Arthur Loucas
Woronora Heights
Summary
Experienced executive seeking a leadership role in a dynamic organization. Skilled at driving growth and profitability, maintaining best practices, and ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction. Adept at facilitating input from diverse stakeholders to achieve strategic objectives. Committed to delivering results and fostering a collaborative work environment.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
Work History
Head of Crew Planning and Modelling – Train Crew
Sydney Trains
07.2020 - Current
- Company Overview: Established in 2013, Sydney Trains operates the Suburban Railway in NSW
- It provides services to over 1.4 million customers daily
- Reporting to the Executive Director Suburban Services, the role has accountability for the Short, Medium and Long Term Workforce Management for over 6000 employees
- Comprising of 6 Direct Reports, the main focus of the role is to ensure sufficient Train Crew ( Suburban and Intercity) and Customer Service resources to manage current demand as well as future demand
- Improved resilience in Workforce Plan through introduction of thresholds and buffers for operational improvement
- Improved consultation with Train Crew and established working groups to build better quality train crew schedules which were more resilient and deliverable
- Business Owner for Train Crew Operations and Performance System (TCOPS), having led the procurement within approved treasury budget
- Currently leading the implementation of TCOPS into Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink
- Led a team which audited and secured funding for train crew accommodation assets across the network
- This resulted in over 10,000 assets being entered into he Enterprise Asset Management System and over $30mil in funding secured for the next 10 years to maintain those assets
- Delivery of a number of facilities improvement projects worth in excess of $4 mil
- Led the team to identify Train Crew shortages in NSW TrainLink as part of the Government Rail Review Recommendation 12
- Build and implemented new employee intake plans to support service delivery and reduce shortfall
- Established in 2013, Sydney Trains operates the Suburban & Intercity Railway in NSW
- It provides services to over 1.4 million customers daily
Deputy Executive Director – Customer Support
Sydney Trains
02.2017 - 06.2020
- Reporting to the Executive Director Customer Service, the role managed all the support functions for the Customer Service Directorate
- These included, Workforce Planning & Management, Operations & Incident Support, Facilities Management, Cleaning, Procurement, Logistics, Continuous Improvement, Metro Integration and the Schools program
- The role had 9 direct reports with approximately 250 employees who were there to support the front line delivery
- Delivered Site Incident Management Plans for every Station and conducted Evacuation Exercises at each location twice a year
- Managed the outsourced procurement of the Cleaning Contracts for Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink to the value of $20mil
- Managed in excess of $100mil in maintenance budgets for Station Assets across NSW
- Introduced the Station Customer Operations Officer (SCOO) Model into Sydney Trains to support incident management
- Led the Customer Service Directorate Covid Response team which delivered: Increased Train Cleaning across the network with in service cleaning, Sanitiser & Wipe Units at all Stations, Procurement of supplies for all of Sydney Trains with centralised management and distribution
- Panel Member for Centralised Public Service Procurement of over $60mil in Sanitiser for all government agencies
- Built the Rapid Response Team which deployed Customer Service Attendants to key locations to monitor patronage numbers on services
- Scoped and introduced improvements to NextThere which allowed Rapid Response teams to input crowding on services and that information to be available for customers to use
General Manager Customer Service – South / Illawarra
Sydney Trains
12.2014 - 02.2017
- Reporting to the Executive Director Customer Service, the focus is upon improving the Customers experience with Sydney Trains
- With 12 direct reports spread across the South / South West of Sydney managing in excess of 1500 services and 500 employees geographically
- Increased Customer Satisfaction from 78% to 90%
- Improved employee attendance rates by 10%
- Implemented new Customer service model focused on staff having more available time with customers
- Managed the roll out of 1600 iPhones to all front line staff and the deployment of Enterprise Apps for staff and customer use
- This initiative received an Australasian Rail Industry award for its impact on Customer Service Improvement
- Increased Leadership Capability amongst front line staff through the development and deployment of our leadership development programs
Stations Customer Manager
Sydney Trains
05.2013 - 12.2014
