Robbie Cooper

Spend enough years in recruitment and you learn that the cleverest software in the world counts for nothing if the people and the process aren’t pulling in the same direction. That’s the thinking Robbie Cooper brings to digital transformation at TORRA. In a business built on getting the right people into the right roles, the systems running quietly in the background matter more than most realise — get them wrong and you spend your day spinning around; get them right and an entire workforce moves without ever feeling the gears turn.

More than 13 years in the industry have taken him from the recruitment desk to Operations Manager of a large branch, and into the systems and automation side of the business. He came to TORRA with a clear brief: streamline the systems, sharpen the processes, and free up the people to do what they actually do best. Because his foundation is in operations, he’s not guessing at how the work actually gets done — he’s done it himself, which puts him in a strong position to see where the real friction sits and fix it properly.

This has left Robbie less interested in technology for its own sake and more in the relationship between systems, processes and people — because when those three aren’t working together, teams end up solving the same problems twice. At TORRA, he looks after the full digital and technology stack and the vendor relationships behind it, always coming back to one simple question: what problem does this solve?

It’s part of why TORRA runs leaner and smarter than its size suggests. The tech isn’t there for show; it’s there so the team can spend their time on people, not paperwork. As an integral part of the corporate services team, Robbie supports all staff across our branches and keeps things ticking over so everyone else can get on with the job.

Outside of work, Robbie’s happiest when he has tickets booked — whether that’s a flight somewhere overseas, a day at a theme park (a lifelong Disney kid, and not the least bit sorry about it), or a seat for a concert or musical. Travel and theatre are his two great loves — which makes sense really. Both are at their best when every moving part comes together so seamlessly you never stop to think about what’s happening behind the scenes. Which is exactly the job.