Why I work in water: Angela Seidel
Name a country and there’s a strong chance Angela Seidel has worked there.
With more than a decade of board level experience across the commercial and not-for-profit sectors, Angela’s career went sky high as she undertook a variety of risk leadership roles and Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) positions for the likes of Rio Tinto and leading regional food company Goodman Fielder.
“I have had the opportunity to do multiple work placements in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Samoa, the Philippines, Brazil, and the United States,” she says.
Now working as Hunter Water’s Group Manager Risk and Internal Audit, Angela decided to dive into the water industry as it brought together many of her interests.
“Things like the long-term sustainability of resources, community needs, a continuing interest in heavy industry, and definitely being a lot closer to my home than the airports I have frequented over my career journey,” she says.
In her current role, Angela offers teams advice and support to boost their positive risk improvement culture.
After seeking alternative risk education avenues, she introduced a ‘Living with Risk’ program in April 2021 to encourage collaboration and provide daily risk reminders in a fun and informal way.
It aims to make risk a normal, natural, human part of everyday decisions and actions for Hunter Water employees.
“Everyone is a risk leader every day in every task they undertake. The challenge is to understand what your own risk appetite level is and how this will influence how you will manage the overall risk situation.”
“I love the wide interaction across so many teams under the ‘Living with Risk’ program. It is our people’s photos that make it interesting and diverse each month, and it may help staff remember risk reminders more than if it’s in a formal training session.”
Apart from ‘Living with Risk’, Angela is also involved in changes to the way Hunter Water handles enterprise risk, incident, injuries, compliance, and audit information.
Her extensive knowledge of such issues can be seen in the board level positions she currently holds.
An inaugural member, and now chair, of the Australian OHS Accreditation Education Board, she is also an independent board member for the Australian Building Sustainability Association, a lay member for the NSW Health Professional Councils Authority Tribunal, and the Lead Certification Assessor with the Australian Institute of Health and Safety.
Outside of work, Angela also finds the time to volunteer as a Nippers Age Manager at Cooks Hill Surf Life Saving Club, a technical official with Swimming NSW, and as her daughter’s taxi driver as she participates in community events.