Frontline of the Future

This week, Peter hunkers down with Rob Slaski. Having spent an impressive 30 years at Asda, Rob is now COO of mighty retail solutions operator, Dee Set. Rob’s long and varied career in retail has seen him graduate from stacking shelves on the Asda shop floor to directing the retail giant’s store design. When Peter laudes him for his enduring loyalty, Rob replies that loyalty is ‘created’: a symbiosis that comes from being fed constant responsibility and opportunity. 

For him, Covid-19 has been ‘challenging, proud, surreal’. Despite the difficulty - after all, the retail sector has had to deal with food (and toilet paper) shortages – it has shown him what his staff are truly capable of. He’s learnt to ‘unleash the talent you have - faster.’ Part of this has involved cancelling 90% of meetings: “we’ve found a faster way to work, and we love it.” The situation has arguably forced all UK retailers into digital maturity: how does Rob see this panning out? 

In his opinion, frontline jobs and merchendising will always be relevant: "we will always need someone on the shop floor.” He sees the frontline of the future being one that relies on agility and fluidity more than anything; jobs being safe, but repurposed and less rigid. That way, we can leverage a more holistic approach to working that takes into account people’s skillsets beyond their job spec, and allows them to go further and take risks, just as he has done in his career. 

“The skills are already out there; it’s tapping into them and networking them into something really special.”

For Episode 3, Peter Durkin is joined by Ex-DHL CEO, Paul Dyer. Having spent an impressive 30 years at DHL, Paul is back home in Wales, the newly-appointed MD of Cardiff Buses. As Peter remarks: “there aren’t many MDs who’ve had to deal with a global pandemic in their first 90 days.”

A key theme this week is the supply of future frontline talent. Paul explains why the transport industry needs a rebrand to appeal to the next generation. How can we encourage young people to see the sector for what it is: vast, dynamic and full of opportunities? Reframe transport as a career path, rather than a stopgap? Show students that a job in transport goes far beyond the stereotype of being a driver?

One aspect of this is public perception. In today’s media landscape, it can feel like we only hear the dangers of frontline work. They discuss why it’s crucial to highlight the benefits of frontline work, and the the potential of social media for achieving this.

Another is company culture, which, as Paul says: “is harder to change than revenue.” But it all starts with strong leadership; and just as DHL evolved into something forward-thinking and aspirational, so can public transport. When it comes to technology disrupting the status quo, the opportunity for disruption lies in engineering and electrification. Replacing diesel engines with batteries, not replacing drivers with robots. That’s why the transport industry will remain culturally-defined, rather than software-defined.

For all this and much more, check out Frontline of the Future, the no.1 frontline industry podcast.

In episode 2, Peter Durkin meets Martin Harris: MD of not just one, but two of the country's leading bus businesses. They discuss taking an ‘outsider's approach, and why cross-pollination between sectors is essential for maintaining fresh thinking and innovation.

A vocal advocate for sustainability, Martin explains why his philosophy is a personal one. He predicts that, post-Covid-19, we will either create systemic environmental change, or revert back 30 years.

The pandemic has forced smarter collaboration and stronger culture. Going forward, how can we continue to co-create solutions with local government and unions? When it comes to customer service, will technology bolster human efforts, replace them – or destroy them?

And has the public perception of Frontline Workers changed forever? "It will say a lot about us as a society if we don't slip into forgetting how important frontline workers have been", he says. 

For all this and much more, check out our digestible frontline worker podcast.

“His intro could take longer than the show itself." 

In this inaugural episode, Peter Durkin speaks to David Begg: one of the most influential names in UK transport. Author, academic, entrepreneur, CEO of Transport Times, and all-round frontline legend. 

They discuss reduced patronage on public transport, and why the industry needs a marketing exercise to recover from Covid-19. Plus, the need for a new, excellent customer service phase on buses. 

We've had a 'live demonstration' of life with clean air: can we continue the positive environmental momentum towards a greener future? Is the case for cars stronger now, or weaker? Will we learn from our mistakes when it comes to autonomous vehicles? Are there lessons to be learned from previous terror attacks on society? 

For all this and much more, check out our bite-sized transport industry podcast.

David Begg and Peter Durkin talk all things transport: will the industry recover from the blows dealt by Covid-19, and if so, how?

David Begg talks about his predictions for the Frontline of the Future.