What do an Outdoorswoman, PR Expert, Design Thinker and a Massage Therapist have in common?
They make the Hack team ‘WOW’ – who competed in #fatigueHACK held at the National Convention Centre (April 18-20), that was co-hosted by the Canberra Innovation Network and the Australian Trucking Association.
The four Canberra business women entered #fatigueHACK after successfully winning a similar competition in 2017 – where they had to find solutions to support people living a 100+ years.
Team WOW is made up of Medical Researcher and Adventurer Indiana Holley, PR expert and Strategy Specialist Sheena Ireland, Design Thinker and Creative Consultant Lynne Goodyer and Massage Therapist and Serial Entrepreneur Lisa LaMaitre.
#fatigueHACK saw eight teams ‘hacking’ to find a solution for truck driver fatigue in the trucking industry. It’s the first time that an event of this kind has been run by the Australian Trucking Association.
Ben Maguire Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Trucking Association has to say: “This hackathon is an industry first, bringing fresh eyes to the issue of driver fatigue management. These teams had a huge breadth of experience and expertise and were able to look at the issues from different angles. The Australian Trucking Association is thrilled with the outcomes and looks forward to working with participants as they further develop their concepts”.
Over the two days of competition, teams worked over 12 hour days to design their solutions and prepare a 5 minute pitch and PowerPoint presentation to deliver to a panel of trucking industry experts, who acted as judges.
Team WOW who were complete novices to the truck industry, had the extra logistics of client meetings, business commitments, children on school holidays and a funeral to add to the pressures of their competition. The final two days of competition only saw two of the team onsite, while the remaining members remoted in, to help the team prepare for judging!
Despite all of these challenges team W.O.W. came third in the competition. The team developed two education based solutions one to see drivers empowered with health strategies, and the second to raise public awareness about the issues truck drivers face.
Team Captain of W.O.W. Lisa LaMaitre explains. “We are really excited to achieve third in #fatigueHACK. It’s amazing how quickly you become invested in finding an effective solution. We are looking forward to seeing what can be achieved from working with the Australian Trucking Association over the coming months.”
About Lisa LaMaitre from Canberra Wise Women
Lisa LaMaitre is a Health Expert, Connector, Communicator and Business Creative. She is the Principal Practitioner and Managing Director of Therapy Masters, a health practice in Canberra City. She is the Creator of Canberra Wise Women, a platform for sharing connection and inspiration through live events. Lisa shares her business knowledge as a mentor with Inspiring Rare Birds and Global Sisters, and is a teacher at the Canberra Institute of Technology.
