Simon Wood

Sydney Airport Corporation Limited (SACL) is the operating company that manages the airport’s assets and derives its income from airport activities. SYD is our international gateway and an essential part of our transport network, connecting to more than 90 destinations around the world. SYD welcomes 44 million passengers annually, and is on a major growth trajectory, with significant investment plans in place.

• Responsible for rebuilding a team of eight covering Business Partnering, Talent Acquisition, Employee Experience, and HR Projects.
• Developed and executed HR strategies aligned with organizational goals, resulting in a 20% increase in HR employee engagement, and a significant increase in clarity of role and alignment to business goals.
• Implemented a performance management system, improving employee experience in areas of feedback, communication, and clarity of role, while decreasing the number of employees rated as underperforming in the annual review process.
• Delivered a series of innovative recruitment campaigns that reduced overall spend by $2.3 million in year one, attracted a more diverse and balanced talent pool, and improved retention rates in year one by 80%.
• Initiated and facilitated organisational development initiatives that increased spans and reduced layers, which resulted in reducing operating costs, an uplift in communication and collaboration, greater agility, and improved efficiency in decision-making processes.

• Coach and partner to the COO and SLT for Operations (Terminal, Airfield, Technology, Safety, Facilities, Planning, and Development), consisting of 400 employees across EA and non-EA roles.
• SME on the Enterprise Agreement project resulting in 100% participation and a 97% yes vote for the implementation of the new EA three months early. CEO Award winner as a member of the EA Project Team.
• Led the research, design, and development of the SYD Employee Value Proposition, "Make it Amazing," through various launch activities, internal communications, and including the implementation and development of an ongoing communication plan.
• Designed and launched comprehensive training and development programs for senior leaders in the operations space, resulting in a 15% average increase in leadership scores, measured through the annual engagement survey.

BMW Retail is the retail arm of the BMW Australia sales and marketing business comprising of luxury automotive dealerships representing one of the worlds most powerful automotive brands.

• Member of the Executive Team responsible for driving the strategic direction of HR for the retail business.
• Led global pilot of new Sales structure resulting in reduced people cost, increased sales performance (volume up 20% and revenue up 22%) and increased customer satisfaction ratings.
• Tasked to deliver key retail standards metrics on certification, operational structure and compliance leading to business bonus payments in excess of $1m per annum.
• Streamlined HR practices in the areas of recruitment, on boarding and performance metrics through digitization resulting in reduced vacancy rate and higher levels of productivity.
• Ownership of headcount, payroll and training budgets.
• Line management of 2 HR professionals and Payroll.

ARYZTA is a global leader in the production and distribution of fresh & frozen baked goods to household brands in QSR and retail.

• Deliver best practice HR and L&D across 5 sites in the ANZ region.
• 3 month cover of HR Manager role during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Development of safe work practices, sustainable business practices, management of site closure and establish “return to work” practices throughout COVID-19.
• Develop, design and facilitate Leadership Development Program targeted to site LT.
• Development of online On-Boarding including compliance and audit ready materials.
• Implement strategy to drive cultural change through employee development, implementation of Core Values, communication of strategic Mission and Vision.

The University of Sydney is the oldest University in Australia, employing approximately 21,000 academic and professional staff with 70,000 students.

• Support the establishment of the Faculty of Medicine and Health, the joining of multiple Schools and Faculties into a Faculty that encompasses approximately 50% of the University academic and research output.
• Partnering with both academic and clinical Schools to establish common HR practices across multiple institutions.
• Drive a professional staff review to establish Faculty and School needs, common practices, future structures to support the requirements and deliver change program.
• Undertake strategic planning for the Human Resources team, resulting in prioritisation of 6 key projects to establish streamlined HR practices.

Audi Australia imports, distributes and retails luxury vehicles across a network of owned and franchised dealerships, including the largest Audi dealer in the Southern Hemisphere.

• Developed and implemented strategic plan focused on performance, engagement, succession and reward.
• Results included increased productivity, decreased turnover, increased gross margin and increased customer satisfaction.
• Implemented Minimum Performance Requirements - 25% increase in volume productivity resulting in 30% increase in gross margin per vehicle sold.

A leading player in the automotive sector operating in the distribution, retail and logistics markets for recognised brands such as Subaru and Volkswagen.

• Implemented strategic sales KPI's which resulted in annual savings of $170,000 and reduced turnover by more than 20%.
• Managed numerous structural changes resulting in annual savings of $800,000 while increasing sales volumes.
• Reduced turnover from 43% within the dealership group to 22% within 6 months through clear performance measures, 1:1 employee led conversations and up-skill in performance management processes.
• Developed and rolled out talent and succession planning across the retail network.
• Coached Managers through annual and ad hoc HR processes such as annual reviews, remuneration reviews, performance and change management.

Early career HR roles in Advisory, Recruitment and Business Partnering across the manufacturing and transport industries. Significant exposure to a highly unionised workforce, performance management, Policy development and implementation, workforce planning and coaching of leaders across all facets of the employee lifecycle.