Humans of Bis – Kevin

Hi, I am Kevin McDonald and I am the Operational Training Manager at Bis based at the Perth office.

My role is compliance governance of training systems and training outcomes. I have been working at Bis for almost 16 years, the first 3 when it was Brambles at its Muchea operations then I left and returned. In the current tenure, I came to do a different role and 6 months later, the present role I am in came up. I decided to return because of the opportunity and because Bis has a dynamic and diverse business, unique in the industry due to the range of equipment, technology and innovation. The upskilling of teams and sharing of knowledge was also part of the appeal to return to Bis.

There isn’t a typical day at Bis, I work to the priorities of the day, do what needs to be done for the best of the sites. I have a team of trainers with whom I also do ongoing training for them to train colleagues on an operational level. I enjoy the variety of projects I have had the opportunities to work on, especially where technology has played a key role, such as Rexx and I enjoy working with different people.

Everything we do at Bis is based and structured on Bis values to deliver the output to meet the needs and that is what the teams I work with aim to do consistently. 

Operational training is very important at Bis and although everyone has a different appreciation for it, if done correctly, I believe you can reap the rewards. It’s essential to know the fundamentals of the role and the required equipment or machinery to perform well on the job. It is vital that all checks are in place and that maintenance and training is done right so that the intended output is achieved whilst preventing incidences. Together with my team of trainers, I also manage the refresher training regularly to ensure that the different operational roles and the related machinery are up to date so that the jobs are carried out correctly and safely. I strive to maintain a high level of training delivery by having tough conversations when required and calling out as needed.

For those looking to join this profession or Bis, I recommend grabbing the opportunities and being focused and committed to them as you only get out what you put in. I fell into training, it was not a planned career move! I used to get asked to show the new starters how to operate machinery and over time that part of the role grew over the years.

I have passions outside of work too. I used to go boating and now I go fishing, I find it relaxing even though am not great at it. I enjoy cooking too as its equally relaxing, but most of all, I enjoy tinkering with cars as have all the tools for it.

If I could go on a desert island, I would take a boat so I could get off the island and go fishing!