Hayley French
Hayley French, the National Services Delivery Manager for Domestic Services across the Defence Base Services Contract, was invited to participate as a keynote speaker on an esteemed panel at the Essity Conference, discussing her career along with innovation and sustainability in the hygiene sector.
Hayley’s progression to becoming a leading female authority within the industry marks a tremendous milestone from where she first started.
Like many young people graduating from high school, Hayley struggled to land on a career path.
I remember sitting at the computer and crying at my VCE results. All my friends were heading off to Melbourne to start their university degrees, and I had no idea what I was going to do for a career.
"I ended up completing a traineeship in Hospitality Management at one of the local hotels," says Hayley.
From this, her career took off. She travelled and worked around Australia and Canada, gaining some invaluable life lessons along the way before returning home and joining Ventia. She moved into the role of Domestic Services Coordinator for RAAF East Sale before progressing to the National role where she’s been for the past six years.
Pictured: Hayley French with Ventia's Northern Territory team.
Hayley’s experiences and development have gifted her with invaluable insights into trends and challenges facing the hygiene sector. At the panel, Hayley spoke about the importance of digitisation in redefining service excellence for the client today.
Data is everything for us. It helps us determine rate of effort, trends, and more efficient methods. Ventia and our client are always wanting more and more data. It’s all about understanding how to use it. The more we can digitise and move away from paper reporting, the more effective and efficient we become.
Pictured: Hayley French at Essity conference.
Hayley's recognition at this industry event not only highlights her own expertise but also underscores the vital role of women in driving progress and innovation within Ventia and the industries we operate in. It's moments like these that remind us of the invaluable contributions of women in shaping a more inclusive and forward-thinking world.
"I’ve been fortunate enough to have a group of coworkers and management around me that recognised my potential before I did."
"Ventia has given me so many opportunities and experiences such as this over the years to come into my own as a leader," says Hayley.
I’m excited to continue my own development as a woman in leadership. When I look back now, I smile at my 18-year-old self.