Active might be known as Australia’s largest tree company, but a key part its success has always been its forward-thinking approach to technology.

Encompassing two teams, that technology includes the groundbreaking Active Mobile software,  and also a division dedicated to IT service and support.

Heading up the latter arena is Matt Grech, who is based in Waterloo, NSW, but is part of a support team of eight which is spread across the country.

Matt explains the team is responsible for areas such as ensuring Active’s equipment and devices are operational, that crew members have internet connection, and that all data is safe and secure.

“Our role is to look at ways we can better support the teams across the business, making our crew’s work lives easier,” Matt explains.

“Whether that’s better technology in the vehicles to improve internet access or better processes that automate things.”

Matt joined Active in 2020 after a career that spanned everything from tech startups to leading the IT team at the Credit and Investment Ombudsman.

In the process he has worked with some of Australia’s best known tech companies – as both a consultant and employee.

It was a career Matt says he ‘fell into’ unexpectedly.

“I’d actually failed my HSC and my first job was full time at a toner and ink cartridge facility in Bankstown, Sydney when I was asked to fix a computer problem,” he recalls.

“Next thing you know I’m the go-to IT person and it started from there.”  

In the two decades since, Matt has attained two master’s degrees and over a dozen certifications, all whilst working in full time employment.

But after the high-stakes world of tech companies, it was the allure of something different which attracted him to Active.

“What I realised fairly quickly was that IT is critical to the operation of this business,” he says.

The IT support team’s role involves streamlining the IT systems and processes that Active’s different business divisions and crews rely on to get the job done.

And it’s a task that comes with its own unique challenges, due in no small part to the fact Active’s workforce is distributed across the country, often working in remote locations with no internet access. 

“Sometimes our field crews have to drive an hour to get enough reception to get IT support,” Matt says.

“Our ultimate goal is to make their lives easier and to have all the crews online all the time.” 

One of the key ways the IT team is addressing this is through the rollout of Starlink satellite internet, including affixing 15 dishes to Active vehicles, with more planned in the future. 

It has been a gamechanger for team members working in remote areas, but Matt notes even that currently has its limitations.

Meanwhile, cybersecurity remains a priority across all levels of the business, especially as many of Active’s customers are large electricity networks. 

“They’re considered critical infrastructure so the cybersecurity requirements we have for tendering for those contracts are becoming more and more stringent,” Matt says.

“Cybersecurity’s always challenging because adding the layers of security can potentially make the technology harder to use, so we’re trying to standardise as much as we can, but different contracts also have different and potentially competing requirements.”

Overcoming these hurdles is a challenge Matt thrives on as part of a team he notes is full of great talent.

“The people you get to interact with at Active is an absolute highlight of this job,” he says. 

“I love being part of a very experienced and engaged team who want to do good work and genuinely love helping people. That really drives me.”

He’s also driven by an ambition to ensure Active stays ahead of the game when it comes to future advancements, including smart technology and the Internet of Things (IoT), which looks set to revolutionise areas like inventory management.

While the advancements are swift and the challenges of ever-evolving technology are real, Matt says he’s thrilled to be part of a forward-thinking company where his job is to make a real difference at all levels of the business.

“We have incredible support from the leadership team,” he says.

“I’d like to think people can see that our strategies are working and things are getting better.

“That in itself is incredibly rewarding.”