​The fleet management industry has such a diverse range of people and roles, and everyone has a unique story of their journey in our industry. This month we talk to Anne Fitzgerald, Fleet Manager – Lismore City Council, NSW.

FI: How did you get started in fleet and plant, and what was your first job in the industry?

AF: I first started as a Project Officer for Commercial Services, where part of my job was procurement of fleet items in the Fleet Replacement Plan. When the previous Fleet Manager resigned, I was seconded to the position for around nine months and was successful in applying for the position full time in July 2018. I had previously been in IT and love the change of pace to fleet management – we’re in a huge process of change management and it’s really challenging but it’s also really rewarding when our teams see the difference as we improve.

FI: Tell us about your role and the kind of fleet and plant you manage.

AF: Fleet Services has around 38 staff in three teams – Fleet Systems, Fleet Maintenance (including a mechanical workshop, fabrication and sign shop) and Transport, which includes centralised external plant hire, kerbside collections and the truck and dog fleet. We have a fleet of around 400 items, including 100 light vehicles and 70 trucks. Fleet management at Lismore City Council is currently evolving, as we focus on improving our systems and processes in order to provide the best service for our customers. We recently undertook a sale and leaseback exercise for a large proportion of our light vehicle fleet. We are now in the process of recommending different ways for management to look at private use arrangements for LVs. Our focus is more on providing a nimble and adaptable customer experience where we buy, lease or hire as required so the customer has the fleet they need when they need it.

FI: What are some of the biggest challenges you see facing fleet professionals this year and beyond?

AF: Competing priorities for capital in local government is a real issue – council is expected to do more and more with the same amount of funds, so it’s tricky trying to manage ageing plant and equipment whilst maintaining optimum efficiency. We are also challenged with the transition to renewable energy. The political will to have cleaner and greener fleet is there but the infrastructure costs are significant, so we need to carefully plan a gradual shift toward this new way of operating.

FI: How do you think the fleet department can make sure it has buy-in and support from the rest of the organisation?

AF: We get good outcomes by having robust data – when we can clearly show management the real costs of how we deliver services it really changes the conversation. So, we are really focused on improving our systems so we have excellent data in order to tell our story and get buy-in across the organisation.

FI: If you weren’t in the fleet industry, what would you be doing?

AF: I’d probably be locked in a darkened room still doing web development – this is my third career and so far, I’m loving every minute of the challenge.