In this week's episode of Books to the Boardroom, we welcome James Harvey , the Head of Strategic Alliances & Growth at Energy Locals . James is not your typical corporate leader. Before embarking on his successful corporate journey, he spent an impressive 16 years as a professional basketball player, achieving remarkable milestones like 2 x NBL championships, captaining the Australian Boomers at World Championships and playing in the EuroLeague while living in Italy and Israel. He's a true ...
Oct 30, 2023•57 min•Ep. 95
"Do I want to be a scientist or do I want to be creative and do arts?" In this week's episode, we had the privilege of welcoming Dr. Paul Gavin , the CEO of Avecho Biotechnology Limited. Dr. Gavin's story is a captivating blend of art and science, taking him from film school, where he aspired to be a writer and director, to the world of biotechnology. Along the way, he's had a diverse range of experiences, from winning an Australian Karate title to tending to bees as an apiarist, and even indulg...
Oct 30, 2023•54 min
In this captivating episode of Books to the Boardroom, we dive into the remarkable journey of Michelle Gallaher, a digital health entrepreneur, speaker, advocate, and the visionary founder of Opyl Ltd, TrialKey, and Opin.ai. With a deep-rooted passion for AI and data science, Michelle is a robust leader in these dynamic fields. What sets Michelle apart is not only her impressive career but her exceptional leadership style. She believes in the power of storytelling and is equally committed to bei...
Oct 26, 2023•52 min•Ep. 93
Today we welcome Andrew Bond , the CEO of 8Common . Andrew's leadership narrative isn't just about the corporate climb; it's a deeply human story of personal and professional growth. His remarkable odyssey at 8Common began in the role of a customer success manager, where he embarked on a journey of learning and development. Over time, with unwavering determination, he climbed the rungs to become the CEO, a role that comes with a wealth of insights and experiences. As we explore Andrew's journey,...
Oct 16, 2023•47 min
Today we sit down with Mohammad Ali Shah , a seasoned leader with over a decade of senior management experience and the CEO of I-Synergy Group Ltd . Mohammad shares his remarkable insights from his journey in business strategy, operations and cultivating impactful partnerships within both the private and public sectors. Throughout his journey, Mohammad has encountered valuable lessons, some of which he learned the hard way. In this episode, he shares four guiding principles that have been instru...
Oct 09, 2023•55 min
Get ready to dive into the inspiring journey of James Brennan , CEO of Linius (ASX:LNU). Known for his analytical prowess and process-driven approach, James has led software and SaaS product development for both established corporations and startups, consistently achieving success. His extensive background in product management, sales, marketing and finance showcases his ability to grow businesses, uncover latent potential, and foster exceptional teams and cultures. Currently serving as the CEO ...
Aug 21, 2023•41 min•Ep. 89
In today's episode of Books to the Boardroom, we sit down with John Rayment , the CEO and Managing Director of Identitii . John's journey from a contractor to a CEO is nothing short of remarkable, and his leadership insights are invaluable. John's story is a testament to the power of leadership and the impact it can have on an organisation. Starting out as a contractor, John was so captivated by Identitii's team spirit that he decided to make it his professional home. What followed was a remarka...
Aug 04, 2023•38 min•Ep. 90
In the latest episode of the "Books to the Boardroom" podcast, we are honoured to have James Fielding , CEO of Audeara , as our guest speaker. James is a remarkable individual who combines his medical background with a passion for invention, music and innovation. He is driven by a deep commitment to improving lives and refuses to accept the status quo when it comes to healthcare. As a doctor, he's witnessed firsthand the impact of preventable hearing loss on his patients. Instead of accepting th...
Jul 17, 2023•42 min•Ep. 88
Today we sat down with Jing Lim , the esteemed COO and CTO of Osteopore , a global leader in regenerative solutions. Jing brings a wealth of expertise in biomaterials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, with an impressive publication record of 14 articles in internationally peer-reviewed journals. Since joining Osteopore in November 2014, Jing has played a pivotal role in the company's regulatory and quality milestones, ensuring the highest standards are met. Additionally, he has s...
Jul 09, 2023•39 min•Ep. 87
In this week's edition, we are thrilled to host Daniel Lai , the accomplished CEO of archTIS , an ASX award winning, global technology company. Daniel's exceptional leadership and relentless pursuit of excellence have positioned him as a driving force in the ever-evolving landscape of data security. He shares his compelling story, taking us from his humble beginnings to the helm of a renowned organisation. As the visionary CEO of archTIS, Daniel has been at the forefront of groundbreaking advanc...
Jun 30, 2023•49 min
Welcome to the Books to the Boardroom podcast! Today we welcome guest speaker Linda Scott , Founder and Managing Director of Thinking Leaders . Linda is a finance executive with nearly 30 years of experience and a high-performance leadership coach and consultant. Linda is also a finalist for Leadership Coach of the Year. As the founder of Thinking Leaders, Linda is dedicated to helping CEOs, business owners, and senior leadership teams maximise their performance, achieve extraordinary results, a...
