Q&A with Deb Fankhauser from our Executive Group

We all know 2020 was a curve ball of a year. For our Executive Group member, Deb Fankhauser from Lower Murray Water, it brought an extra role - Pandemic Manager. Find out how she handled it in this Q&A.

LET’S START WITH THE PERSONAL. TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF.

I am a country girl at heart. Visiting the big smoke is okay for a day or two but then get me back to regional Victoria’s country air and open space.

My passions are gardening and HR (you know what they say about loving what you do and you’ll never work a day in your life).

I am married with one four-legged child named Scout. In the last 18 months, my husband and I have built our own home as owner builders. I was the mastermind behind the garden - I have grown all the plants from seed over the last five or so years, ready for the right block of land to create a bush haven for me and the birds.

WHAT’S YOUR PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND?

I have nearly 25 years’ experience in management and HR management. I am passionate about supporting employees and managers to have productive relationships. I have managed HR in many sectors including government, not-for-profit, private health and also in Aboriginal organisations. I’ve been at Lower Murray Water (LMW) since 2016, and took up the role of GM People and Customer in early 2020 - the year that never really happened, except for me a lot did happen (more on that later)!

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE WHAT YOU DO EACH DAY (BUT TO YOUR GRANDMA)?

When I’m in my happy place at work, I am challenging and supporting managers and employees to think about their relationships and how they can improve them. I coach leaders to understand the value and impact their leadership has on their teams - put your people first and the rest will come. It’s easy to miss this and focus on getting the job done but human-centred leadership is about working smarter, not harder.

Another priority at the moment is developing a new service area for LMW - groundwater management. Yes, our customers are exploring beyond the water in the river, which is very new to LMW and Mildura, but with the help of our neighbouring water corporations, we are working through our first groundwater licence applications. Woohoo!

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR RECENT CAREER HIGHLIGHTS?

I leapt into my current role (my dream job) in January 2020 with so many plans - a people strategy, talent management framework, safety strategy and everything in between.

Then COVID-19 hit and I was also made Pandemic Manager, responsible for leading LMW through the challenges of working from home, managing remote teams, looking after our mental health and all the rest. I quickly realised talent management would need to go on hold while we learned how to respond to the new environment.

During all this, I was completing my final unit of a post-graduate qualification with the Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI). I applied to AHRI to transfer my final project from talent management to pandemic management, then fast tracked the research, development and implementation of a Pandemic Management Plan. By May 2020, our plan was in place - we knew what steps to take if things worsened and how to transition forward when things improved.

I received a High Distinction for my final unit, completed the qualification and the results of my final report are about to be published in AHRI’s March magazine. I’m proud of what I achieved in 2020, and I couldn’t have done it without my team (yes they know that).

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO JOIN THE IWN EXECUTIVE GROUP?

Through talking with Program Director Dean Barnett, I thought it would be a great opportunity to provide HR support to help IWN achieve some of the significant shifts it is focused on, including diversity and inclusion. At the same time, I hope to grow and extend my knowledge across the water sector’s technical areas.

WHAT IWN PROGRAMS INTEREST YOU THE MOST?

At the moment, I’m most interested in implementing IWN’s Diversity and Inclusion Plan. Over the next 12 months, I also want to gain a broad understanding of most projects across IWN’s programs so I can identify where LMW can participate best.

WHAT GETS YOU OUT OF BED IN THE MORNING?

My team and the work we do. On the weekends: Time in my garden and with my little family.

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You can see the full IWN Executive Group here or read more team profiles on our blog.