Paul Larsen
Brookfield Rail has increased the volume of freight transported on its network by more than 50 per cent since Paul Larsen became CEO.
With a rail network that services twice the area of Great Britain, Brookfield Rail has achieved success that is vital to ensuring the movement of freight in Western Australia.
CEO Paul Larsen and the Brookfield Rail team have helped grow the company, increasing the tonnes of freight that run on the railway by more than 120 per cent since privatisation and steering it through difficult times. Under his stewardship, there have been cultural changes to the company, an increased focus on innovation and technology, and a shift to being more customer focused.
Paul started his career in 1988 at a steel business just south of Perth. I started with a company better known now as OneSteel, and at the time it was Australia's largest steel distribution business. "I started my career doing a cadetship, where I worked in every aspect of the business from loading trucks on the warehouse floor right through to being a sales representative, and ultimately becoming management accountant of their largest division.
While working full time at OneSteel and gaining experience in all areas of the company, Paul was also completing a business degree. After graduating in 1994, he moved into the transportation and logistics industry, and followed this with a brief stint in the technology sector. "I moved to Toll, the transport logistics company, in Western Australia as their commercial manager and worked there for four years in their trucking and logistics business servicing the oil and gas industry."