Felila, a Site Supervisor at a Visy Logistics warehouse in Auckland, is known for her exceptional commitment to workplace safety, earning a safety award at last year’s Visy CEO Awards.
Known for her passion for safety—not only her own, but that of her team and the site she manages—Felila has consistently demonstrated leadership and diligence in creating safe working environments.
She says a strong safety culture enhances team engagement, improves productivity, reduces downtime, and fosters trust in the team.
“Safety is our priority, as protecting our people is fundamental to operating safely and sustaining long-term business success. We’ve genuinely prioritised safety so that it is embedded in our daily operations rather than viewed as a compliance requirement.”
She keeps safety engaging by involving the team in daily safety discussions, toolbox talks, and safety monthly meetings.
“It’s important to ensure systems such as traffic management plans, site inductions, PPE standards, AAA rules, pre-start checks and loading zone rules are in place and actively followed.”
“We recognise and reward team members who actively contribute to health and safety on-site. We also encourage open communication, so everyone feels comfortable sharing ideas and improvements. Keeping safety visible and interactive helps maintain awareness and motivation.”
She says safety starts with leadership.
“I set clear expectations and live and breathe our Visy safety values. Safety should never be compromised for productivity.”
This year, she’s focused on making her sites even safer for the team, with a focus on traffic management, compliance standards and investing in safety improvements.
“We’re committed to continuous improvement, keeping our safety standards high and always looking for ways to do things better.”
Visy CEO Award – safety winner
Felila was recognised as a safety winner at the Visy CEO Awards for delivering multiple safety initiatives, including rapidly bringing a warehouse into safety compliance so operations could commence without delay.
She developed and implemented several operational and safety plans, while establishing site minimum standards to ensure a high level of safety from day one. At a warehouse under her supervision, her strong safety focus delivered the highest safety audit score across the logistics division. Through her leadership and tutelage, Felila supported another site to gain a high audit score as well.
Colleagues describe Felila as diligent, hardworking, and deeply committed to her role, with a genuine care for her team and a strong ability to keep safety front of mind in daily operations.
While her role involves supervising people, machinery and processes, she consistently extends beyond her role by driving safety initiatives typically expected of more senior leaders, reinforcing her reputation as a key driver of safety excellence and continual improvement.