- Reporting to the General Manager Customer Service, I am responsible for Central and Museum stations
- My role is to manage the customer service output including staff, train operations, cleanliness ensuring the 400,000 customers passing through these locations are satisfied
- With a revenue budget of $65mil p/a, operational budget of $35mil p/a, 450 employees with 22 direct reports
- Some of the achievements have been:
- Reduced overtime expenditure by over $3mil p/a
- Increased customer satisfaction from 78% to 86%
- Reduced staff related complaints by 400%
- Improved attendance through reduced absenteeism by 25%
- Continuous Industrial consultation with collective unions on the number of changes implemented at Central around resource allocation, reduction in surplus roles and allocation of duties
Customer Service Manager
RailCorp
05.2008 - 05.2013
- Company Overview: RailCorp provides metropolitan passenger rail services via CityRail and long distance services via CountryLink, with over 1 million passenger journeys every weekday
- Reporting to the General Manager Customer Service, with a focus on driving Customer Initiatives, Culture Change and improve management outcomes through staff development and accountability
- Manage 15 Train Stations on the Inner West Line from Redfern to Lidcombe & Olympic Park
- Annual Turnover of $80 million, Operating Cost Budget of $22million, 210,000 passenger journeys a day with 12 direct reports managing 230 staff
- Reduced Staff Related Customer Complaints by 60% through coaching and mentoring staff on implementing customer service standards
- Developed and implemented a streamlined absence management process to reduce staff absenteeism by 25% across region
- Led the successful customer interface and integration of Newtown Station after the $20million upgrade
- Increased revenue by 6% through the reduction of fare evasion
- This required improving the set up and management of ticketing gates at 6 key locations
- RailCorp provides metropolitan passenger rail services via CityRail and long distance services via CountryLink, with over 1 million passenger journeys every weekday
Customer Service Manager
RailCorp
05.2008 - 02.2012
- Manage 28 Stations on the South and Airport East Hills line between Macarthur – Merrylands and Turrella
- An annual turnover of $70million, Operating Cost Budget of $13million, 190,000 passenger journeys a day with 20 direct reports managing 200 staff
- Implemented Customer Contact Initiatives which reduced customer complaints from 60 per month (average) to 15 per month (average)
- Improved Independent Transport Regulator (ITSRR) Customer Satisfaction rating from 69% to 83% in 2 years
- Reduced the number of average sick days per annum from 18.8 days per employee to 8.7 days per employee per annum through the introduction of a streamlined absence management process and coaching /development of managers
- Reduced Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate by over 80% within 18months through proactive management of all reported injuries/incidents
- Improved cleaning outcomes at stations through the introduction of maintenance and cleaning programs to ensure facilities were clean and in service more regularly
- Finalist for the Safety Innovation Award 2010 for delivering Safety Messages to customers via Fortune Cookies, which created an awareness of key risk areas at Cabramatta Station and how to reduce those risks
- This lead to a 30% reduction in customer incidents at the station and was implemented at other locations
Director / Principle Migration Agent
AC Loucas Group Pty Ltd
10.2007 - 09.2011
- Set up an immigration business to assist previous clients with their immigration needs
- I grew business from a start up to a $250k per annum within first 18 months
General Manager
Travellersxpress Pty Ltd
02.2007 - 10.2007
- Company Overview: Travellersxpress is the market leader in services offered to working holiday (WH) travellers
- Turnover in excess of $10 million, a main office in Sydney CBD and retail presence in Cairns, Bondi Junction, Melbourne and Bondi Beach, our service offerings assist WH travellers with travel, accommodation, visas, tax & superannuation refunds, job placement, payroll and the development / printing of 3 industry magazines
- Contract role created to help the MD implement his vision for the growth and development of the company
- Implemented a number of new services for the business including temporary recruitment desk, immigration services, work & travel Stores in Cairns, Melbourne, Bondi Junction & Bondi Beach, prepaid visa card, industry superannuation fund & accredited travel agency
- Sourced, tested and implemented a payroll system which allowed the complex salary packaging service to be calculated and charged appropriately
- Project managed the implementation of a Disaster Recovery Plan and other IT Strategy for the Business to achieve its goals for 2008 and beyond
