Meet Jeremy Shaw, your new HRIA President

AT JUST 39 YEARS OLD, JEREMY SHAW HAS STEPPED INTO THE ROLE OF NATIONAL PRESIDENT. SO WHO IS OUR NEW PRESIDENT, WHAT ARE HIS PRIORITIES FOR THE HRIA AND WHY IS HE SO PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS INDUSTRY?

At just 39 years old, Jeremy Shaw has stepped into the role of national President. So who is our new President, what are his priorities for the HRIA and why is he so passionate about this industry?

Jeremy Shaw grew up around the hire industry. From his early teens, he worked in the family business, Master Hire in Toowoomba, on weekends and school holidays helping sweep floors, wash machines and eventually completing pre-hire inspections and serving customers. It gave him a first-hand view of excellent customer service, hard physical work and the long hours required in the equipment hire industry.

On graduating with a business degree in 2003, Jeremy moved from Toowoomba to Brisbane and worked as a hire representative at Allight, before moving to Conplant as a Client Services Manager and eventually becoming Queensland Sales Manager. In 2014, he returned to the family business where he’s now their Sales and Marketing Manager. Jeremy leads a small team who manage all marketing and advertising for the company (including branding, website development and social media), as well as completing contracts and tenders.

He now lives on Brisbane’s southside with wife Hannah and their three children Indiana, Sebastian and Denver.

Jeremy’s involvement with the HRIA began in 2007 when he was encouraged to join the Queensland committee and later took on the role of state President.

“I was this young 23-year-old soaking everything in,” he says. “Within 12 months of being on the committee, my name was put forward to be state President. I thought it would be great for my career and help improve my public speaking, so I accepted, and with the help of some great mentors, served as Queensland President for five years.”

It’s that role that Jeremy credits as being invaluable for his personal growth and development.

“At my first national board meeting in Melbourne, I was sitting around the table with these industry legends as they talked about the successes and challenges in their respective businesses,” he says. “I was just listening, learning and trying to understand the financial statements and processes, and how each state ran their meetings. I did that for five years and loved every minute of it.”

“But five years was a good tenure as state President and with one of the committee members keen to take the role, I became his mentor, to help him for the first year. I also remained on the Queensland committee as a member, up until the end of 2022.”

In November 2022, Jeremy was appointed National President of the HRIA, a role he says he’s honoured and humbled to undertake.

“I’ve been so passionate about this industry and the association for so long, attended almost every Australian hire convention in the last 15 years and stayed in contact with the national office team,” says Jeremy. “I really enjoy the networking opportunities that arise from being a part of this great association, so I feel this is a great opportunity to give back and share my knowledge and experience.”

It’s this passion for the industry that drives him in his work.

“In every industry there’s good customer service, because everyone wants to be the best,” he says. “But with the equipment hire industry being very reactive, it’s incredibly satisfying to supply whatever equipment our customers are asking for, on time and know that it will solve their problem. I think the passion for helping our customers and providing solutions to their challenges is infectious and gets the whole team working together and wanting to do it all again.”

“I also thrive on seeing my team and colleagues grow their skills and knowledge, whether that be understanding sales processes, reviewing contracts and pricing, or simply having better conversations with customers.

Jeremy’s now bringing this approach to the role of National President.

“I love to be part of a team that works towards a common goal, finds solutions for our customers, and where egos are left at the door. We all have different life experiences and ways of learning and so we can all contribute in different ways.”

Three months into his tenure as National President, he says a lot of what he learned on-the-job as Queensland President is flooding back. Having also recently completed the Australian Institute of Company Directors graduate program, he’s excited about putting his learnings into practice, especially around achieving Board effectiveness.

“I want to ensure we get the most out of the Board,” says Jeremy. “We’re all here because we’re passionate and want to help, not because we’re forced or paid to do it. So how do we channel our passion to deliver on the recently released 5-year Strategic Plan and encourage all members to advocate for the association to other hire companies and suppliers?”

As National President, he’s keen to tackle some of the big challenges facing the industry, including people and equipment

“In our industry, you can’t run a business without people or equipment. You need tools and equipment to supply to customers, but you also need people who can service, sell, fix and deliver it.”

“Add to that the issue of lead times where you can place an order for a machine but may not see it for 12 months. We all know it’s hard to manage in a reactive environment because no customer is going to wait a year to hire an excavator when they need to dig a hole tomorrow. That’s probably our biggest challenge at the moment.”

He’s also wants to build on the momentum around training and education for members. Having been on the Young Professionals journey and fortunate enough to participate in a global rental exchange program to the US in 2017, he says it’s increased his passion for the industry and for wanting to give back.

“Young people — male and female — are the leaders, managers and business owners of the future,” he says. “But while we’ve come along in leaps and bounds over the past few years with our Young Professionals and Women in Hire programs, we know we can do more.”

“We have to continue to promote and grow these programs so more hire companies and suppliers see the benefits and want to give their people these great opportunities for professional and personal development.”

He believes there’s also potential to offer more in the training space.

“Dealing with equipment, whether it’s an elevated work platform or chainsaw, can be really dangerous,” says Jeremy. “As an association, we need to ensure we’re always at the forefront of all the safety rules and regulations and communicating that knowledge to our members.”

It’s just one of the reasons why Jeremy believes the HRIA is vitally important.

“With so much going on behind the scenes, whether that’s advocating for legislative change to help members of the industry, chain of responsibility training sessions or simply upskilling our people, I think HRIA membership is critical,” he says. “I’ve been part of other associations previously, but I feel that the HRIA and EWPA do so much for our members and at a reasonable price, so membership is worth every dollar.”

As for the future, Jeremy hopes he can continue the great work of his predecessors and deliver real value for members.

“I’m pretty fortunate that our 5-year Strategic Plan has just been released so if at the end of my tenure, I can put my hand on my heart and say that we as a team, delivered on the plan, that would mean success.”

“I also know this role will push me outside of my comfort zone, so at a personal level, I hope to end my tenure with more confidence in public speaking, chairing a Board and networking with my peers, other hire companies and suppliers.”

“I want to look back and know that the HRIA has grown an already impressive reputation as one of Australia’s best industry associations.”

“I’d also like to thank Master Hire (and Conplant) for giving me the opportunity to be part of the HRIA and attend state meetings and conventions over the previous 15 or so years. I’m especially grateful for the support and encouragement I’ve received from the company Directors and my Master Hire colleagues since taking on the national President’s role.”

“On a final note, I look forward to catching up with old friends and meeting plenty of new people at our upcoming Hire convention in Sydney, so mark 23-25 May in your calendar now!” www.masterhire.com.au