Joe Taylor
CEO, Smartways Logistics | AGSM MBAX (Change Management) 2020
Improving lives with healthcare logistics
As CEO of Smartways Logistics, Australia and New Zealand’s largest dedicated healthcare logistics provider, Joe Taylor is on a mission to make healthcare more effective for all.
Smartways is a key part of Australia’s complex healthcare supply chain. Delivering everything from medical technology and pharmaceuticals to human organs demands absolute precision from a well-managed team. Time is crucial, and seconds can make a life-or-death difference.
"We help with over 50% of surgeries across Australia, delivering or picking up critical equipment. We do this with a 0.001% error rate, but even that tiny margin feels painful because every mistake matters.”
Smartways solves the problem of ensuring the highest possible quality for the most important shipments in healthcare. We do this with precision, flexibility, and at a lower cost point as we scale.
Growing sustainably
Smartways has grown rapidly under Joe’s leadership, expanding from 100 drivers and 20 staff to nearly 400 employees within two years. Their 300 strong driver team services around 1350 hospitals daily.
That’s a lot of people and vehicles on the road, but Smartways also has the broader community’s health in mind – achieving 100% carbon neutrality back in 2020.
Smartways is the first, and only, dedicated healthcare logistics company to provide sustainable, carbon-neutral freight services within Australia and New Zealand.
Thriving on positive pressure
By successfully building and enabling high-performing teams, Joe has navigated the complexities of mergers, acquisitions, and business transitions in some of Australia and New Zealand's largest firms such as Toll Group and NXP Business Supplies.
His decision to take the reins at Smartways just after the Covid pandemic didn’t come easily. He said ‘no’ for eight months, but the role’s unique challenges eventually drew him in.
“I enjoy complexity. I’m competitive. Leading Smartways gives me plenty of both!”
Joe’s specialist skill is navigating high-pressure environments and building teams that thrive under that pressure. Consequently, the pressure of medical logistics was an attraction, not a deterrent.
He believes pressure can be a positive – motivating people to achieve their best is its own reward. This mindset is key to his leadership style, especially in high-stakes industries where decisions can have life or death consequences.
"Smartways is special – we all share a sense of purpose. If you're okay with 95% Smartways is not for you. But if you want the enormous sense of achievement of helping to change and save lives, you’ll find it here.”
High-stakes, high-speed leadership
Transforming this high-stakes business demands constant peak performance from the entire team.
Smartways’ culture is patient-centric: every team member, from drivers to warehouse operators, understands that the patient comes first.
“At Smartways, it’s all about putting the patient first, then the team, and us last. This creates a united team with a common purpose.”
Maintaining a high-performance team in such a demanding field requires a careful balance between positive pressure and well-being.
Fatigue management is critical for Smartways, especially with drivers working odd hours. They’ve built one of the most rigorous fatigue management systems in Australia, and drivers are paid well to reflect their demanding role.
“As we grow, we invest heavily in infrastructure, which supports our people and helps reduce costs while improving our service quality.”
Beyond systems and structures, Joe is intentional about creating a positive and innovative workplace culture that celebrates success constantly.
“We actively protect our culture from bureaucracy, which can kill innovation.”
Thriving on complexity
Joe describes his AGSM MBA as transformative. He entered the program strong in project management but left with a deeper understanding of how to manage change in a fast-growing business.
We digitised systems, grew the team, and improved service quality – all while maintaining business performance. AGSM helped me prioritise these changes in a way that supported both our people and our customers.
He credits AGSM with giving him new skills to navigate the increasingly complex world of business leadership. He points out the irony of the more tools and techniques we have, the more complex business gets.
The right choice for ambitious leaders
Already a highly accomplished CEO before his AGSM experience, Joe says doing an MBA ‘rounds out’ leaders regardless of their strengths.
The program offered more than theoretical knowledge – it provided real-world tools that he could apply immediately in his career. One of his key takeaways? Start now.
My AGSM MBA has helped me to transform a business while simultaneously growing it. This has enabled me to be very selective on what we say, ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to, and how execute a strategy.
What are you made for?
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