Organisation: National Motor Museum
Job Title: Director – National Motor Museum
Word Limit: 350-500 words per response
SC1: Demonstrated leadership skills and the ability to motivate staff to work as a team to achieve
organisational goals
A natural leader in thought as well as in action, I am focused and confident, conceptualising new
tactics and bringing ideas to life through designing the mechanisms for implementation and inspiring
others to assume a group focused mentality whilst working together towards strategic and
organisational goals. I am able to deliver results and bring issues to resolution whilst continuing to
lead, motivate and drive goal oriented large teams by gaining project ‘buy in’ from all relevant
stakeholders.
This capability was demonstrated during my time as Channel Manager Onshore Telesales, Optus
Group Consumer Sales & SMB Sales between December 2011 and July 2013. In April
2013, the entire Senior Management team of Optus was challenged by our CEO to change company
focus and drive our ‘fixed line’ interests (home phone and broadband packages) to improve current
the baseline sales of 2500 units per year to that of 5000 units a year, over the next five years but
without any raise in departmental budget to draw from.
This goal was to be achieved without the usual advertising and marketing campaigns, recruitment of
any further staff or availability of any extension of current departmental budgets. To achieve this I
needed to completely re-jig my current workforce changing directions of entire teams; the off-shore
team would receive product and sales skills training to now action sales and promotion of what was
usually handled by the on-shore team, and vice versa. Moving this workload meant that I now had 80
available on-shore staff to dedicate themselves to ’fixed line’ customers, sales and objectives. I sought
and gained support from stakeholders across both office bases and successfully implemented the
team role swaps. The focus of the new on-shore team was so extraordinarily successful that we not
only met the challenge but were able to increase fixed line sales to a total of 4500 sales by financial
year end of March 2014, effectively reaching goal in a very short period of one year instead of the
required five.
I was very touched by the personal thanks I received from our CEO for my innovative thinking and
driven leadership but was most especially rewarded by the creation of 25 new jobs and then seeing
20 of the new on-shore team receive yearly sales award prizes that included a trip to China each. I
myself received a Senior Management award of a place at the ‘Pace Setters’ conference in China.
Further to this feedback received from our annual company-wide survey, ‘your voice’ saw the tele-
sales department raise our net promoter score (NPS) from minus 10 to plus 25. I am confident that
the above clearly demonstrates my solid leadership skills my ability to motivate staff to work as a
team to achieve organisational goals.
SC2: Proven ability to analyse, formulate, initiate and implement successful management strategies
My ability to understand and interpret information has been proven by my consistent positive results
as indicted to me by my leaders and from feedback received by satisfied clients/stakeholders,
demonstrating my effective analytical and research skills. My ability to apply technical knowledge and
concepts can also been seen in my thorough approach to collating and analysing data and other
information in order to lead positive and effective change though a business. I have had the benefit of
learning of, participating in and leading successful management strategies and understand the
potential for improvement that modern business employs to practice the management of change.
Key lessons I have taken from my observations include the importance of ensuring staff are aware of
the strategic planning process and the ways in which future changes will affect them. Evidence of my
aptitude to implement successful management strategies can be seen during time in my most recent
position of Associate Director Sales Contact Centres, Optus Consumer Group Sales between August
2013 and April 2015, when during consultation with senior colleagues about performance
management tools I realised that our current processes were considerably outdated and that we
required a more productive and ‘total’ performance management system.
In order to drive better performance management throughout the business, we required a system
capable of diagnosing and reporting through the processing and recording of skill based assessment. I
investigated many available systems and sourced relevant functionality from each, which I presented
to a team from our in-house IT department. Together we built an easy to use, functional business-
centric performance management system that could use our data to perform a skills gap-analysis that
would be available to every senior leader, company-wide. Our senior leadership team now utilised
this ‘Team Leader Journal and Chronological database’ to input details on the performance, skill-set,
efficiencies, and administrative abilities of their teams of Team leaders. This system became a highly
championed tool for monitoring performance, managing particular issues and skill gaps to provide
specific incident-related feedback that was then used in a performance management environment
with their subordinates.
Positive feedback around this advancement included sentiment that the newly created system s
allowed our leaders on a daily basis to up-date and report on the behaviours, efficiencies and
deficiencies of their teams’ skill-sets and gear future training toward filling these gaps. This example
satisfies that I consistently engage in thorough process planning, successfully manage projects and
their conflicting priorities whilst continuing to deliver high standard outcomes and proves my ability
to analyse, formulate, initiate and implement successful management strategies.
