Introduction

Craig McMahon is the General Manager of Earthmoving and Compaction Specialist Operations at Kennards Hire. In this role, he provides clear direction and leads the team to build capability in heavier earthmoving equipment—aligning people, fleet and service standards to consistently support customers across civil, infrastructure and regional construction projects.

Craig is based in Bathurst, where he began his career with Kennards Hire—the same region where Wally Kennard started hiring equipment in 1948. He leads from experience building strong teams, developing emerging leaders and creating a consistent customer experience as sites grow.

Career Journey

Craig joined Kennards Hire after seeing an advertised role, drawn by the company’s values and the challenge of growing equipment ranges and solutions for projects in his area.

Before joining Kennards Hire, he ran a manufacturer’s agent business promoting Australian manufacturers nationally. This experience gave him a strong grounding in product capability, customer needs, and practical application across a wide range of equipment and services.

Over his 13 years with Kennards Hire, Craig has held senior operational leadership roles, including Branch Manager in Orange and Area Manager for NSW’s Central West, before moving into his current role leading the Earthmoving & Compaction Specialist Operations.

A consistent theme in his career has been building capability in regional areas. He has led new branch openings and acquisitions, bringing people, processes and equipment ranges together so customers can access the right solutions closer to where work is happening. Craig says, “I am now focused on integrating Solution Plant Hire, a major acquisition with an extensive heavy earthmoving equipment range and industry specialists, into the Kennards Hire team.”

Areas of Expertise

Craig’s expertise combines branch operations, fleet capability and customer solutions, particularly for regional and civil projects. His key strengths include:

• Regional operations leadership: building teams and service coverage across regional NSW, with a focus on practical logistics and customer project equipment solutions.
• Earthmoving and compaction solutions: supporting branch staff and customers to match equipment to job requirements, now including heavier earthmoving and compaction machinery.
• Integration and growth: helping bring new sites and acquired operations into the Kennards Hire network, including establishing new locations and expanding capability into new geographic areas.

Craig values the company’s approach to customer conversations. “Tell me about your project,” is often the starting point, followed by working through options that suit the task, site conditions and timeline. He says, “customers appreciate how we take the time to match the work they are doing with the right equipment selection and set up.”

He is looking forward to seeing how technology innovation will influence the earthmoving and compaction industry, including where battery power fits and how digital tools can support safety and sustainability on site.

Standout Projects and Career Highlights

Craig’s career includes several “build and integrate” projects reflecting the challenges of regional growth. He has been involved in opening new sites, integrating acquired businesses and building local teams to support customers closer to where they work.

In his current role, he is responsible for integrating our new Earthmoving and Compaction capability into Kennards Hire, adding heavier equipment categories and strengthening the ability to service projects along the East Coast. He is particularly enthusiastic about welcoming new experts specialists into the team.

What Craig Enjoys About Kennards Hire

Craig talks about Kennards Hire as a values-led business where the culture is built around people helping each other deliver the best solutions for customers. He also values what he calls “freedom within a framework,” a way of working that encourages autonomy and gives all team members room to be innovative while still operating within set standards.

He is motivated by seeing the people he works with grow over time. He says many of his colleagues have also been with the company for a decade or more and he gets great satisfaction from watching people build skills, move through roles, take on broader responsibility and become experts in their chosen field.

The Person Behind the Pro

Craig is married with three boys. After working across different NSW locations, he is now based in Bathurst and values time with family, including weekend sport and home life.

This is a long way from his time as a DJ in his teens and early twenties, when he would arrive at events with his six-foot speakers and CD collection to play music through the night.

Craig’s Advice

Craig’s advice is simple, “Have a crack!” He believes people can come into Kennards Hire from any industry and find real satisfaction in the equipment, projects and people around them.

A quote that guides him at work and at home is: “Be where your feet are.”