Firm, fair, Frank

ONCE A STRUGGLING COMPANY IN AUSTRALASIA, AGILITY LOGISTICS IS NOW ON AN UPWARDS TRAJECTORY THANKS TO ITS CEO AUSTRALASIA, FRANK GUERRA. WHEN IT COMES TO REACHING SUCCESS, HE BELIEVES THE BEST THING A LEADER CAN DO IS TALK TO THEIR PEOPLE AND MAKE THE TOUGH CALLS.

- ASHTON KOBLER

After working at Agility as General Manager Australia for Contract Logistics for six years, Frank made a move in 2016 to become CEO of Agility Logistics. Upon entering this role, Frank immediately travelled to each location in three countries to speak with the staff members and try to come up with the company’s values. “One of the things I needed to do was to learn and listen to the team,” he says. “I was in one of six divisions but needed to quickly understand the other five. When I became CEO, I decided to have a roadshow called Meet the CEO. We had 17 different sites in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.”

Over the course of three months, employees could put their names on a list with a time and however long they wanted to speak with Frank. “They could come and ask me any question, talk to me or listen,” he explains. “I listened to them. I took notes at every interview and I published a Q&A document of everything they asked me and how I answered them.”

When asked about the challenge of maintaining synergy between these varied locations, Frank answers, “I talk to people. To me, they’re people, and their idiosyncrasies and cultures are theirs, but also my interest. I respect that, and enjoy working with the various ideals that drive them. Our team is different in many ways, but we are all connected.”