Angela Hunter, who took the helm at Coal Services earlier this year as CEO, isn’t your typical corporate leader. She brings a global resume yet speaks with the easy warmth of someone who has never forgotten where she came from – or who she’s working for.
Angela has worked across seven countries in insurance, finance, health and telecommunications, leading operations, marketing, sales and eventually senior executive roles at Vodafone, NRMA/IAG, Citibank, General Electric, Prudential and Chubb. But for Angela, it’s never been about the titles.
“I find the greatest fulfilment in helping individuals and teams exceed their own expectations and realise their full potential.
“One of the defining moments of my career was leading Vodafone’s mobile technology transformation in the mid-1990s – a pivotal time when we introduced pre-paid mobile technology that helped those who were not eligible to get a contract get access to mobile phones. While I’m proud of the strategic milestones I’ve achieved, what matters most to me is giving broader communities that may not have the buying power of more affluent people get access.”
Outside the office, she’s all energy – fitness, travel, anything outdoors. She rides a scooter, which she learned to ride in Thailand, loves music, karaoke, and spending time with her family. It’s easy to see she’s someone who’s up for a challenge and embraces new experiences. That same drive is what drew her to Coal Services.
“I come from a mining town – St. Helens, Merseyside in the UK, which was all coal mining whilst I was growing up. Until the late 1970s when a government decision closed mines across the country.”
When the mines closed, Angela witnessed the devastation that swept through her community – the loss of income, identity and stability. Her grandfather was a coal miner who died at just 45 from silicosis, and she never got to meet him. So when she talks about being humbled by the chance to work in health, safety and wellbeing for the mining community, you know she means it.
“One of the key things that helped me make the decision to join is everyone being aligned on the common purpose of protecting the health, safety and wellbeing of coal miners.
“I love the model of the government’s role in setting up Coal Services with the MEU and the Minerals Council representing employers and employees with a common purpose. Our board is also very balanced with representation from both shareholders and independent directors with relevant skills.”
Coal Services itself is a unique organisation. For nearly 100 years it has existed for one reason: to protect the health and safety of the NSW coal mining industry. It delivers everything from health surveillance and dust monitoring to workers compensation, safety training and Mines Rescue. It’s a collaborative model unlike anything else in the world, built on the idea that if everyone works together, everyone stays safer.
Coming into a company with such a long history has been something Angela genuinely values and she has enjoyed hearing stories from employees and customers about how the industry has evolved.
“The history and context is so important. It’s impressive to see the safety and health record of the NSW coal industry. This has not happened by accident. With all the stakeholders working together – government, regulators, employers and the union – it keeps perspective and things in balance and has helped maintain some of the best safety standards in the world.”
Since starting with the company in May, Angela has been on the road meeting people in every region – the Hunter, Newcastle, Wollongong, Gunnedah, Lithgow and Mudgee.
“I’ve loved meeting everyone in the business at all our regional offices and experiencing the sense of community while learning about the role coal mining plays in providing jobs and supporting the economy. The biggest adjustment has been understanding the different stakeholders and perspectives, which is normal when starting a new role.”
What she finds unique about Coal Services is the breadth and integration of what it provides.
“There is no other organisation that delivers health services, dust monitoring, safety training, Mines Rescue and workers compensation under one roof. Whether it’s workers’ compensation benefits, return to work support, health surveillance, or first responder training, Coal Services is there for every stage of a worker’s journey – and every moment they need support.”
One thing she has really enjoyed discovering is the Mines Rescue Competitions held across all coal mining regions, which provide opportunities for continuous training and learning for Coal Services’ people but, more importantly, for those in mines rescue brigades and emergency response roles.
“Coal Services trains 5% of the underground workforce and all surface emergency response teams for open cut mines, ensuring they’re ready if an incident occurs. The passion, enthusiasm and skills demonstrated is fantastic, with a lot of people doing extra training or providing support in their own time, particularly the teams that put them together and those who serve as assessors.”
She’s equally impressed by the dust and respiratory sampling, the health surveillance programs, and the way Coal Services supports the Mines Safety Advisory Committee with data and insights that help track trends and protect workers. Through the workers’ compensation scheme, the organisation also plays a vital role in rehabilitation and supporting people back to work.
“There are many more and these are just a few,” she said, still discovering the depth of what the organisation does.
Of course, she’s also aware of the challenges – particularly sustainability pressures around emissions and the rising cost of regulation compared to countries in Asia. But she sees opportunity in those challenges. A big one is technology.
“We have an opportunity using technology to improve the data analysis and insights we have across the business. We also have an opportunity to be more efficient and reduce manual work and ensure our services evolve as the industry changes. We can better use technology in both our health services business and our insurance business to improve the services we provide at a lower cost.”
When talking about safety, she said that both preventative and responsive measures matter, but one has the bigger long-term impact.
“The response measures need to be in place as foundational to support the industry. However, preventative measures are critical for better health and safety outcomes for both employers and workers. We are in a unique position given the breadth of what we do to help employers and employees understand the relationship between proactively driving and improving the skills of managers running operations with the health and safety of their workers as well as reducing the cost of responsive safety with lower incidents and severity.
“A great example of this is we know there is a relationship between early reporting of injury with improved health outcomes for workers.”
Looking ahead, Angela’s vision is ambitious but grounded. She wants Coal Services to deliver a world-class, sustainable health and safety service to an evolving industry – enabling a healthier workforce and a safer workplace. And she’s very clear on her personal goals.
“My focus is to ensure we are a partner of choice for industry – trusted for our advice, easy to work with, and consistently delivering exceptional health, safety and service outcomes.
“To do this, I’m committed to strengthening the foundations of how we operate: simplifying our processes and technology, improving experiences for workers and employers, and ensuring our people have the skills, opportunities and support they need to thrive.
“By putting our people first, embedding continuous improvement, and staying closely connected to industry needs, I want to ensure we create lasting value for the NSW coal industry and the communities we serve.”
More than a century on, Coal Services is still driven by the same purpose it started with – to protect. And with Angela at the helm, that purpose looks to be in very determined hands.
