THE GRILL: Jonathan Lafforgue

Jonathan Lafforgue discusses his diverse role at NSW Ports, his career journey, travel for work, personal interests, and favourite places.

What does your job entail, what do you like about it?

As the general manager of operations and environment I’m lucky to have a very diverse portfolio including the bulk liquid operations in Port Botany, port-related logistics, safety and security of our facilities, NSW Ports’ environment and sustainability responsibilities and our IT systems. My team is working on some exciting new projects at the moment including the introduction of Australia’s first environmental shipping incentive, a holistic productivity dashboard for Port Botany, our next five-year sustainability plan, and the modernisation of our security surveillance systems. So, day-to-day I can be involved in the planning and design of our environmental shipping incentive, and later dive into data surrounding our BLB operations. Having a passionate and professional team makes this all the more rewarding.

How did you get into this line of work?

I started my career as a graduate with P&O Ports back in 1999. My first role was based at Hamilton Bulk and General in Queensland. It was a really great way to learn the nuts and bolts of stevedoring in its most original form. Later, I transitioned into container terminal operations and have worked at various container terminals on the east coast of Australia.

Do you travel much for work? Where to?

Most trips are to attend conferences in Melbourne or Brisbane. I do travel to Port Kembla as often as I can to work out of our second office down there. Generally interstate trips are few and far between, which is great for me as we have a young family.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I really enjoy windsurfing and have been doing it for almost 30 years. I have an old van dedicated to transporting my kit (four boards and about six sails). Also, cooking for, and spending time with, my family is also something I enjoy. I’ve also recently re-discovered Lego and am a self-confessed AFOL (adult fan of Lego).

What was the last movie you watched? Did you like it?

We went and watched the new Star Wars film “Solo” a few weeks ago. I enjoyed it, as I really like sci-fi movies and Woody Harrelson is an entertaining actor.

Do you listen to music? Who is your favourite artist?

Music plays a big role in my life; I always have music on in the car and we play quite a bit of music in our office too. I believe I have a very wide taste in music, from trance to industrial rock to opera. If I had to name a favourite band it would be an alternative metal band called TOOL.

We understand you live in Sydney. What do you like most about Sydney lifestyle?

Definitely the beaches and the summers. We live in Maroubra which is really close to Port Botany and also some very nice beaches. Summers in Sydney are my absolute favourites, lots of sea breezes for windsurfing and great weather for swimming with the kids.

Where is your favourite place for a holiday?

Maui, Hawaii. It’s one of the best destinations on the planet to windsurf and I have been back six times since I first visited in 2006.

Is there any particular place you would like to retire?

Good question! It’s hopefully still a little while away for me, but my wife and I would like to spend our winters in Port Douglas (or somewhere equally as warm and picturesque) and our summers in either Melbourne or Sydney. Well, that’s the dream anyway.

This article appeared in the August 2018 edition of DCN Magazine