b'CHAPTER 08BUSH BASHING AND KIWIS | 115YOUNG KENNARD, NEW TRICKSCHIPS OFF (OR ON) THE BLOCK2016 saw a changing of the guard, with the next generation of theKennards Hire partnered with smash-hit reality renovation TV show Kennard family stepping up as CEO in the form of Andys eldestThe Block. It was a natural fit for Kennards Hire and helped position son Angus. He had been on the board since 2005 and was the firstthe brand as a national iconic retailer.family member to take on the CEO role since the nineties. Also in 2016, Brendan Fleiter took over as chairman of the board.KENNARDS HIRE TURNS SEVENTYIn 2018, Kennards Hire marked its seventieth birthday with a flurry of Brendan Fleiter was a lawyer in his previous role, having done hisevents and activities. The company also gave a seven-fold celebration: degrees at Monash University, until, he says, I got out of the lawstaff received $7 million in bonuses and $7 million was pledged to and teamed up with a young Turkish bloke who had a couple ofcharity through the newly established Kennards Hire Foundation.mobile phone stores who ended up calling himself Crazy John, and off I went. A few years later, Brendan was CEO of Crazy Johns. He went on to sit on several boards, including Australia Post, before being invited by Peter Lancken onto the board of Kennards Hire in 2013. He became chairman in 2016. During the decade, as the business grew, it continued to add new and innovative services and systems. Among other things, Kennards Hire was the first hire company to:offer an e-commerce platformprovide equipment manuals and information through QR codesintroduce handheld mobile devices to speed up serviceintroduce after-hours pick-up and drop-offintroduce online reservations and paymentscreate a customer service centre to support branches when busy, and to be a contact point for large customersfocus on safety as the number one goal for staff and customers.On this last point, Brendan Fleiter says he hopes people are aware of and value the dramatic improvements made with their safety in mind. One of the major achievements in the business over that time is the reduction in injuries to our people, he says. Kennards gave managers the licence to prioritise peoples safety above everything else, which was a great cultural change in the business.'