Tuesday, 24th March IPWEA Australasian Fleet Conference 2026

Hotel to Venue - 7:45am and 8:00am

Coffee and light breakfast from 8:00 am

Welcome and Official Opening

Topic: Applying Asset Management Principles to Fleet Management

Speaker: Emad Loka, Director Fleet Management, Fire and Rescue NSW

Emad Loka is a seasoned senior executive and asset management leader with extensive experience across government and major infrastructure sectors. He currently serves as Director Fleet Management at Fire and Rescue NSW, where he leads strategic direction, innovation and operational excellence across one of Australia’s most complex fleet environments.  

Emad brings a strong track record spanning over 30 years of delivering high-impact outcomes in asset lifecycle management, organisational transformation, and operational delivery. Prior to his current role, he held leadership positions across the Transport Cluster, including nearly a decade with Transport for NSW, where he led statewide maintenance, construction, and operational teams, navigating critical events such as bushfires, floods and major service disruptions, and driving improved reliability and resilience of transport assets.  

Topic: Strategic Fleet Management in a City That Never Sleeps

Speaker: Keith Kerman, Chief Fleet Officer, New York City

Keith Kerman is a Deputy Commissioner at the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) and NYC’s first Chief Fleet Officer, serving 50 agencies including NYPD, FDNY and DSNY.  NYC’s fleet is 29,000 units, $1+ billion in annual expenditure, and 1,800 staff.  NYC Fleet is a national leader in biofuel and EV adoption, charging, telematics, fleet safety through Vision Zero, and shared services.  Keith is a permanent civil servant in his 32nd year including 17 with NYC Parks managing Citywide Operations from Central Park. Keith has now served in senior roles under five NYC Mayors.   

In 2019 Keith received the Sloan Public Service Award from the Fund for the City of NY. This award is often referred to as the Nobel Prize of NY Public Service. In 2021, Keith received a national Climate Leadership Award from the Climate Registry, C2ES, and Bloomberg Philanthropies. In 2022, Keith received a Legendary Lifetime Achievement Award from Government Fleet Magazine. In 2024, Keith received national recognition from NHTSA for fleet safety work. Keith was named to City & State’s NY Transportation 100 list in 2022, 2023 and 2024.  In 2025, Keith and DCAS receives a Safety Excellence Award from the National Safety Council.  

Keith is from Massachusetts and Harvard College, where he met his wife Denise, an attorney who works for Bloomberg LP. They have two children, Todd and Keith. 

An opportunity to grab a coffee and meet suppliers in exhibition hall

Speaker: Michael Shave – Director and Principal Consultant, Shave & Brett

Michael Shave is an experienced executive-level consultant with more than 25 years’ combined experience across local government finance, strategy, and operations. He works closely with councils across Australia to strengthen financial sustainability, optimise service delivery, and support data-driven decision-making. 

Michael’s expertise spans all core corporate service functions — including finance, governance, risk, ICT, and procurement — and he is known for his ability to distil complex financial and organisational issues into clear, practical strategies that support sound decision-making. 

Renowned for his analytical precision and pragmatic leadership style, Michael is a trusted adviser to executive teams, councillors, and audit committees. He is the Immediate Past President of Local Government Finance Professionals Queensland, the peak body supporting finance professionals within the local government sector. 

Panelists  

- Sean Carter – Fleet Manager, Port Stephens Council 

- Catherine Singh – Senior Fleet Officer, City of Port Phillip 

- Kris Nair – Manager City Fleet, Blacktown City Council 

- Marie Piscopo – Fleet Services Unit Manager, Brimbank City Council 

Speaker: Raymond Setchell, Fleet Operations, Sutherland Shire Council

Raymond Setchell is an accomplished and forward-thinking Fleet Manager with more than 16 years of experience across Local Government, Manufacturing, Transport, Logistics and complex Supply Chain operations throughout Australia and South-East Asia. He has built a strong reputation leading diverse operational environments, managing large and varied fleets, and driving high-value procurement and asset management initiatives across organisations of significant scale.  

Raymond’s career includes senior roles with Linfox, Toll, and multiple Councils, where he has managed thousands of assets across more than 350 sites, delivered International Standardisation Programs, strengthened supplier agreements, and introduced major cost saving initiatives. His work has consistently improved utilisation, safety, operational efficiency, and governance outcomes, supported by deep capability in capital planning, whole-of-life asset management, contract development, reporting and analytics, and business case development.  

With extensive experience operating across Thailand, China, Vietnam and the broader Asia–Pacific region, Raymond excels in navigating diverse cultural, regulatory and commercial environments. His ability to optimise supplier networks, lead operational change, and deploy innovative technologies has delivered measurable improvements in performance, compliance, cost control, and service delivery.  

