Specialist project management and advisory firm Siecap hosted a supply chain industry event last Friday 22 September at The Brisbane Club.
The purpose of the breakfast forum was to share market trends and discuss initiatives taken by attendees around diversity measures, cross-sector collaboration and high-performance culture. Furthermore, the event provided a platform for professionals within the sector to unite.
Supply chain sector senior leaders from companies including BHP, Caltex, Toyota, Aurizon, Amart Furniture, and Energex to name but a few, attended the breakfast forum and discussed four key themes.
Firstly, Siecap CEO David Irvine shared his background and assessment of the state of play in the market, followed by a discussion of the participants’ perspectives of present industry trends.
“There were common threads to our standpoints on current market conditions, but it was interesting to gain an understanding about how some views differed,” said Irvine.
Attendees then looked at building a high-performance culture in a challenging and disruptive time. They compared ideas around how best to select, train and retain high-performing professionals and the necessary culture measures that will allow teams to adapt and deliver.
Conversation then turned to women in supply chain. The outcome of the previous breakfast forum was an open day with Caltex and Energex/Energy Queensland to discuss gender diversity in the sector. Participants found the presentation at the event truly worthwhile and gained insights into how to attract women to the industry and retain them.
Finally, cross fertilisation of industry ideas was presented as a theme, as Siecap has noted that many organisations are inquiring about incorporating new ideas from other sectors. At the last session, Siecap client Ivan Imparato, Corporate Manager – Procurement and Supply, National Parts and Accessories Division at Toyota Australia attended and opened his work place to the group with an invitation to visit Toyota. BHP and Toyota are meeting in Sydney this week as a continuation of this initiative.
“As specialised industry professionals, we frequently assume that our challenges are unique, when in reality we are often experiencing very similar issues, but in a different context. Cross-industry sessions give us the opportunity to learn from others and expand our thought process,” said Irvine.
Siecap would like to thank our valued clients for attending and contributing to the success of the exclusive session. We look forward to hosting another forum in the near future.