2 minute read
New Leadership, New Goals for Watco Australia
by OneWatco
After spending nearly a decade as a customer of the Watco team Down Under, last year Gavin Bignell switched teams. He’s now the CEO of Watco Australia.
And as a former customer, Bignell experienced firsthand the one-of-a-kind service Watco provides. He said: “I absolutely saw the unique benefits Watco offers. The team brings a customer-first approach to everything they do. It was a fantastic experience.”
Now Bignell uses the same approach to strengthen existing customer relationships and pursue new business opportunities at Watco. And he’s relying on all 400 team members for support.
“I’m fortunate to have inherited an experienced team,” Bignell said. “Their commitment to customers and safety has paved the way for Watco Australia to expand its footprint nationally since starting operations in 2012. I’m excited for what’s to come next.”
One opportunity for growth this year lies in cattle train service. This once-shrinking market is rapidly becoming a core business for Watco Australia since landing its first livestock contract in 2021.
To support the current workload and potential new agriculture business opportunities, Watco Australia plans to add 65 wagons (also known as “railcars”) to their fleet in 2023. The team also anticipates hiring 30 new train drivers.
In addition to cattle, the team also hauled over 600,000 tonnes of grain in 2022. Bignell hopes to increase that significantly to 800,000 tonnes this year by working closely with an existing customer.
Improving Watco Australia terminals is key to helping foster future growth in the container business. This year the team plans to work with stakeholders, including the government, to help make the necessary improvements at its terminals.
Expanding the intermodal business is also a top priority. Watco Australia began this service in 2016, and now moves 13,000 20-foot containers by rail each month.
These goals may seem lofty, but not to Bignell. Instead, he believes majority of the growth will come organically thanks to the team’s customer-first focus. He said, “The best form of business development is by serving our customers really, really well.”
Joining Bignell on the Watco Australia leadership team are Vice Presidents David Rankine (Western Australia/New State Wales), Maria Zappala (Queensland), Adam Lebihan (Intermodal), Cameron Swaine (Maintenance and Rollingstock Maintenance), Ken Hammat (Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer), and Paul Hamersley (Customer Service, Marketing, and Development).
