S4E10220 December 2021

S4E100: Talking Transport Projects with COO Magda Robertson

S4E102

S4E100: Talking Transport Projects with COO Magda Robertson

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In this episode, Dale and Val talk about transport and operations, what's involved and an experiential journey of a woman on the rise in transport with a passion for the industry.  There is something for everyone in this episode as we talk about improving performance, why transport projects are sexy and what interesting roles inspired our guest.  Our guest, Magda Robertson is an accomplished senior leader with 20 years of experience in the transport industry (heavy rail, light rail & buses), both in the public and private sectors. She possesses exceptional client and stakeholder engagement capabilities along with contract management, both as the client and operator. She has a blend of operational, corporate and strategic leadership experience and has led various teams ranging from service delivery, network operations (train control & signals) asset management, infrastructure (civil, electrical & technical), engineering, maintenance, fleet & security operations. Her operational & technical expertise is underpinned by an MBA from a leading Australian Business Institute She is also an experienced rail operations advisor with large project management capabilities and delivery aspects for both greenfield and brownfield developments and major renewal projects. Magda harnesses safe and best practices with an objective to optimise business outcomes and deliver results. She has experience in delivering business transformation, lean end to end system integration, governance, building high-performance teams and reform in highly industrialised and safety-critical transport environments. If you'd like to sponsor the podcast get in touch via our website. You can also leave us a voice message via our anchor page and let us know if there's something or someone specific that you would like on the podcast. Proudly sponsored by: PlanAcademy.com | InEight.com | JustDo.com Stay safe, be disruptive and have fun doing it!

Guest

Magda Robertson

Magda Robertson

Chief Operating Officer at Auckland One Rail - UGL

Magda is an accomplished senior leader with 20 years experience in the transport industry (heavy rail, light rail & buses), both in the public and private sectors.

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