(^30) ABC April 2018 busnews.com.au
SNAP CHAT INTERVIEW
TRIVIAL
PURSUIT
1.SONG STUCK IN YOUR HEAD
RIGHT NOW...
Castle on the Hillby Ed Sheeran –
goingtoseehimnextweek.WillI
be judged on this?[laughs]
2.LAST GREAT PLACE YOU
VISITED...
I visited my sister in Malta last year –
thecolourofthewaterthereisjust
stunning! Loved it.
3.A FAVOURITE DISH...
Maybe it was my time abroad which
makes me appreciate a really good
roast lamb now.
4.A FAVOURITE DRINK...
Definitely my morning almond latte.
5.IF YOU COULD CHANGE THE
WORLD YOU WOULD...
It sounds like a beauty pageant
answer[laughs],butIwouldmake
everyone in the world just get along.
6.YOU LEARNED ABOUT
YOURSELF TODAY THAT...
It’s just sunk in that I am the general
managerofVolvoBusAustralia,
and I learned just how excited I am
about my new role.
7.THE ONE THING YOU CAN’T LIVE
WITHOUT IS...
My incredibly supportive family and
friends, for sure.
8.YOUR MOST EMBARRASING
MOMENT IS...
I’m quite clumsy, so there’s been
afew,butIwillsaytrippingdown
a flight of stairs as part of a bridal
party entrance.
and being able to bring an international
perspective. When I was both in Singapore
and Sweden I was working a lot in the
product technology space – in Sweden that
was when we were launching Euro 6
and ‘electromobility’, so going through that
experience was invaluable.
Andthenpersonallyit’sthefocuson
teamwork. I mean, we have a fantastic team
and the things that we do don’t happen
just because of one person. It’s really the
experience and dedication of our bus team
here that is the reason we are number one
and the reason we can do what we do.
ABC:What is it that you love about
buses? Was it something that, like
many of us in the industry, you fell into,
or – also like many others – was it just
something you were basically born into?
LD:You know, honestly, it’s not like I was at
university thinking I have to work in buses, but
buses is a really great industry. At Volvo when
weareaskedwhatdowedo,wesaywe,
‘transport millions of people, safely, reliably
and with care for the environment every day
to their destination.’ It’s about people. It’s not
just about a piece of metal, it’s about people.
And when you factor in the technology space,
emissions, connectivity, and all those new
areas, it’s actually about creating sustainable
and liveable cities that can make a difference.
But the minute I realised I had turned into
a bus person was while I was in my role in
Singapore and we were in Manila, Philippines,
where the traffic is next-level horrendously
bad and we were driving about 120km
...a fully electric
bus that comes
to the depot and
can charge itself,
wash itself and
then park itself
- ready to go out
the next day.
[distance]. On the way there it took us about
three hours and back it was about six hours.
We saw this huge line of people across the
street and along it and I was naïve thinking,
“What are they waiting for?” – it must be some
sort of event. But they were waiting for the
train! So their average commute time per day
was five hours; we were there to discuss Bus
Rapid Transit and what buses could do more
for the city. It was that moment I realised
buses can make a difference to people’s lives.
And a good public transport system can
make a massive difference. And that, I think,
was the turning point where I was like, “Oh
my gosh! I’m a bus person [laughs]”. “A public
transport bus person.ABC: A champion effort and thanks for
your time and congratulations again,
Lauren. Is there anything else you’d like
to say, finally?LD: Fabian, you asked what made a good
business before...
Early last year new corporate values were
launched by our CEO across the entire
Volvo Group worldwide, and the one that
really stuck out for us here in Australia was
the value: Customer Success. So it’s that
understanding that if our customers aren’t
successful then we are not successful.
That is, we are only number one because
our customers are successful and our
relationships with them work as a business
partnership. So I think that’s what we are
really focusing on and that is what makes a
good business: to be good business partners
for our customers.