He holds a Bachelor of Business (Finance/Economics), a Trades Certificate in Light Vehicle Mechanics, and is undertaking a Master of Business Administration.  

Speaker: Shannyn Garrett, Procurement Manager – Property & Fleet, Serco Asia Pacific

As a dedicated and results-driven professional in Asset Management with a focus on fleet operations, Shannyn specialises in optimising performance, driving cost efficiency, and minimising risk through strategic asset life cycle management. 

With eight years of experience, Shannyn has have honed her ability to balance operational needs with long-term stability, ensuring that fleet remain cost-effective reliable and scalable.  

Shannyn’s experience spans all aspects of fleet management from procurement and maintenance to disposal in strategic planning. Shannyn is passionate about leveraging data driven insights and innovated technologies to streamline fleet operations reduce overheads and increase ROI for businesses. 

Topic: Fleets Can Learn from Driving Thousands of Cars: Matt Campbell’s Fit-for-Purpose Masterclass

Speaker: Matt Campbell, Automotive Industry Commenter and YouTuber, The Right Car? 

Link To YouTube video - https://youtube.com/@therightcar?si=bsKvU16xZCPPEGcR 

Speaker: Peter Armour - Manager Fleet Services at Benevolent Society: Harnessing the power of AI for fleet reporting and decision making

Fleet Council member Peter Armour, Manager Fleet Services at Benevolent Society, will lead this roundtable session which will explore how AI can meaningfully support fleet management—but only when clean, structured data is in place. 

Speaker: Emma Sutcliffe – EV Fire Safety

From Panic to Prepared: Preventing EV Fires and Explosions Through Practical Planning: A grounded, evidence-based talk on how government and public works teams can move beyond fear toward readiness — building confidence, competence, and safer electrified communities.

Speaker: Marc Sibbald – CoR – Going Beyond Compliance 

Marc Sibbald, Director – Fleet at IPWEA, , will lead a roundtable on moving beyond basic Chain of Responsibility (CoR) compliance to building a genuine culture of heavy vehicle safety. 

Speaker: Kate Kennedy - Unlocking Utilisation: Making the Business Case for Doing More With Less 

Fleet Council member Kate Kennedy, Fleet Manager at Cleanaway, will facilitate this roundtable by sharing a practical case study on conducting a fleet utilisation review. She will outline the real-world challenges of convincing business unit managers and operations teams that maximising asset utilisation isn’t about taking vehicles away—it’s about reducing costs, improving efficiency, and strengthening service delivery. 

Speaker: Ross Sanford – The Truth Behind Achieving a Net Zero Target for Fleet Emissions

IPWEA Fleet Council member Ross Sanford, Manager Workplace Travel and Sustainability at Auckland Council, will lead this roundtable session that will tackle the hard questions behind fleet decarbonisation—whether current plans are delivering, if net zero goals are realistic, how key GHG drivers are being managed, and how performance is tracked. Delegates will also examine the impact of growth, the role of benchmarks and best practice, and the operational limits of emissions reduction within existing business models. 

Speaker: Melinda Ta – Engaging Staff in Fleet Policy Changes

Fleet Council member Melinda Ta, Group Manager Fleet and Depot Operations at City of Parramatta, will lead this roundtable session to guide delegates through reviewing and refreshing fleet policies and procedures to ensure they genuinely reflect customer needs and align with organisational objectives. The session will focus on practical strategies for engaging staff across the business—and upward with executives—so policy reform becomes a supported, well-understood change initiative rather than simply a set of documents that sit on a shelf unused. 

Speaker: Thomas Brayley – Leading from the Front: Elevating Fleet from Operations to Strategy 

Fleet Council Chair Thomas Brayley, General Manager – City Fleet at Logan City Council, will facilitate a thought-provoking roundtable on what true leadership in fleet management looks like. As a multi-award-winning industry leader, and with experience across Australia and the United Kingdom, Thomas will draw on practical insights from a diverse career in fleet. The discussion will explore leading and developing high-performing teams, building influence across the organisation, and securing commitment to strategic objectives. 

Speaker: Ken Goldberg – Assessing the Maturity Levels of your Fleet Management Processes 

IPWEA Consultant Ken Goldberg will facilitate this roundtable by guiding delegates through the levels of fleet management maturity outlined in the Plant and Vehicle Management Manual (PVMM). Drawing on results from recent maturity assessments completed prior to the conference, Goldberg will provide practical insights into how organisations are performing across Basic, Core, and Advanced levels. Delegates will then complete a short survey during the session to gain a preliminary snapshot of their own organisation’s maturity. 

Onsite at The Timber Yard

Onsite at The Timber Yard

Presentation of the IPWEA Fleet Innovation Award sponsored by Hino. 

Have some fun and win some prizes with games and trivia. 

Venue to Hotel - 8:30pm and 9:00pm