Wayne Pringle from Tomago Aluminium

FROM THE JUDGES:

Wayne is clearly a driving force behind Tomago’s WPG program – a relentless champion and influencer – who leads with passion with no expectation of reward or recognition”

RESULTS + IMPACT

  • Wayne was heavily involved in the relaunch of Tomago’s WPG program, which saw participation rise to 71%
  • Has built a strong relationship with the charity partner, Westpac Rescue Helicopter, is their go-to contact for program promotion
  • Boosted program engagement by arranging the Westpac Rescue Helicopter team to fly onsite and meet with the Tomago team
  • Heavily involved in one-off charity drives, e.g. the Bushfire Appeal that raised $50K for the local RFS
  • Coined their WPG program slogan: “You know it’s worth it”

 OVERVIEW + HIGHLIGHTS

Tomago Aluminium is an aluminium smelter in Newcastle that has been operating 24 hours a day since 1983. The company contributes $1.5 billion annually to the Australian economy, of which $800 million is spent locally.  Tomago employs 950 full-time team members and 190 contractors.

Wayne Pringle became Site Delegate at Tomago in 2008 and was a crew delegate for 15 years before that.  Despite his very busy role, Wayne has also been a passionate and committed supporter of the company’s WPG program.

Part of this commitment has seen Wayne complete three site-wide promotions to sign people up to the WPG program.  This saw Wayne visit every crib room on every shift which is approximately 70 rooms.

Wayne brings great passion to the WPG challenge and is not afraid to walk straight into the CEO’s office and put the case forward for the company to match donations or approach the Head of HR and pitch the case that all new starters get great communication on the WPG program when they join, and be in the program unless they tick a box to opt-out.

Wayne even coined the much used catchcry for the company – “We know it’s worth it”.