20/20 VISION - HERA's Future Forum

In this episode of Stirring the Pot, we check in with our CEO Dr Troy Coyle and Metals NZ CE Nick Collins.

Together we reflect back on the first of HERA's Future Forum Conference which this year was aptly called 20/20 VISION.

Its theme was visualising the future - and our goal was to look at discussing some of the key challenges facing our industry so that together we could come up with ways to solve these issues and help our industry be more future focused.

Throughout this podcast we touch on the following aspects of the event:

Nation Breakfast - hosted by HR Specialist Alia Bojilova and a panel of engineering students, this delved into the skills crisis, labour shortages, the future of work, and how we can better attract and retain talent.

A futurists view on steel - presented by Futurist Chris Riddell. This NZ Steel sponsored keynote speaker delved into future opportunities and threats of disruption for our industry and the world in general!

Steel bridge to the future - presented by MX3D CEO Gijs Van der Velden. This keynote speaker came to us from Amsterdam where he presented on his robotics lab and 3D-printing business which has changed the face of architectural fabrication through optimisation. Using learning from his project to deliver the worlds first 3D-printed steel bridge to explain the opportunities for our industry and inspire technology adoption.

Building a tribe - presented by Innovation and Business Commentator, Mike Hutchinson. This key note speaker delved into his background in PR to better understand how communications are key to building a tribe of passionate metalheads who together innovate successfully.

Hook em' & keep em' - retaining staff - presented by HR Specialist, Alia Bojilova. This key note speaker leveraged her experiences in the NZ Defence Force where she was held captive in Syria to better understand resilience, wellbeing in workplace and the importance of disestablishing tiers of leadership to ensure all staff are appreciated and have a voice.

Scanning to the future - presented by Watkins Steel CEO, Des Watkins. This NZ Steel sponsored keynote speaker shared his journey to transition from business as usual to a fully integrated technology system within his workshop. Exploring the challenges faced, the outputs of his decision to embrace the future, and the multiple business opportunities that grew from this action.

An indigenous approach to STEM engagement - presented by Puhoro STEM academy. This presentation brought Te Ao Maori (the world of Maori) to life, why it's important to get more Maori engaged in engineering, and the benefits of programs that foster this belief in terms of diversity of thought and more future engineers in the pipeline.

Nation Dinner - hosted by MC Rawdon Christie, this was a night of glitz and glame to celebrate our industry wins, with a strong focus on sustainability and inovation.

Connect with Troy

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/troy-coyle-8202b912/

Connect with Nick

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-collins-2286824/

Metals NZ: https://www.metals.org.nz/

Sustainable Steel Council: https://www.sustainablesteel.org.nz/