Meet Kylie Lawler.
Kylie will celebrate her 10-year anniversary with Conplant in July next year and we recently sat down with her to discuss her Conplant journey, as well as her leap into the world of competitive sport and her surprise meeting with Prince Harry.
Kylie is Branch Manager at our Coffs Harbour branch and she has a very humble tone towards her impressive past and present achievements. Speaking about becoming the first female Branch Manager at Conplant, Kylie reminisces…
“About 4 years in I was offered the opportunity to be Branch Manager. It was pretty cool and I didn’t realise it at the time but everyone made a big hoo-ha… We are definitely seeing a lot more females these days — operating machinery on site and calling in about equipment.”
We asked Kylie what she likes most about working in the Compaction and Construction industry.
“There’s always something different happening. With new customers coming on board and new large projects — it could be a driveway or it could be a government bypass. There’s always new machinery, new parts and terminology to understand, like an ever-revolving door of new things.”
Speaking about working for Conplant, Kylie said she enjoys the personal nature of the team.
“There’s definitely a family environment and with a small branch, we notice it even more. There’s always someone you can call if you don’t know something. And if you have a new idea to streamline a process there’s always someone to listen or take your ideas onboard. For a big company, it’s a bit more personal like that.”
Talking about her own team, Kylie is quick to highlight how everyone has each other’s backs.
“Everyone’s always willing to help each other out, to get the job done. If we’re short in the workshop and something needs to go out, either myself or the sales guys might be out there cleaning a roller. We all chip in to get the best result for everyone. And everyone looks out for each other which is nice.”
While Kylie is extremely accomplished in her career, she is also part of a high-achieving, globetrotting family, which led her to meet Prince Harry and Meghan in Canada.
“My husband was competing in the Invictus Games in Canada — in wheelchair tennis. We were told about half an hour before his game that Prince Harry and Meghan were coming. So I was a bit frantic and got my son to change his shirt which was dirty. And yeah, we met them and we actually sat next to them. I had my oldest son between myself and Prince Harry with my other son on the other side. And they sat and watched my husband’s game… which was pretty distracting I must say [Kylie laughs].”
It’s not only Kylie’s husband that is an accomplished athlete, she has recently competed at the World Lifesaving Championships in Italy!
“I was never a sporting person as a child. I was always an academic and wouldn’t run to save myself. But after having our kids I developed a love for running. I trained and competed in a half marathon a couple of years back.
“Now my afternoons after work consist of putting our 3-and-a-half-year-old in a pram and going for a run. And I find that really enjoyable.”
Speaking before the event she said “I’ll be doing beach events because I haven’t had the chance to get in the water. It’ll be interesting because I haven’t competed at that level… so I’m slightly nervous”
We’re happy to say that Kylie did an amazing job and ended up finishing 6th in the 2km Beach Run, 11th in Flags, and 5th in the semi-final for the 100m Beach Sprint. What an effort!
Kylie is a fantastic leader in the Conplant family and someone who is as humble as she is inspiring. We’re incredibly lucky, proud and humbled to have Kylie and her husband, Sean, part of the Conplant family. Congrats to you both!
Kylie is a fantastic leader in the Conplant family and someone who is as humble as she is inspiring. We’re incredibly lucky, proud and humbled to have Kylie and her husband, Sean, part of the Conplant family. Congrats to you both!
