Q: Hi Mikaela, how did you come to work at Fleetwood Urban?

A: Coming to work here was a natural decision for me. My grandfather started Fleetwood so I grew up with the brand. As a child, I used to travel from country NSW to visit him in Sydney, and he would take me to some of the projects. I fondly remember going for walks along bridges and walkways in some of the most beautiful parts of the city and these projects made a big impression on me as a kid.

Later on, when my uncles took over running the business, we would visit various and incredible projects built for different communities. So, Fleetwood had a huge impact on my growing interest of how outdoor spaces, can and do, influence and encourage people to come together.

You could say that I have a more-than-average interest in all things shelters, play spaces and walkways. How could I not work here? I love how everything Fleetwood does, the end result and outcome, is about inspiring people to get out and love the outdoors.

Q: What impact do you think the origins of being a family business has on Fleetwood today?

At Fleetwood, the heritage as a family business is ingrained in the company. This produces a culture that is really authentic. We are casual and relaxed, but at the same time serious, committed, and professional about everything we do to be the best in our field.

I believe Fleetwood is quite unique in our industry in this respect, and we have an amazing successful foundation with room to grow and achieve even more. That’s what makes me want to be here and contribute every day.

Q. Can you tell describe your current role at Fleetwood and what that entails day-to-day or week-to-week?

A. My role is Marketing & Events Coordinator. In a typical week, this covers everything from social media and website posting to overseeing the production of journal articles and helping to review and update our sales and marketing collateral. The other side of the role is helping to organise and manage events, something that’s increasing for Fleetwood with our exciting Outdoor Showcase series, and the soon to be released Learning Sessions. Events are really involved, and we’re usually planning at least two or three months in advance. But I really enjoy them, they’re challenging but they’re immensely fun and rewarding too.

One of our driving principles at Fleetwood is ECX (exceptional client experience). This certainly applies strongly to marketing and events given we aim to deliver amazing experiences with every event. I think, just in the last six months, we have increased our NPS score to near mid 90%! This means a lot to me, as I look after the running of our ‘continual improvement’ feedback capture. ECX also applies to marketing in general, our website, and all of our customer touch points. Overall, in the nine months I’ve been here so far, I have already experienced so much, it’s been a great learning curve!

Q. Looking to the future, where do you think Fleetwood is headed in the industry, and where do you see yourself fitting into that future at Fleetwood?

A. I believe Fleetwood will continue to be a key player in the bespoke field of custom play outdoor projects. While it’s not the only area we operate in, this is a really strong differentiator for our business. We are definitely not a standard, off the shelf company! I’m also proud that the interesting and creative outdoor play projects we build positively contribute in encouraging people to swap screens for outdoors.

I think the business will head even further down the ‘outdoor living’ path and that will help us provide even greater value to our partners and clients, as well as driving value for Fleetwood as a business. I see myself becoming even more involved with events, an area I’m particularly passionate about. This is a good time to be in our industry, and I’m excited for the future!

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