The woman working to futureproof the electrical workforce

Sunday, 1 September 2024

Alexandra Vranyac-Wheeler, Master Electricians’ first woman chief executive, has never been one to shy away from a challenge, and that’s lucky because she landed a “hot potato” after taking up the role this year.

She was just a few weeks into her new job at the 99 year old organisation when the industry was rocked by a multi-million-dollar, nationwide product recall, one involving potentially dangerous products that is still unfolding.

Worksafe banned the S2068 model of Serene bathroom wall heaters in February, after it was linked to multiple fire and overheating incidents. But in April it expanded the ban, and the recall, to the S207T and S2069 models after they failed safety tests.

“Yes, I was handed a hot potato with that one,” Vranyac-Wheeler says. “It was tough across multiple fronts, and it continues to be tense.”

The big issues for consumers are around health and safety, and the fire risk, and the industry has to address those concerns, while for Master Electrician members there are issues around liability, she says.

“It is also taking a huge toll on wholesalers and suppliers, who are footing the bill. While we represent contractors, not suppliers, they often sponsor us so it’s a delicate balance.”

But there was a silver lining of sorts in the crisis. It allowed her to organise a meeting with all the contractors and suppliers in the same room to discuss what had gone wrong, and its impact.

It was the first time that type of conversation had happened, and it allowed for the development of a uniform response, which helped in advising government, she says.

“The situation also provided a useful platform to draw attention to the importance of the Australia-New Zealand joint standards, and why we need them to be kept current.

“They are a bedrock of safety, and yet they are under pressure. If we don’t keep up with the rest of the world, we won’t have products that are in line with minimum standards and ensure productivity.”

It was a baptism of fire, but she took it in her stride, weathered it, and now she reckons it did her a favour.

Navigating challenging times

That’s because she sees challenges as opportunities, and she is not one to let an opportunity get past her, she says.

When we meet it is clear the bubbly and charming, but softly spoken Vranyac-Wheeler is not one to be deterred, or underestimated.

She is born, bred, and based in Wellington, but is in Auckland regularly. On this occasion, she is here for a business breakfast with ACT deputy leader Brooke van Velden, and meetings.

As she is on the go, we talk over coffee in the beautifully refurbished heritage office of a company she is working with. It was an early start for her, so it’s not her first Americano of the day, she says.

The day’s coffee intake may have boosted her natural energy, but it does not impact on her focus, nor her drive to communicate how she aims to help the industry navigate through rapidly changing times.

A key challenge is the rising number of electricity-dependent devices and high-load EV-charging stations. It means the network has never been under greater strain, and the technological demands on electricians have increased.

Given New Zealand’s target of net zero emissions by 2050, along with the ongoing evolution of new technology, such as AI, that trend is only going to get more pressing.

The role of Master Electricians, which has about 1300 member businesses with a total workforce of more than 10,000, is to ensure its members adapt to all the change, and to support them in doing so Vranyac-Wheeler says.

“There is a tendency for electricians to stick with what they know, and the products that they started with when they were apprentices. But there’s lots of new products and technology.

“We need to think about how electricity is going to be used, the renewable space, AI, and the skills that will be needed. Because to get to those targets, we need a workforce that can use those products, and keep up with change.”

Often it is consumers who drive product change, but she is keen to enable the electrical workforce to upskill and lead the change. That has to involve better training and ongoing professional development, she says.

As it happens, vocational training is a specialty of hers, as she spent over 10 years in different roles at Skills Group, a training and consultancy group for industry groups and businesses.

Her work on vocational training, and strategic development, with industry groups means she was not a stranger to the electrical industry when she was shoulder tapped for the Master Electricians’ role late last year.

The power of conversation

It is important because she is not an electrician herself. But the 42 year old sees that as an advantage rather than a disadvantage.

“Coming in as a youngish woman, who is not an electrician by background, it is an opportunity to bring about change. I don’t know everything about the electrical industry, and won’t challenge the big players on electrical issues, so people don’t feel threatened and you can have good conversations.”

She points to the Serene Heaters situation as an example.

“If I had been a bloke with an electrical background, the assumption would have been that I thought I knew it all, and we would not have got the buy-in we did. But instead Master Electricians was seen as a neutral place to bring that dialogue together, and we were able to work on the problem together.”

The situation allowed her to model the leadership style she has developed over the course of a distinct career path which has encompassed academia, the public sector, and the business world.

