Simon Denic is the General Manager for Roadside Delivery in Motoring. He’s been with the NRMA for the last 19 years, starting as a Patrol before moving into various leadership roles including Patrol Team Leader, Service Delivery Manager, Operations Manager and Senior Manager for Service Delivery.
When asked about what his first day on the job was like, Simon said, “I grew up in Penrith so going into the city of Sydney happened maybe twice a year. When I became a Patrol, I found myself in the city. I remember driving into town, having no idea where I was. I felt like I was in another country. Thankfully I had a great support network of senior Patrols around me, who always looked out for each other”.
Simon would go on to enjoy working in the city. He even recalled a time very early in his career, when he carried out the piloting service for a Member. He was to escort the Member from Oxford Street, Sydney to Royal North Shore Hospital. He said, “I struggled to find the Member. I stumbled my way through, reading an old Gregory’s street directory that I had cut up to make a bigger map so we could get to the hospital. I can laugh about it now, but I was extremely anxious at the time.
Today, Simon’s focus is on continuing to help our Members. He has found the best part of the job is working with the Roadside Leadership team to support the frontline team with helping our Members. On the other hand, the worst part of the job is the constant worrying about the safety of his people and our Members in a dynamic and ever changing operating environment. It’s what keeps him up at night.
When asked about our biggest challenge in the last 100 years, Simon said, “Ensuring we remain relevant to our Members - as cars are becoming more reliable and roadside jobs decline, diversification within our investment portfolio is critical. We are in good hands now though, with our investment in ferries and holiday parks. We are far more agile these days as shifts in vehicle technology change Member needs.”
Finally, Simon is most looking forward to celebrating our centenary with our people in the Metro and also with the Country Service Centre (CSC) Network. “We have a lot of tenure in the workforce, which is very satisfying - and I look forward to celebrating our centenary together as a team”.