SC3: Ability to communicate and negotiate with a wide range of organisations and individuals to
maintain community and financial support for Museum programs
I have proven success in building and maintaining relationships with a variety of stakeholders on
projects and programs I have conceived, led or implemented. It is frequently my role to not only build
relationships with individual stakeholders, but also to act as the liaison between different interests;
this liaison in particular requires strong relationships based on mutual understanding and respect, in
order to enable barriers to communication to be overcome and misunderstandings to be avoided.
My interpersonal style is friendly, approachable and inquisitive and I am able to effectively
communicate professionally with all levels of staff, clients and stakeholders. I enjoy environments
where input, accountability, information sharing and respect of each other is encouraged and
expected. I have a natural ability to place people at ease and am confident that my helpful nature
assists in a smooth and happy working environment. My client base has been formed from various
types of stakeholders and so far has included subordinates, peers, superiors and customers within the
Sales and Marketing realms including national and international suppliers, on-sellers and external
training companies.
Being an outcome focused professional with a great customer service attitude, my desire is to work
within an environment that utilises these qualities at both the client contact and technical level
required to maintain consistent professional working relationships with a large spectrum of both
internal and external stakeholders. My ability to apply both my sharp analytical approach and
accomplished practical financial knowledge assists me in interpreting inter-departmental and external
client needs. An example of this can be demonstrated whilst I was carrying out the role of Associate
Director Sales Contact Centres with Optus, when I identified a financial avenue for Optus sales that
had not been approached before during a conversation with a senior sales director for the Harvey
Norman business stream. Their very fruitful over the counter ‘phone in a box’ sales that Harvey
Norman stores made that did not compensate Optus whatsoever because the process to sign up a
Harvey Norman purchaser was clunky and time-expensive.
I formulated a system where the Harvey Norman sales assistant could sell the phone as per usual
practices then suggest to the customer various available suppliers, with Optus being the only
company to provide in store on the spot sign up – a dedicated at counter phone line was created in
each store saving the buyer the effort of going form supplier to supplier to find the best plan. My idea
was so successful that it was rolled out to all Harvey Norman stores and continues to provide new
business for Optus and ease of connection to the buyer.
The consistent positive feedback I receive from stakeholders including senior department leaders
further demonstrates my solid capability to formulate innovative finance raising ideas and ability to
effectively communicate and negotiate with a wide range of organisations and individuals to maintain
community and financial support for Museum programs.
SC4: Sound financial and administrative skills
I have considerable end user experience with a range of business-centric systems, including the
Microsoft office package particularly Outlook, Powerpoint and Excel. I predominantly utilise Outlook
as an effective organisational tool to communicate my appointments and workload to team mates,
arrange meetings and room bookings, to set reminder alarms for project updates thereby managing
competing deadlines.
I am often required to present detailed information on departmental/company-wide business visions
goals and targets via email, over the phone and in face-to-face situations. I have received consistent
positive feedback regarding my keen listening ability and my innate interpretation skills to easily
obtain others’ requirements by asking detailed and specific questions based on their individual case.
In my most recent role as Associate Director Sales Contact Centres with Optus I provided an
information service to a variety of stakeholders and made significant use of the company’s databases
to this end. I was called on to provide and information and training for end-users of the performance
management system; to carry out data entry, efficiently prepare ad-hoc and planned reports and
auditing and financial information. I take great pride in my ability to consistently provide accurate,
relevant information that is easy to understand and when communicating via email or over the phone
regularly check that my communication is clear and that I am easy to understand. I also ask my
colleagues to clarify any unclear instructions so that we are all on the same page and this removes
possibilities of any miscommunication, ensuring monthly management and audit/financial reports are
productively completed by due dates.
My firm information technology skills in conjunction with a vast knowledge of operational programs
and software assure my professional success in a fast-paced and competitive environment. I pride
myself on my proficiency as a information technology user, my ability to stay abreast of technological
advancements that increase my ability to provide consistently high level of support. I am quick to
learn new techniques, skills and processes including the preparation and analysis of financial reports.
Dedicated to continuous learning I take advantage of up-skilling opportunities in order increase my
abilities and continue to grow in my career, to this end I have successfully completed the Certificate IV
in Frontline Management with the Australian Institute of Management in 2005 and various Optus
Leadership Programs including; Training & Development for High Performance Managers, Effective
Performance Management, and Project Management Core Principles. These courses of study not only
serve to provide me with an excellent personal development opportunity but further my ability to
meet the needs of my growing customer base.
Whilst in the role of Associate Director Sales Contact Centres with Optus I was responsible for leading
and generating a departmental result of one billion dollars of sales in the space of a year that
demonstrates my fine ability to increase financial revenue through innovative thought and actions.
The above information makes me confident that this is supplementary confirmation of my sound
financial and administrative skills.