But her family background has also contributed to her resolve, and belief in the need to embrace challenge.

Vranyac-Wheeler’s family is a mix of Greek and Turkish, and her maternal grandparents left Turkey during uprisings against the Greek minority in the 1950s. They were not able to go to Greece and although they wanted to go to New Caledonia, because they spoke French, they ended up in Australia.

Her grandparents did not speak English, but they settled in Melbourne, which was where her parents met. They then moved to Wellington, and Vranyac-Wheeler and her brother grew up there.

She went to Samuel Marsden Collegiate, then a private girls school, for 13 years. “It was very academic, and it gave me a lot of opportunities which I appreciated, but it was a challenging environment.”

After finishing school, she went to Dunedin to attend the University of Otago. Originally, she planned to go into medicine, but she ended up doing an honours degree in pharmacology, before moving on to a Phd.

During her time in academia, she became interested in health and human rights, and that led her to do an intensive course at Harvard on the topic. It was “eye opening”, she says. “There were people from all walks of life wanting to make a difference, and it made me realise New Zealand is very fortunate.”

On her return, she applied for 48 jobs before she got a “policy wonk” role at the Ministry of Health. It was the start of five years working in government organisations, with her longest stint at the Tertiary Education Commission.

She honed her skills in strategic and operational policy and then management, progressed through the ranks, and was shoulder-tapped for a job in Steven Joyce’s ministerial office. “But I had just got married and we wanted to start a family, so it was not the right time.”

Instead, she stepped out of the public sector, and went to work at The Skills Organisation, which was then an industry training organisation founded by Master Electricians.

Building the future workforce

Working with businesses to improve performance and productivity, and selling the value of training and workforce talent management stuck with her, she says. She was there for over 10 years, although she was seconded back to the TEC several times, and oversaw its transition into Skills, a private training organisation.

“Moving between the roles has been helpful as I’ve developed a strong relationship with government and industry, an understanding of where we can get the best from the system, and reciprocity in how to work.”

Now, she will be tapping into that background to build the future workforce the industry will need, and to address issues such as skill shortages and the need for greater diversity.

She also wants to increase her organisation’s membership. It has 26% industry representation, and there are about 32,000 electrical contractors nationwide, so she is aiming for 40% or more.

“If they all understand there is a huge wave of change coming, and we can help navigate that, I think they will see that as a value, an opportunity for their business.”

It’s a broad remit, but one she has thrown herself into with enthusiasm.

She has already set up Trade Master, a new training offering backed by suppliers, to drive the electrification of the industry, and she is currently overseeing her organisation’s nationwide apprentice challenge.

A packed schedule at work, and two children, a husband and a German shorthaired pointer dog who are all full of energy at home, keeps her busy, and means every day is different.

But she likes to start every day with some form of exercise. “Otherwise, I will struggle a bit. It helps set my mindset for the day, and means I have achieved something for the day.”

She does her best to achieve a healthy work-life balance, but it is a juggle that never goes away because as a mum she does not want to give anything up, she says.

“Family is number one, but how do you find a balance where you can operate effectively in all your roles? There’s your job, and you are a mum, a wife and a homemaker, and you have other interests too.

Concentrating the work juggle

“I’ve made a conscious decision that it is necessary to concentrate your efforts. Sometimes you just have to say ‘bugger it’ and disengage from work, but at other times, you can’t and you have to let your kids know that.”

When not working, she and her family are very sporty, with tennis, swimming and ski-ing favoured pastimes. She enjoys running, being out in nature and gardening.

“But we are a close, extended family and as is the Greek tradition, we do a lot of eating and drinking and enjoying time together.”

Vranyac-Wheeler’s home life centres her, but it also informs her leadership style. That’s because she believes respectful communication, and the ability to manage emotions are critical to successful business dealings.

“Early in my career I was advised to not let ego get in the way of a business relationship, and I’ve stuck to that religiously. Not trying to show anyone up, and genuinely asking for views, gracefully but directly, has worked well for me as a way of working.”

Over the next two to three years, her goal is to position Master Electricians as a support for industry, a trusted advisor for government, and a thought leader in the electrical space.

“We want to be able to challenge the way we think about the things that are important for our industry.

“And we need to consider, and identify how to engage and participate with adjacent industries, and new technology to take us to the next step, to enable change and take people on that journey.”