Road Transport Forum chief executive Ken Shirley is honouring the “camaraderie” of the trucking industry as he prepares to hang up his hat.
Shirley will leave the role by the end of the year with former Porirua mayor Nick Leggett taking his position.
Shirley started at the RTF in 2010 and says it has been a “rewarding” experience.
The job was a “huge learning curve” for Shirley when he started in 2010.
He brought previous experience as a CEO and a background in politics and the logging industry but there was still plenty to get his head around.
Learning about all the technical aspects of the trucking industry was one of the big things he had to learn in order to be a good advocate, he says.
“There’s a lot of camaraderie in the industry and member associations and branches around the country.
“They are salt of the earth-type people and I enjoyed meeting with them and helping with the challenges they confront,” Shirley says.
Shirley says the RTF has been very effective lobbying government over the years and engaging with politicians on issues they sometimes “didn’t understand”.
The successful lobbying for the 50MAX high productivity motor vehicle (HPMV), getting the industry awards under way, the creation of Women in Road Transport, and new MITO qualification frameworks were among a number of highlights in the role, Shirley says.
Shirley says he’s not using the word “retirement” but will be focusing now on the “want to-do’s rather than the have to-do’s”.
Meanwhile, Leggett says he is looking forward to the challenge of leading a group that he has long admired for strong and effective advocacy.
Leggett served two terms as mayor of Porirua from 2010.
He was first elected to council in 1998 aged only 19, and in 2010 was the youngest mayor in New Zealand.
For the past year he has been executive director of the New Zealand Alcohol Beverages Council.
“The Road Transport Forum and its constituent associations have a proud history representing a sector that is at the heart of so much economic activity.
“I am excited to carry on that good work and assist road transport operators to get the most out of their businesses and meet the challenges coming their way,” Leggett says.
Road Transport Forum chairman Neil Reid says he looks forward to working with Leggett “who will have responsibility for leading the national body of the New Zealand trucking industry in a time of significant change for the sector”.
“There are both significant challenges and exciting opportunities facing the road transport industry in the coming years across the political, regulatory and business environments,” Reid says.
