TransDiesel’s newest board member eyes EVs

New Zealand heavy equipment supplier TransDiesel has appointed experienced chief executive and company director Greg Campbell to its board of directors. 

Campbell recently announced that he was stepping down from his chief executive role at Ravensdown to pursue governance opportunities. He is already a director on Christchurch City Holdings and was previously a director on Eco Central. In addition, Campbell has held chief executive roles at Ngāi Tahu Holdings Corporation, Waste Management NZ and Transpacific Cleanaway.

Campbell says he was attracted to the board of TransDiesel because of the company’s strong value based approach to operations and as a long-term customer of the company he has always been impressed with operations. 

“It is my personal philosophy that a governor must have a commitment to the core business. 

“TransDiesel has a strong brand offering and an exclusive stable of world leading machinery that includes Volvo and Yanmar. 

“More recently TransDiesel also acquired the Shell oil and lubricants brand. As a provider of key equipment and services that will be required to deliver on the core infrastructure projects that New Zealand has lined up for delivery, TransDiesel has a strong and sustainable future. I am pleased to be involved with a provider to the sector that is held in such high regard,” Campbell says. 

“I am also impressed with the great people that work at TransDiesel. They are knowledgeable and provide a great service. That’s essentially what customers and clients look for when making significant purchasing decisions.”

Campbell believes one of the biggest challenges facing the sector is the requirement to acknowledge and respond to climate change and environmental issues. He reckons the sector needs to view these challenges as opportunities and find ways to protect and demonstrate their social licence to operate. 

One of the key ways to deliver on that challenge is development of an effective EV option that meets operator requirements in the heavy machinery sector, he says. 

“The race is on to respond to the EV challenge and the issue is here to stay. Electromobility is not only changing the automotive world but also how we plan our cities and infrastructure. As a sector, we must find workable and practical options to deliver on the drive from our customer base to respond to this challenge. There is a great deal of work going on in this space and TransDiesel want to be at the forefront of delivery.”

Campbell is also of the view that employees are looking for their employer to behave in a less traditional way and offer more flexibility in conditions and behaviours and was impressed with the work TransDiesel has done in this space, particularly on the back of dealing with COVID.

“We are seeing more and more people who want to work for businesses that can demonstrate a strong social commitment. Whether that be a new way of working or a values base that enables both the business and employees to do good, the philosophy is here to stay.”

TransDiesel already has a commitment in that space and is leading the way with waste management minimisation options. The business is a partner with Shell Lubricants and a small group of other lubricant manufacturers and distributors in funding New Zealand’s Waste Lubricant Container Product Stewardship Scheme, with a goal of bringing the sector together to find the best solution for removal of oil residue to enable recycling. 

“This kind of initiative is what makes a business stand out to a new generation of employees and it’s important that as a board we support and enable ingenuity in this space. As a board member that’s our role. We don’t run the business, but we do set strategic direction to enable the business to excel in a range of areas, not just financial,” Campbell says. 

Board chair Craig Boyce says he is delighted to have Campbell on the governance team.

“It is an endorsement of TransDiesel to have someone of Greg’s calibre, expertise and background knowledge join the board,” he says.