The ATA along with Geotab and Volvo Group Australia have announced the participants in this year’s Future Leaders Forum.
According to the ATA its Future Leaders Forum is an award-winning leadership program that gives young leaders in the trucking industry the tools and training they need to become strong, effective industry advocates.
The Association tells us that this year’s Future Leaders were selected by the its member associations as well as TruckSafe.
“Here we have a diverse group of talented individuals from across the trucking industry,” said ATA chair Mark Parry.
“It’s important we give them the opportunities, skills and connections to step up and lead and through the Future Leaders Forum, we’re investing in our future leaders today to build a stronger, more resilient industry for tomorrow,” Perry said.
The ATA’s marketing and partnerships director, Bianca D’Rosario said that they are very excited to work with the ATA Foundation sponsor, Volvo, and Geotab to roll-out the refreshed Future Leaders Forum to its 2026 cohort.
Geotab’s associate vice president of heavy transport, Andrew Hintz said that Geotab is proud to support the refreshed ATA Future Leaders Forum and to help invest in the next generation shaping Australia’s trucking industry.
“We are excited to continue working with the ATA to support the long-term success and resilience of the transport sector and developing strong industry leaders today will help ensure the industry is well positioned to meet the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow,” Hintz said
Volvo Group Australia’s vice president of people and culture, Jane Humphreys said that the Australian industry is crying out for talented young leaders equipped to tackle rapid change and technology head on.
“I wish this cohort of emerging leaders all the best over the course of this program and look forward to seeing them progress, develop and grow,” Humphreys said.
The ATA tells us that the 2026 program will move to a hybrid format of online and in-person learning, allowing participants to continue working while completing course modules at their own pace.
Participants will complete a series of workshops and participate in a group industry advocacy project to be presented at Trucking Australia 2027.
In 2024, the Future Leaders Forum won the LearnX Platinum Award for Best Learning and Talent Development in the industry-specific leadership development category.
The ATA announced that the 2026 Future Leaders include Mandy Solar, from Followmont Transport ( via NatRoad), Jacinta Lane, from Airtec (via National Road Freighters Association), Daniel Mikosic, from Multiquip ( via Livestock, Bulk and Rural Carriers Association), Casuarina Smith, from Trucking with CJ ( via Transport Women Australia Ltd), Luke Morton, from Ron Finemore Transport ( via TruckSafe), Chris Swadling, from Lindsay Australia (via Queensland Trucking Association), Dimity Andrews, from North West Quarries ( via Western Australia Transport Industry Association) and Shane McLoughlin, from Formula Chemicals (via Road Freight New South Wales)
Mandy Solar is an operational trainer at Followmont Transport in Brisbane and has worked in the trucking industry for five years, starting as a PUD driver before moving into line-haul driving and now her current role.
As an operational trainer, she works across driver training, assessment and capability development. She also supports onboarding and licence progression through to safety initiatives and broader workforce development projects, and is passionate about moving learning beyond ticking compliance boxes and using it to build genuine capability, confidence and safer outcomes across the transport industry.
Jacinta Lane is the Business Manager at Airtec Corporation/Airtec SmartOBM on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, and has been with Airtec for the past five years, leading business development, customer relationships, strategic initiatives and marketing, with a focus on delivering technology solutions that improve safety, compliance and operational efficiency across the transport industry.
She has played a key role in the market launch and growth of Airtec’s AXS SmartOBM system, working closely with transport operators and industry stakeholders to support the adoption of intelligent On-Board Mass technology.
She is also a director of Transport Women Australia Limited, where she contributes to initiatives supporting and empowering women across Australia’s transport and logistics industry.
Daniel Mikosic is the general manager of Multiquip, based in Sydney, and has more than 15 years of experience in the trucking and transport industry, developing extensive expertise in fleet operations, workshop management, compliance, safety and customer service.
In his role, he oversees the day-to-day operations of the business, including fleet maintenance, workshop performance, customer relationships and strategic growth initiatives, and is passionate about building strong teams, improving operational efficiency and delivering high-quality outcomes for customers across the transport industry.
CasuarinaSmith is a heavy vehicle driver and the founder of Trucking with CJ. She holds multi-combination and dangerous goods licences, and over the past decade has worked her way from concrete agitators and truck and dog tippers through to mining, harvest and fuel haulage. Today she also hauls a race transporter for Scott Taylor Motorsport to Supercars and Porsche events around the country alongside her contract driving.
Since starting Trucking with CJ in 2022, she has built a community of more than 300,000 people across Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the US, sharing the behind-the-scenes of the industry to help attract new people into trucking and support those already in it.
Luke Morton is the operations manager for the Goulburn/Sydney division of Ron Finemore Transport based in Sydney and has been worked for RFT for the past three years managing the driving team and operations staff across Canberra, Goulburn and Sydney.
He also manages a contract with a large supermarket chain delivering to stores in the metro Sydney, ACT/Riverina and the South Coast area. He was involved in overseeing the contract double in size with budgeted loads and moving depots from Prestons to Marsden Park in Sydney.
Chris Swadling is the national maintenance manager at Lindsay Transport, based in Sydney and has worked in the trucking industry for nearly 20 years, starting as an apprentice mechanic in 2007.
He oversees 140 staff across workshops and wash bays, from Cairns to Tasmania and west to Perth. Lindsay Australia operates seven workshops that maintain all aspects of the fleet, including paint and panel facilities.
Dimity Andrews works at the intersection of policy, industry research and strategic development for North West Quarries, focusing on workforce, freight and emerging transport challenges across the sector.
Her role is to turn industry evidence, stakeholder insight and operational realities into practical policy positions, targeted workforce initiatives and longer-term strategic responses that strengthen the productivity, resilience and future capability of Western Australia’s transport industry.
Shane McLoughlin is the operations manager at Formula Chemicals in West Ryde, NSW and has worked in the trucking industry for 10 years. He started at Formula Chemicals in the chlor‑alkali production team, where he developed his technical knowledge and experience in chemical manufacturing.
He oversees and coordinates day-to-day operations, working closely with the production, transport, logistics and administration teams to ensure operations are safe, efficient and compliant with company and regulatory requirements.
He works closely with drivers and the dispatch team to help ensure the safe and efficient delivery of hazardous goods, while maintaining compliance with safety and transport requirements. He also helps improve processes, train new employees and solve operational issues.