- Managed the implementation and business strategy of the work & travel shops in Cairns, Bondi Junction, Melbourne & Bondi Beach
- Managed the publishing division which included the recruitment of a new editor and printing company to ensure the publications could stand alone
- Negotiated advertising rates and introduced new advertising streams to the publications
- Travellersxpress is the market leader in services offered to working holiday (WH) travellers
- Turnover in excess of $10 million, a main office in Sydney CBD and retail presence in Cairns, Bondi Junction, Melbourne and Bondi Beach, our service offerings assist WH travellers with travel, accommodation, visas, tax & superannuation refunds, job placement, payroll and the development / printing of 3 industry magazines
Education
Associate Diploma of Business Management - Marketing
Holmes Commercial College
01.1993
Customer Service Associate -
Customer Service Institute of Australia
01.2010
Skills
- Effective Leadership Communication
- Financial Analysis Skills
- Strategic Innovation Development
- Analytical Problem Solving
- Effective Conflict Resolution
- Ethical Compliance
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Client-Oriented
- Effective Time Management
- Performance Improvement Strategies
- Negotiation Expertise
- Guidance and Support
- Strategic Planning
- Employee Development
- Critical Decision-Making Skills
- Service Excellence
- Cross-Functional Teamwork
- Strong Organizational Skills
- Strong Organizational Skills
- Analytical Problem-Solving
- Effective Communication
- Detail-Oriented Mindset
- Customer Experience Optimization
- Proactive Problem-Solving
- Performance Optimization
Accomplishments
- Increased Customer Satisfaction from 78% to 90% at Sydney Trains from 2013 – 2016 and received a Customer Service Excellence award within rail in Australasia for the developments in mobile technology driving the improvements in customer service.
- Led the Procurement of an Enterprise Workforce Management Sydney at Sydney Trains – Train Crew Operations and Performance System (TCOPS) within $60mil budget.
- Introduced Fast Track Management Teams across network to manage platform dwell across network. Teams were introduced at Central, Townhall, Wynyard & Airport Line resulting in an improvement to On Time Running of 2-3%
- Led a team which audited and secured funding for train crew accommodation assets across the network. This resulted in over 10,000 assets being entered into he Enterprise Asset Management System and over $30mil in funding secured for the next 10 years to maintain those assets.
- Led the Customer Service Directorate Covid Response team which delivered:
- Increased Train Cleaning across the network with in service cleaning
- Sanitiser & Wipe Units at all Stations
- Procurement of supplies for all of Sydney Trains with centralised management and distribution
- Panel Member for Centralised Public Service Procurement of over $60mil in Sanitiser for all government agencies
- Built the Rapid Response Team which deployed Customer Service Attendants to key locations to monitor patronage numbers on services.
- Scoped and introduced improvements to NextThere which allowed Rapid Response teams to input crowding on services and that information to be available for customers to use.
Significant Achievements
- Increased Customer Satisfaction from 78% to 90% at Sydney Trains, 06/13 - 06/16, Customer Service Excellence award within rail in Australasia
- Reduced labour costs within Sydney Trains by $3 million, Improved Staff Attendance and better utilisation of staff on rosters
- Reduced staff related customer complaints at RailCorp by 70%, Conducted one on one coaching and development
- Led the Procurement of an Enterprise Workforce Management Sydney at Sydney Trains, $60mil
- Built Resilience into Train Crew Workforce Planning Process increasing operational performance
Transport Safety Award 2012
Awarded a Transport Safety Award for the proactive management of customer injuries at Cabramatta Station. This initiative introduced safety messages into local languages to support Chinese New Year. The messages were included in fortune cookies and handed to customers during the festive season. It resulted in a 50% reduction of customer injuries at the station for the next 12 months.
Timeline
Head of Crew Planning and Modelling – Train Crew
Sydney Trains
07.2020 - Current
Deputy Executive Director – Customer Support
Sydney Trains
02.2017 - 06.2020
General Manager Customer Service – South / Illawarra
Sydney Trains
12.2014 - 02.2017
Stations Customer Manager
Sydney Trains
05.2013 - 12.2014
Customer Service Manager
RailCorp
05.2008 - 05.2013
Customer Service Manager
RailCorp
05.2008 - 02.2012
Director / Principle Migration Agent
AC Loucas Group Pty Ltd
10.2007 - 09.2011
General Manager
Travellersxpress Pty Ltd
02.2007 - 10.2007
Customer Service Associate -
Customer Service Institute of Australia
Associate Diploma of Business Management - Marketing
Holmes Commercial College
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