Straight-talking Road Transport Logistics (RTL) chief executive Shona Robertson (nee Dynes), of Tapanui, says her hefty involvement in the road freight industry has not been about seeking recognition.
Rather, it was about surviving in a very tough industry that needed a voice.
At the recent Transporting New Zealand annual meeting in Napier, Mrs Robertson was awarded the TrackIT Logistics Outstanding Contribution by a Woman in the Road Transport Industry award.
Interim chief executive Dom Kalasih said Mrs Robertson oversaw the amalgamation of several South Island companies to create an innovative, progressive organisation with a focus on customer service and sustainability.
She had also done a “vast amount of work” for the industry.
“She’s been very busy at a local level looking after the sector as president of her regional road sector group.
“Shona has also been a brilliant spokeswoman for the industry at a national level where her experience has been called on by ministers and government departments.”
Mrs Robertson, who was not at the presentation, said the acknowledgement had not really sunk in yet and she had not even told her team.
“I don’t do it for the limelight. You just do it because you’re passionate about the industry [and] our industry has got massive challenges.”
She was born into the transport industry and quipped diesel in the blood was “pretty bloody hard to get rid of”.
Her father Jim, who died last month, founded Dynes Transport with his twin brother John in 1969, while her mother Anita was the first woman to be inducted into the New Zealand Road Transport Hall of Fame.
Her father had instilled in his children the importance of working hard.
Her mother — “one of those quiet legends” — was also a strong influence on her.
After leaving Blue Mountain College, Mrs Robertson worked in the family business to make some money to go to university — but she never quite got there.
“I just enjoyed business life so much.”
She married truck driver Bruce Robertson, who is now operations manager at RTL.
Their son Tait is a livestock dispatcher at RTL and daughter Sydney is a primary school teacher in Clyde.
While still a very male-dominated industry, it was great to see more women coming through.
As a woman, it had definitely not been an easy ride to be in the role that she was in, she said.
Thick skin was also required as it was a very traditional industry and people often did not like change, but they needed to wake up to that quickly.
She was excited about a new structure change within Transporting New Zealand.
Much of her work had been in the livestock sector.
It was about being the “squeaky wheel” to keep issues at the forefront.
Transport operators and drivers had so many responsibilities around animal welfare.
To be sustainable and still be here in 10 years time meant having to be adaptable.
The industry had “fabulous” people in it who were also hard working and passionate about it, she said.
She was proud of the West Otago district, saying it was a fantastic community “full of very kind and smart people”.
sally.rae@odt.co.nz
