Management Team

Drew Semken - Managing Director and CEO.

Drew Semken is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Force Group of Companies including Australia's pre-eminent supplier of elevated work platforms Force Access together with regional general rental supplier Force Rentals. In this role, Drew is responsible for all company operations for the Group across Australia with annual turnover in excess of $100 Million.

Since joining the company in 1998, Drew has played a significant leadership role building Force from just 50 elevated work platforms to it's position today as a member of the Global Top 25 Access Companies around the World and number 2 player in Australia.

A Fitter and Machinist / Toolmaker by trade, Drew has 31 years experience in all facets of the hire and rental industry with core expertise in elevated work platforms. During his time at Force he has held the positions of General Manager and Chief Operating Officer before becoming CEO in 2008.

Drew's credits his pragmatic, inclusive and hands-on leadership style and his relentless focus on company culture and customer-centric values as being key to the successful formula at Force.

Simon Curtis - Chief Financial Officer.

Simon joined Force as CFO in March 2009. Simon is responsible for the financial leadership of the company and is the secretary of all the Force group companies. Simon qualified as a chartered accountant in the UK before making Australia his home in 1989.

He now has an impressive 20 years experience in senior financial management within sectors ranging from professional services, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) and media. Prior to Force, Simon spent 7 years as CFO of Coffey International Limited, a top 300 ASX listed consulting and project management company. Simon's other senior financial management roles included News Limited, Arnotts Limited and WD & HO Wills Limited.

Under his leadership, Force has developed a sophisticated corporate governance and financial operating regime that has provided a solid platform to support the Group's impressive growth performance.

Pat Italiano - Chief Operating Officer

Pat joined Force in 2006 in the position of NSW Operations Manager and was promoted to the COO position in 2008. In his position of COO and member of the Executive Team, Pat has overall responsibility for the equipment rental fleet of the Force Group including fleet rental performance, capital expenditure, asset management, freight and logistics. Pat also has responsibility for the delivery of the extensive technical service support function around Australia.

His operational expertise is gained from 20 years in the rental industry including senior positions at Coates, Westrac and Wreckair. During his time with Force, Pat has developed an industry leading suite of data that enables prudent and timely decisions to be made in the areas of fleet deployment, return on investment and CAPEX. This sophisticated data approach is a key enabler at Force to provide a solid platform for the business to operate at an optimum level.

'The Operations Team at Force is the glue that binds the Sales Team and the Service Department together at Force. Our Operations Team, including our Drivers, Customer Service Operators and Freight Coordinators provide a genuine 24/7 service offering that sets the standard for our industry.'

Robert Killian - General Manager Business Development

Robert holds an Executive MBA from the University of Sydney and is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. In his capacity as GMBD and a member of the Executive Team at Force, he is responsible for the overall development of the Force Group with a key strategic focus on top-line revenue, customer engagement, major projects, safety and environment, marketing, brand management and company wide strategy.

Since joining Force in 2006 in the position of NSW State Manager he was promoted to the GMBD position in 2009. Robert has previously held senior positions at Brinks Australia in the cash logistics industry. He also held a senior position responsible for the integrated security operation for the Olympic Village during his 3 years working at the Sydney Olympics.

'We have worked hard to position Force as the true specialist marquee brand in the elevated work platform sector. Force offers our customers a distinct value proposition in the areas of safety, on-site technical support, solutions based customer service together with the ability to supply a genuine end-to-end customer experience from workshop to job-site.'