The appointment of a new manager of a Sunshine Coast bus fleet has been heralded as a significant step for gender equality in the industry.
Local bus operator Kinetic has welcomed Keely Abbot to the key leadership role. She will oversee 250 dedicated team members and two depot facilities, including electric bus operations.
Ms Abbot’s appointment comes within 12 months of her joining Kinetic’s pioneering Future CEO program, which attracted and elevated the former executive manager from nationwide retailer Aldi into a senior leadership role driving transformation in transport.
From more than 170 applications she was one of two candidates to gain entry to the program, which aims to foster the growth and development of female leadership and transform gender balance in the industry.
Ms Abbot said the Future CEO experience had been life-changing and the opportunity to now play a key leadership role in South-East Queensland operations was an exciting new chapter.
“Over the past 12 months I have been given the ability to further develop my leadership skills through professional development with the Lead The Way program while also gaining first-hand experience across the business, supported by transport industry experts,” she said.
“Starting my transport industry career as part of the Future CEO program and the in-depth knowledge I’ve gained will serve me well as I embark on this next step in my journey.
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“There have been many highlights along the way from working in operations control to assisting our dedicated mechanics in fleet maintenance but the best experience by far has been the conversations with children when driving a bus.
“On many occasions, I’ve had young girls surprised to see me behind the wheel and ask me what it is like to drive a bus and their faces light up when I tell them it’s lots of fun and they can do it one day too.”
Kinetic’s executive general manager for South-East Queensland and Tweed Martin Hall welcomed Ms Abbot to the Sunshine Coast team and said her industry insights and strong professional background would serve her well.
“Our Sunshine Coast operation is a key part of our business in Queensland and it is exciting that Keely will be playing an important role in our transition towards net-zero with 11 battery electric buses already operating serving the community from our Caloundra facility,” he said.
“The team are excited to have Keely coming on board in Queensland as she continues her pathway towards a senior leadership position with Kinetic.”
The Future CEO program is a structured 18-month program that provides mentoring and exposure to all areas of mass transportation operation.
Kinetic’s head of people and culture Madonna Hegerty said Ms Abbot’s success in the program was a positive step forward but a lot more work was still needed to achieve gender equality in the industry.
“We are driving towards a 50 per cent female workforce; that is reflective of the communities in which we live and work,” she said.
“Programs like Future CEO and our Women Up Front driver training initiative are attracting women who may otherwise not have considered a career in our industry, and they are thriving.
“We intend to expand our Future CEO program during 2024 and on the back of Keely’s success, encourage top talent from other sectors, which are people and community-focused, to explore the opportunities we offer.
“Diversity of thought and leadership is critical to our success as we strive to shift gender inequality and increase female participation moving forward.”
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