Powered by Connection
That’s a wrap on our biggest Australasian Fleet Leadership and Education Summit yet! With 950+ registered attendees, partnerships with 100+ sponsors and exhibitors, 25+ educational sessions, and 70+ speakers, this year’s event was a phenomenal success and the largest in the history of AfMA.
This year’s theme Powered by Connection, focused on the impact of connecting people, ideas, and technology on the larger fleet and mobility landscape. The summit is a unique opportunity for fleet and automotive professionals from organisations to exchange knowledge, create new relationships, and explore the ever-expanding industry. Connections are the crux of every Summit we host, allowing collaborations and professionals to learn, share, and flourish with every session held.
We are proud that every Summit attendee returned to their respective organisations with new experiences in mind, creating an impact in their professional and personal development journeys.
2 Days of insights and creating more spaces for connection
Across two packed days, the Fleet Summit brought our community together to explore the biggest challenges and opportunities that are shaping the fleet and automotive industries. In 25+ sessions, we examined:
- The role of managing driver behaviour and fatigue, the importance of choosing safer vehicles, as well as risk reduction strategies in building stronger safety cultures within organisations.
- The realities of fleet electrification from vehicle selection and charging infrastructure to operational impacts and total cost of ownership for mixed fleets.
- How telematics, connected vehicles, artificial intelligence, and emerging tools are changing the way fleets manage safety, maintenance, operations, and long-term planning as well as the expanding role of AI in daily fleet operations.
- Procurement, lifecycle management, maintenance, and operational efficiency strategies that attendees can take back to their organisations.
We also had several keynote sessions that focused on how fleet professionals can harness the power of resilience and adaptability to become better versions of themselves:
- John Maclean OAM opened the Summit with a powerful message about resilience, belief, and the strength found through connection.
- Eden Shirley, Founder and CEO of FleetGuru.AI, demonstrated how humans and AI could work together to improve fleet maintenance.
- Ben Selwyn of Fifth Quadrant shared insights from the 2026 Corporate Fleets Insight Survey, highlighting how fleet professionals are responding to change, technology, and digitisation.
- Evelina Bereni, Speaker and Psychologist at Psyched Productions, explored how relational energy helps people and teams stay adaptable during uncertainty.
- Finally, Jason Smith, Director of Policy and Research at the Australian Automobile Association, shared real-world testing insights that showed why laboratory figures don’t always reflect actual fuel use, emissions, or EV range on Australian roads.
The Summit was not only about educational sessions; we also opened a new way for attendees to meet, share contacts, and build relationships across the fleet industry through the special QR code embedded on our delegate badges.
The Ride and Drive experience, made possible by Eagers Automotive, was back this year. It added a hands-on element by giving attendees the chance to experience vehicles and technologies first-hand.
AfMA Industry Awards & Networking Dinner
Every year, the AfMA Industry Awards ceremony is held during the Summit Networking Dinner to recognise leadership and innovation across our industry. This year, we have added a new category to our line-up of awards, bringing the total to four awards:
- Fleet Manager of the Year
- Fleet Safety Award
- Fleet Environment Award
- Inaugural Women in Fleet Management Award
Fleet Environment Award: Hydro Tasmania
The Fleet Environment Award recognises organisations that have excelled in implementing sustainable and innovative strategies, creating measurable results and an environmental impact.
Energy government business enterprise Hydro Tasmania was announced as this year’s Fleet Environment Award Winner. Through a combination of EV deployment, charging infrastructure investment, operational integration, and workforce engagement, Hydro Tasmania has demonstrated how organisations can progress fleet transition while maintaining operational capability across diverse environments.
To learn more about Hydro Tasmania’s environmental efforts and success, click here.
Fleet Safety Award: Logan City Council, City Fleet
The Fleet Safety Award is given to organisations that have achieved significant advancements in safety through innovation, leadership and commitment to continuous improvement.
This year AfMA recognised Logan City Council, City Fleet as the winner of the Fleet Safety Award. City Fleet at Logan City Council demonstrated an unwavering commitment to fleet safety through its structured Five‑Year Safety Journey, commenced in 2020. While the initial five‑year program concluded in 2025, safety continues to be embedded as a mature, holistic system that has progressed well beyond its original timeframe.
To read more about Logan City Council’s safety achievements in the aspect of fleet, click here.
Fleet Manager Award: Kris Nair, Blacktown City Council
The Fleet Manager Award recognises individuals an individual who demonstrates outstanding leadership, innovation and measurable improvement in fleet management performance.
Kris Nair, Manager of City Fleet & Energy at Blacktown City Council was named Fleet Manager of the Year for 2026. Kris transformed Blacktown City Council’s fleet from a cost-oriented, ownership-based model to a lower-emission fleet backed by data with the capacity to serve as a strategic asset for the organisation.
To learn more about Kris Nair and his work with Blacktown City Council, click here.
Women in Fleet Management (WiFM) Award: Theresa Labuschagne
Our newest addition to the awards categories is the Women in Fleet Management (WiFM) Award. This inaugural award celebrates and elevates a female professional who advocates for and supports other women in the fleet and automotive industry, inspiring progress and inclusivity.
AfMA is proud to announce Theresa Labuschagne of Kiwi Rail as the first winner of the WiFM Award. With more than 20 years of experience spanning healthcare, manufacturing, mining exploration, nuclear operations, and rail, Theresa has played a leading role in advancing motor vehicle safety initiatives across KiwiRail’s national operations. Her work has combined risk and change management with practical fleet safety outcomes, workforce engagement, and cross-industry collaboration.
To learn more about Theresa’s accomplishments, read the article here.
A heartfelt thanks to our 2026 Summit Partners and Sponsors
The 2026 Australasian Fleet Leadership and Education Summit would not have been possible without the generous support of our Event Partners, Sponsors, and Exhibitors.
We extend a special thank you to our Event Partners, Toyota for Business and Toyota Fleet Management, who have supported AfMA for the past 11 years. Their ongoing commitment has played an important role in helping bring our community together year after year.
We would also like to thank our 2026 Summit sponsors, whose support helped create an engaging, valuable, and memorable experience for all attendees:
- AfMA Industry Awards & Networking Dinner Sponsor: FleetGuru
- Exhibition Networking Drinks and Canapes Sponsor: Slattery
- Leaders of Industry Sponsor: Polestar
- Education Sponsors: Summit Fleet Leasing and NSW Government
- Keynote Sponsors: StreetFleet, Summit Fleet Leasing and Management, AI Fleet Insights, Origin Energy, and Tesla
- Breakout Session Sponsor: mycar Tyre & Auto
- Public Sector Scholarship Sponsors: Geotab, Isuzu UTE, Kia, and Volkswagen
- Networking Breakfast Sponsor: Intellitrac
- Morning Tea Sponsors: PowerFleet and HiDrive
- Lunch Sponsors: Kia and Caddy Storage
We also thank the sponsors who helped bring the delegate experience to life throughout the Summit:
- Ride and Drive: Eagers Automotive
- Coffee Carts: Summit Fleet Leasing and Management
- Popcorn Cart: The NRMA
- Gelato Cart: Fleetcare
- LinkedIn Photo Booth: Tyrepower
- Lanyard Sponsor: FleetGuru
Thank you to our 100+ exhibitors who shared their innovation, expertise, and solutions with the attendees.
And of course, thank you to our attendees for taking the time to be a part of the Fleet Summit. We hope you learned valuable lessons you can take back to your organisations and built meaningful connections along the way.
This year was truly Powered by Connection. We hope to see you all again next year where we evolve beyond connection!
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