in 2017, I was the first female and first non-engineer to lead the organisation – reinforcing the idea that you don’t have to be a technical expert to make a significant contribution within an industry. Strong leadership, commercial acumen, operational excellence and an interest in good public policy is what is most valuable in these roles.  Taking on a role outside the expected norms, requires an ability to convey a track record of delivering excellent outcomes in a variety of complex settings.

Since returning to the TAC as CEO in 2023, my role involves working closely with our Victorian road safety partners (Victoria Police, the Department of Planning and Transport, the Department of Justice and Community Safety, and the Department of Health) to continue driving and implementing a Safe System approach to our transport network – where we have safe behaviours, safe vehicles, safe roads, and safe speeds. It is complex, requiring a systems-thinking approach, the ability to work closely with key stakeholders, and the ability to work through the authorising environments to influence positive change.

Getting the settings right

To build diversity in transport we need to show people there are multiple pathways into our industry, while also highlighting the ‘light and shade’. Sometimes when we talk about transport we only think about hard infrastructure like trains, tracks, and roads, but actually, it is systems thinking that is at the centre of everything. 

Throughout my career, I have stepped into roles where I am not an expert and have therefore built a set of skills around being curious, listening and learning. I’ve developed an understanding around dissecting a problem, working through options to address the problem, identifying the people who will help implement the solution, and building a coalition of action. 

These are skills that many women have. We need to help people think about how their core skills can be applied in a range of settings, including transport. I think the view of employers is changing, albeit slowly. There is a growing appreciation that leadership behaviours are more important than technical qualifications, breaking down long held biases around traditional pathways. I advise women to look at how they craft their CVs, to not focus only on what they have done in the past, but to also demonstrate how earlier achievements will shape what they can do in a future role.

We know that diversity of thinking has a huge impact on performance, because you are bringing a range of differing perspectives and experiences to address the problem at hand. However, diversity alone is not enough. It must be combined with a safe and inclusive environment in which people feel comfortable to contribute their different views. If you don’t have those settings right, you can have a diverse group of people around the table and not hear everyone’s voice, because it doesn’t feel safe to speak up and offer a different opinion. 

Embracing the unknown

The best advice I was given was to not worry if you don’t know how to do something, but to reach out and talk to people in your network who can either assist you in thinking through an issue or point you in the direction of someone who can help. 

Women in particular look at jobs and often don’t apply because they don’t meet all the criteria listed. If people only applied for jobs where they already knew how to do the role, no one would ever be promoted. You only grow by throwing yourself into the unknown and doing things you haven’t done before.