The Bridge International Builds Positive Sustained Change For RACQ

The Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ) has completed a major operational and customer transformation program in partnership with consultancy The Bridge International, marking a shift in how the mutual addresses industry and economic challenges.

With a membership base of around 1.75 million across services such as roadside assistance, insurance, banking and travel, RACQ undertook a broad restructure to manage post-COVID inflation and supply chain disruption.

RACQ Group Chief Executive, David Carter, said the club needed to rethink its approach to operations to avoid unsustainable premium increases for members.

“We predicted some really significant inflation and supply chain issues on the horizon and without countering it, we would have seen unacceptable premiums increases for our members,” Carter said.

“We had to look for a better approach. I think the whole industry has ended up having to deal with essentially the same fundamental root cause issues.”

Joint Transformation Initiative

The transformation effort involved what Carter described as “a joint programme” between RACQ and The Bridge, where both organisations contributed their senior teams.

“We identified the need to bring in some specialist outside help and because of their expertise and reputation, we selected The Bridge,” Carter said. “The Bridge was an extension of our team.”

According to Carter, the focus was on delivering results that could be maintained after the consultants had departed.

“We now have a much stronger foundation for growth and operational excellence,” he said. “We have more predictability, more consistency and better disciplines. The Bridge also left us with the training and management disciplines we needed to make sure it was all embedded in the organisation.”

Carter reported that key operational indicators had improved, including staff engagement and retention.

“Things are very settled. The results are positive for our members who are making claims with more consistent, better quality and faster outcomes,” he said.

Embedded Collaboration

Carter pointed to the consultancy’s working style as a key differentiator.

“The Bridge are different. They approach things differently,” he said. “It wasn’t just one or two senior consultants – the MDs, Stuart [Blake] and David [McDonald], and the senior team came into and spent significant time in our organisation and with our people.”

That hands-on engagement reportedly helped RACQ adjust the program on the fly and build ownership of the transformation within its own management.

“Critically The Bridge didn’t just fix things and walk away,” Carter said. “They stayed with it and gave the management team a bit of space to start owning the outcome.”

From Proposal To Delivery

The consultancy’s delivery approach aligned closely with the proposal it had put forward, Carter said.

“They’re very good at delivering on what they commit to deliver on,” he said. “If I think about the original proposal and what we were trying to achieve, what they said they would help us achieve and the outcomes we could expect – that’s pretty much exactly what happened.”

Bridge Managing Director, Stuart Blake, said working with RACQ during a time of volatility had been a meaningful engagement for the firm.

“It was an absolute privilege to work with David, Trent Sayers, Group Executive Insurance, and his leadership team,” Blake said.

“RACQ is such an iconic, trusted brand, helping so many Queenslanders in their time of need, as we saw with Cyclone Alfred. The Bridge is proud of this transformation work, and it is very rewarding to know this is making a difference for RACQ’s members.”

Values And Legacy

For Carter, The Bridge’s values were as important as its methods.

“Their values form around excellence and owning it. They are big on accountability,” he said.

“There’s certainly good consistency between our values and the way The Bridge showed up. It’s about where The Bridge come from and where the people at The Bridge have been – their experience.”

Carter also said the value of the partnership went beyond the cost.

“With The Bridge it was never an expense, it was an investment,” he said. “We got more than we expected, and it’s been sustained by using The Bridge’s data and processes.”

“In my 35 years of working in different organisations on lots of different programs with lots of different consulting firms you don’t often get that combination that The Bridge give you.”

He concluded, “I can happily say I’ve dealt with thousands of consultants or advisors over the years and there’s only few that I’d be happy to publicly admit to – and one of those is The Bridge.”

Last Updated on July 24, 2025 by Nick Ross