What’s something your team achieved in 2025 that made you proud?
I pushed my team into new directions around systems – and they delivered. They also strengthened our marketing, taking on industry advocacy with real energy. The standout achievement came when they put the sector on the radar of the Productivity Commission’s report on red tape, spotlighting how regulatory misalignment and complexity add costs for members and hinder innovation, ensuring those concerns reach the highest levels of government.
You stepped into Accord at a milestone moment, with 50 years as an organisation and two decades as the combined industry voice. What responsibility comes with leading an association at this point in its evolution?
Accord is a great industry association that’s been well guided by Bronwyn Capanna over the last two decades. We need to hold on to the things that brought the industry together while recognising the coming two decades will look very different. We’re seeing the rise of AI, an uncertain trade and supply chain environment, a focus on ESG and the circular economy, increasing chemophobia, disinformation and fake experts on social media, business consolidation and an increased focus on efficacy and claims. The business and regulatory environment is getting more complex. That’s a lot for members to deal with and we are their industry body. That’s a responsibility!
How are you approaching workforce development in 2026?
Internally, we have a great team that I’d like to keep connected with members and market intelligence as much as possible. As for the wider industry, I’d like to see more of a focus on building basic knowledge and skills to get new people up to speed quickly and then giving them visible pathways to progress. There’s a lot to do on this front.
Your background spans health, advocacy and highly regulated environments. What lessons from that experience feel most urgent for the cleaning and hygiene industry right now?
The biggest lesson is that you’re better off being proactive in addressing safety and environmental concerns. That way, we can manage change in a sensible manner and at an appropriate pace. The alternative is that governments and policymakers or large supply chain purchasers will dictate change and expect we can move mountains to comply. This drives up cost, and undermines certainty and innovation in the long run. As uncomfortable as it can feel at times, the sector needs strong leadership to avoid increasingly costly and intrusive regulation and business constraints.
The sector continues to navigate regulatory pressure alongside rising expectations around sustainability and innovation. How do you see Accord balancing advocacy with progress in this environment?
The majority of advocacy is education for policymakers at all levels. Yes, there are rising expectations, but there’s also innovation and a willingness to invest more in developing sustainable products. It’s important for policymakers to learn about the innovations and the leadership being shown in the sector, so they engage and support rather than lurching into more regulation. Contrary to the alarmists, our sector has a genuine interest in cleaner greener products.
What role is technology playing in your business right now?
With a new AI-enabled CRM (customer relationship management) and a new website coming, it’s playing a larger role. We are working with various AI models to see how close they are to giving us a major productivity boost on regulatory issues, and for now I’d be scared to hear of companies turning to retail AI for regulatory functions. We know it misses critical information. While it’s not there yet, I expect we’ll lean into AI in the coming years to support some parts of our work, so the team can focus more on the complex issues and advocacy.
Cultural revitalisation has been a hallmark of your leadership. How do you build alignment and momentum across a diverse membership base with competing priorities?
Every member needs to see themselves reflected in Accord. While we have a multi-sector board and a diverse membership, we need to make sure we’re also an industry association for each of the key sectors we represent. It’s great that we can put people in a room from all parts of the membership, but if you make soaps and disinfectants, you want to talk soaps and disinfectants. I want to make sure people can be in the rooms that interest them and not overwhelmed by the stuff that doesn’t.
What does good leadership look like?
Leadership looks different everywhere, but we all know it when we see it. In this context, I think we’ll see leadership from all corners of the sector. We’ll know it when we see people willing to stand up and say or do what needs to be done for the good of the industry. People who take on risk to strive for a better industry, even when it may leave them open to criticism. People who are willing to stand up and be counted on the important issues. Most critically though, people who are able to make a difference with others by their side and who can follow as much as lead when it’s needed.
Looking ahead, what would meaningful success for Accord and the broader hygiene industry look like under your leadership over the next few years?
Having come from the health sector, I’ve seen first-hand how critical the hygiene industry is in protecting people and reducing the impact of illness and disease. The hygiene industry must be treated as a critical industry and a fundamental pillar in a successful society.
As for the future, I’d like to see a hygiene sector that is in demand. A hygiene sector that not only keeps our built environment clean and free from harm, but where hygiene is desirable as a product, service, industry and brand. A sector where margins reflect the vast downstream value and service contributed to the community. A sector that attracts vibrant and innovative young talent who have made a choice to make a career in hygiene. We may not get there in the next few years, but we’ll give it a good crack.
What do you hope the cleaning industry will stand for in 2026?
I’d like to see us step up as an industry to recognise the knowledge, skills and value of our people and the enormous contribution to society by the hygiene and cleaning industry. It frustrates me that I have to look long and hard to find anyone from the sector who has been recognised with an Australian Honour despite the work done by some amazing people to keep our society and economy safe, all with a solid eye on maintaining and improving our environment. I hope for recognition for those people in 2026.