SC5: Experience in museum work, including the development and implementation of exhibition
programs and interpretation programs using digital media, and relevant research programs
Whilst I have no current experience working within a museum setting or direct experience in the
development and implementation of exhibition programs I do have many years’ events, project and
program management experience with a myriad of transferrable skills to bring to the National Motor
Museum and History SA such as my heightened leadership skills and management expertise seen
when implementing innovative and previously un-tried measures to increase a business’s profile,
finances and community engagement.
Daily, I have be required to communicate with those holding all levels of job roles within all of my past
volunteer and employment based businesses and through this I have honed solid communication
skills to actively participate in occupational safety, health and environment processes, and work
effectively within any organisation's requirements, including those for equal employment opportunity
and diversity. I have a keen interest in cultures and life experiences different to my own and
champion a true multicultural community. I am highly active within my own community and sit on the
committee of a South Australian based festival called ‘Montevergine Feast Adelaide’ dedicated to
providing a social multicultural inclusive celebration. For this I take an administrative, marketing and
staff management role recruiting, inducting and overseeing a team of volunteers, whilst negotiating
with venues, sponsors and donors in regards to products and advertising. My marketing duties
include the set-up and maintenance of the groups Facebook page.
My work with Montevergine Feast Adelaide requires me to have finely tuned skills around equity,
probity, organisational efficiencies and value of all members of our community. This voluntary
position has seen me negotiate, plan, event manage, finance and arrange many large and
extraordinarily successful community events including an up-coming Gala Luncheon to be held at
Saint Francis of Assisi Hall in late July. In all of my business dealings whether as an employee or
volunteer, I am required to be able to provide clear and concise information that is often of a
confidential nature in an easy to understand manner that leaves my client with the impression that I
am confident and approachable.
Technologically advanced, I utilise many forms of digital media, and research programs to help me to
formulate innovative and productive approaches to increase the customer base and revenue of a
business including Google Analytics Advanced Segmentation that assists me to isolate and analyse
subsets of business traffic then apply one or more of these segments to current or historical data,
comparing segment performance side-by-side in reports. I am also proficient in the Microsoft Office
suite, Cisco, Lean Six Sigma and Eloqua.
Throughout my career I have continued to learn and frequently apply techniques that I have attained
through attending the Emotional Capitalist – The New Leaders presented by Roche & Martin in 2013
and leadership development courses by Blanchard International that have are geared me to maximize
sustainability and positively reinforce critical leadership skills all of which demonstrate my sound
financial and administrative skills.
SC6: Demonstrated interest in Australian motoring history
To say that I am a motor enthusiast would be quite the understatement. I have a keen, demonstrated
interest in the restoration to concourse condition of classic Australian vehicles. I own and have
personally successfully restored two cars being a 1977 HZ GTS Monaro which I have restored from the
ground up; engine, body and an 1977 HX Statesman.
I am wholly dedicated to tradition when restoring I take an anthropological approach to any work
carried out and I complete repairs to the letter of originality, sourcing appropriate original
replacement parts and keep an historian approach to my restorations.
This love of the car has been passed down through my family and I maintain a membership with
motor vehicle enthusiast groups including the Cadillac Club of South Australia and am firmly involved
in supporting the Fiat Club of South Australia assisting a cousin in restoration, maintenance and
displaying his Fiats at club events.
Whilst I do not have museum-centric experience, as an employee and in life, I am dedicated to fully
support the principles of Equity and Diversity and embrace a ‘fair go for everyone’. I promote,
encourage and am fully committed to providing a safe, friendly working environment free of
harassment, discrimination and ridicule for everyone and I personally thrive in such environments.
Industrial democracy is of personal importance to me and I support its principles. I demonstrate this
by encouraging and supporting all workplace stakeholders and personal relationships when making
decisions, sharing responsibility and authority. Personally I support a collaborative environment,
where asking for help is not met with disdain and ridicule but supported and championed.
Group and individual experiences have attributed to successful outcomes in both my home and work
life and have made many rewarding learning experience for me. I personally find the local and
national cultural diversity to be interesting, exciting and enlightening and look forward to continuing
to learn about colleagues from all cultural backgrounds and walks of life and sharing my own personal
experiences and background. I fully appreciate the richness of difference that exists in our human
family and I empathise with all types of people.
To familiarise myself with the Vision, Mission, Values & Objectives of the National Motor Museum I
have spent time perusing the Museum website and that of History SA and assure my energetic
alliance to these including Excellence in historical research and interpretation, valuing reconciliation
and cultural diversity, equity, probity and efficiency in management, excellence in customer
service and respecting the contribution of volunteers – for which I am sure I have established personal
and professional experience in managing and leading.
As an avid visitor of the National Motor Museum in combination with the points listed above, I fell I
have successfully demonstrated my extremely keen interest in Australian motoring history.
