Episode 4: Family, Freight & The Next Generation

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Episode 4: Family, Freight & The Next Generation

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In Episode 4 of Doin’ the Business, Graham sits down with his daughter, Thomasin Roberts, Head of People, Culture and Safety at Wickham Freight Lines.Thomasin has been part of the business for the past 10 years, but her connection to Wickhams goes back much further. She grew up watching the business develop from something that simply felt like “work” into the national transport operation it is today.Graham and Thomasin reflect on what it was like growing up in a family transport business, the enormous contribution of their family behind the scenes and the early jobs Thomasin and her siblings were given during school holidays.They also discuss the importance of customers, curiosity and humility, and the challenge of maintaining a genuine family culture as Wickham Freight Lines continues to grow. Thomasin explains why the next phase of the business needs to be more strategic, while still protecting the driver experience, workplace culture and values that have helped shape Wickhams.The conversation also turns to the wider transport industry, including the role truck drivers played during COVID and how fragile Australia’s supply chain can be. Graham and Thomasin reflect on the extraordinary effort drivers made during that period and why the industry deserves greater recognition.Later in the episode, they have an open discussion about mental health within transport, the isolation drivers can experience and the difficulty many people face when trying to access support.They finish by looking outside the business, discussing Graham’s passion for farming, cattle, soil, trees and creating environments where things can grow.Chapter breakdown00:00 – Welcome and introducing ThomasinGraham introduces his daughter Thomasin Roberts and they discuss why she has been trying to convince him to start the podcast for the past five years.01:30 – Why the transport industry mattersGraham and Thomasin discuss the scale of transport across Australia and how almost every community depends on trucks in some form.03:00 – Truck drivers during COVIDThey reflect on the enormous effort drivers made during the pandemic, including constant testing, border restrictions and extended periods away from home.05:00 – Thomasin’s role at Wickham Freight LinesThomasin explains her role across people, culture, recruitment, payroll, compliance, training and HR, supporting a workforce of around 600 people.07:00 – Growing up inside WickhamsThomasin remembers growing up with a truck-driver father and an accountant mother, and how the business simply felt like work rather than a large company.10:00 – School holidays working in the businessFrom putting stickers on potato bags to working in the potato factory, Thomasin shares some of the jobs the Wickham children were expected to do growing up.12:15 – The next generation of the family businessGraham and Thomasin discuss what her own children now see when they visit Wickhams and the lessons they are already learning about work, customers and responsibility.14:15 – Why the customer comes firstThomasin reflects on lessons from her early career, while Graham remembers what his own father taught him about looking after customers.16:30 – Curiosity, humility and being one teamThey discuss the importance of never assuming you know everything and why good businesses continually learn from the people around them.18:45 – Growing without losing the family cultureThomasin explains why future growth needs to be more strategic while still protecting Wickhams’ family values, driver experience and workplace culture.21:00 – Learning the business from the ground upThomasin talks about joining Wickhams in recruitment, immersing herself in warehouse operations and learning why the best way to understand a problem is often to experience it firsthand.24:00 – Thomasin’s career and educationFrom recruitment and digital roles to completing an MBA while raising two young children, Thomasin discusses the experiences that shaped her professionally.26:15 – Mental health in the transport industryThe conversation turns to mental health, loneliness on the road, the pressures drivers experience and the challenges people face when trying to access professional support.30:15 – Graham reflects on Thomasin and the next generationGraham shares how proud he is of Thomasin and the next generation coming through the Wickham Freight Lines business.31:15 – Life outside trucksThomasin asks Graham about his interests away from transport, including his farm, cattle, soil, trees, dams and creating habitats for wildlife.35:15 – Watching people and businesses growGraham and Thomasin discuss their shared enjoyment of developing people, helping customers grow and thinking strategically about the future.37:15 – What’s next for Doin’ the Business?They wrap up Episode 4 with some father-daughter banter and a look ahead at future guests on the podcast.

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