"When I look at autonomous systems, I see an opportunity to deliver a service that is more efficient, safer, and more aligned to what customers want. Importantly it delivers a better outcome for both people working in transport, and those receiving the benefits of it."
Current positions
- Partner, L.E.K. Consulting
- Board member, Australian Association for Unscrewed Systems (AAUS)
- Committee Member, Advanced Air Mobility Consultative Committee, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts
Previous positions
- Principal, L.E.K. Consulting
- Consultant, L.E.K. Consulting
- Project Manager, AGL Energy
- Engineer, Automation Intelligence
- Consultant, EY
- Member, Transport Industry Working Group, Department of Industry, Science and Resources
- Panel Member, Advisory Panel on Zero Emission Vehicles, Department of Transport and Planning VIC
Career snapshot
Natasha is Partner and Head of L.E.K.’s transport practice in Melbourne. Natasha’s experience spans transport operations, data and technology, investment, and infrastructure. She specialises in advising on the impacts of new and emerging technologies and the future of mobility.
She has also worked extensively across the energy value chain, including renewable technologies and alternative fuels – bringing a deep understanding of the implications of the decarbonisation of the transport fleet. Natasha has led the development of several long-term strategies (often in the context of service, digital and technology-driven disruption), advised government on critical policy settings and investments, managed multidivisional project teams to execute transformational organisational change and advised on several transactions.
Natasha is a frequent speaker and has written many articles about the future of mobility. Her expert commentary has appeared in The Economist, the Financial Times and a variety of other news publications. In July 2021, Natasha was appointed to the Victorian Government’s advisory panel to deliver a zero emissions vehicle future. She is also a member of the Commonwealth Government’s National Emerging Aviation Technologies consultative committee.
Prior to joining L.E.K., Natasha worked in the energy industry at AGL Energy and Ernst & Young in Cyber Security. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree (Electrical and Computer Systems), a Bachelor of Commerce degree (Accounting and Finance) and an MBA from Melbourne Business School.
In her own words
There are five key trends impacting the future of transport right now – decarbonisation, autonomy, integration, digitisation/AI and new modes.
Transport is set to become the second largest source of emissions here in Australia and needs to play an outsized role in decarbonisation, because it’s the one where we have the greatest level of control. We have an opportunity to capitalise on the growing environmental consciousness amongst Australians and give them the choice to transition to lower emission alternatives for their journeys. I am also excited about what autonomy can deliver to the transport ecosystem because it impacts so many modes across land and air. We are seeing significant advancements deployed, especially overseas. The technology is going ahead in leaps and bounds. We are seeing autonomous vehicles doing millions of autonomous driving miles. There are great advancements in trucking as well, especially in the middle mile where otherwise a driver would be required to travel long distances at night or in less safe conditions. It is important to remember autonomy is a long journey. For us to get to fully autonomous systems is more than a decade away. There is a pathway to go through which involves remote piloting/ driving, and refining solutions from the learnings before moving to full autonomy. It will take time, which I think presents a lot of opportunity for people in the transport industry to think about: How can I improve the role I am doing today? How can I reskill? How can I retrain?
A lot of our transport systems are producing reams and reams of information not just about the asset but all the surrounding infrastructure. We have the opportunity to better use that information through advanced data analytics and AI to inform our transport decisions and augment the way we work.
Sometimes people think of autonomy and AI as a scary concept, and ask ‘do I trust it? Am I going to lose my job?’ But when I look at these technologies I see an opportunity to deliver a service that is more efficient, safer, and more aligned to what customers want. Importantly, it delivers a better outcome for both people working in transport, and those receiving the benefits of it. Over time this will enable our transport networks to become increasingly integrated. Integration refers to increased coordinated orchestration of the transport network, whether it be coordination of the transport network, network optimisation, communication between vehicles and assets, journey planning between modes and integrated payments. Integration is important because it lets us use our transport assets as efficiently as possible, prioritising between modes, improving safety outcomes and recovering quickly from disruption.
In the next few years we will witness increased and new uptakes of new modes such as drones and air taxis. Already in Melbourne, where I live, I can order a latte and a burrito delivered by a drone. In the future you will be able to travel by eVTOLs an electric, quieter and lower cost version of a helicopter. The use of eVTOLs will open up the opportunity to connect Australia in a way we have never been able to do so before and in a more efficient way than fixed infrastructure. There are something like 40 towns in Australia that have 30,000-40,000 people not connected by flights today, and they are within 200kms of the nearest city. With these demographics you can imagine the social, productivity and economic benefits of connecting our towns and cities in the air.
Embracing the possible
Everyone is always interested and engaged in the topic of future technology in transport, but it is often hard to convince them that it is real and that you should start doing something about it now. Many people need to see the technology tangibly happening. There are a lot of sceptics and unfortunately the sceptics frequently have a louder voice in the room than the believers. It certainly helps if you can look, see, and touch the technology. A lot of people come back from San Francisco and say to me ‘I rode in an autonomous taxi and it was fantastic!’
If we don't embrace testing and trialling, we will be catching up later than everyone else and we won't get the full productivity, safety and economic benefits of technology if we leave it too late.
In Australia we are at the front of the pack around preparing the regulation for some of these technologies, in particular drones, but we have a long way to go and it needs to be a focus.
Understanding your worth
Mid-career I received the great advice to really understand my worth and double down on my strengths. I was told to stand back and take stock, reflect on what you have achieved and appreciate what you can do and the impact you have. We don’t usually take the time to reflect and look at our career from the outside in because we are running so hard.
People often ask me what they should do in their careers. I consistently tell them to find what you love, what really motivates you and gets you up in the morning. If you can overlap that passion with your skill set, strengths and where there is a need in the market, that is where you should put your efforts.
My vision for the next five years is…
... we will be trialling, testing and refining more advanced technologies in our transport eco system and growing our understanding of the role they can play to deliver better outcomes for customers and for workers Australia.