As part of Quayclean Australia’s leadership and knowledge development programs, two team leaders have returned from England after working at some of the world’s biggest sports events as part of an innovative five-week international leadership exchange program.

Pictured: Victor (left) and Andres (right)

The reciprocal exchange program was implemented last year to develop emerging leaders’ skills and enable them to gain further industry knowledge and insights. The program reflects Quayclean’s commitment to Quality Education which is one of the six UN Sustainable Development Goals it actively supports.

Established in partnership with CleanEvent UK, the program saw Andres Cossio, Contract Manager at Adelaide Oval, and Victor Sanabria, Contract Service Manager for eight Gold Coast Council sites, witness first-hand how labour services, equipment and waste management processes are utilised in England.

Cossio and Sanabria were Zone Managers at the seven-day Royal Ascot horse racing carnival, and at the eight-day British Formula 1 Grand Prix festival at Silverstone.

Victor at Chester Racecourse

The duo also assisted the CleanEvent UK team at the Taylor Swift concert at Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium, the Foo Fighters concert at Manchester United’s Old Trafford Stadium, plus the two Pearl Jam concerts at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Quayclean Executive Chief Operating Officer, Tom Mills, said the exchange program was a wonderful extension of the Quay Academy program where the company seeks to identify and develop authentic leaders within the business.

“It was a great opportunity for Andres and Victor to work at big international events in another country.  They will be able share their industry insights particularly around sustainability, waste reduction strategies, and reusable cups with fellow leaders and the wider business,” said Mills.

“The knowledge they gained in England will be passed on to assist our teams as we continue to expand our onsite leadership groups to ensure our site operations are totally efficient and highly effective on behalf of our customers,” he added.

Quayclean Chief Executive, Mark Piwkowski, said the exchange program was about knowledge sharing so that more leaders within our business can grow and be elevated to assume more senior roles and take on greater responsibilities.

“We want to prepare and supercharge our workforce with skills and capabilities to deliver a first-class experience for our customers and for the patrons and visitors who attend their sites. Nearly 25 per cent of our workforce are aged under 25 and we want to empower them with knowledge and learnings,” said Piwkowski.

Sanabria said it was a privilege to be onsite and work alongside the CleanEvent UK team for many major events.

“Every major event was a marathon and you needed to be mentally and physically prepared to face it. But the excellent pre-event planning was the backbone of success,” said Sanabria.

Later this year, two CleanEvent UK staff will head to Australia where they will work at cricket Test matches, plus the Australian Tennis Open in Melbourne.

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