Jun 10, 2023•45 min
On today’s episode of Books to the Boardroom, we welcome Nicole Karagiannis , Chief People and Culture Officer at Harrison.ai. Nicole's leadership journey is a true testament to her exceptional human qualities and her commitment to fostering growth and success in others. Her professional journey encompasses working with Government entities, private sector companies, and large multinational organisations (MNCs), providing her with a broad perspective on organisational dynamics. Nicole is characte...
May 22, 2023•37 min
Martial arts can help one cope with failure, learn from mistakes and handle the stresses in business. Through it, you can learn and apply skills that can help you realise your potential and make you feel proud of what you have accomplished. Today we speak with Karen Young , the Global Tax Director at Flight Centre. Her impressive career started with one of the big 4 accounting firms as a graduate, before moving overseas and working in the “Big Apple” of NYC. She shares her story on why she decid...
Jan 04, 2023•46 min•Season 2Ep. 30
It’s true that being a startup founder can be incredibly stressful. From creating a business model, to seeking out funding from investors and creating a product that is desirable—these are all things a founder must deal with. Today we speak with former AFL star, Brad Moran. He shares his stories about the pressure to become the next big tech player has at times been crippling and the constant comparisons and battles with competitors are relentless. After retiring from the AFL due to injury, Brad...
Nov 10, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 29
Hutchinson Builders, also known as “Hutchies” has been building across Australia for 110 years and is currently the largest privately owned construction company in Australia. The company employs 1,600 staff, builds over 300 projects annually and turns over approximately $3 billion each year. Today we speak with Scott Hutchinson , Chairman at Hutchinson Builders. From a young age, Scott knew he wanted to be involved in the family business. He had been working at Hutchies during his school holiday...
Oct 26, 2022•21 min•Season 2Ep. 28
It’s been a big year for Kate Farrar , CEO of Brighter Super . Brighter Super was formed in July 2021 from three smaller superannuation funds including Energy Super and LGIAsuper. Currently, the fund has 255,000 members and has around $30 billion under management. She shares her experience of consolidating the back office systems, underlying portfolios and bringing together a team under a new single administrative system which is now known as Brighter Super. Before Brighter Super, Kate spent 8 y...
Oct 20, 2022•34 min•Season 2Ep. 28
Growth is a journey that requires the entire business to constantly adjust, optimise and execute, but it starts at the top. Only when the CEO, C-suite, and business-unit leaders have the right mind-set can leaders hope to drive growth across the entire organisation. Today we speak with Jade McCarthy , Head of Global Acquisition and Growth at Global Payments . As a seasoned growth leader, Jade has developed and implemented top line growth strategies by taking teams through multiple growth phases ...
Oct 12, 2022•40 min•Season 2Ep. 28
Today we speak with Paul McCartney , Chief Clean Futures Officer of Clean Energy Finance Corp (CEFC). CEFC aims to accelerate Australia's transition to net zero emissions by 2050 in agriculture, cleantech innovation, energy generation and storage, hydrogen, infrastructure, property, transport and waste. Paul has been with the CEFC since its inception and leads the origination and transactions team in deploying $10bn to finance renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. He has been involved...
Aug 03, 2022•36 min•Season 2Ep. 27
For a woman in business, it can be lonely at the top. Historically, the representation of women in the boardroom has been shamefully low, and equitable hiring at companies across the board has left much to be desired. But slowly, change is coming. On today’s episode of the Books to the Boardroom podcast we meet with Jo Jessop , CEO of Multicap . Jo is such an inspiration for all women looking to break into the c-level suite. Her story reveals how she went from being a pharmacist to heading one o...
Jul 13, 2022•44 min•Season 2Ep. 26
Franchising makes people rethink leadership. Mostly because as soon as you get that first franchisee, you are no longer in the business of business. You are now in the business of supporting people. Specifically, you have to shift your focus to your franchisees, clients, customers and the corporate team. After more than two decades in the franchise industry, it is safe to say that John O’Brien , CEO of Poolwerx knows what it takes to cultivate growth-minded teams with an aligned mission and posi...
Jun 06, 2022•46 min•Season 2Ep. 25
Mentoring is super important for leaders because, put simply, it brings the best out of the people you lead. Mentoring generates confidence, inspires trust and fast-tracks team development. A big part of your own leadership development is determining what sort of a leader you want to be. In today’s podcast, we welcome Ross Thompson , CEO of PeopleIN . Since the beginning of his career, Ross has been leading teams in corporate, sporting and military environments. He has built profitable and susta...
May 19, 2022•49 min•Season 2Ep. 25
Good leaders are hard to come by. They never stop learning and continually work on developing their skill and character to become an even better role model for others. However, a great deal of leadership development comes from overcoming difficult and uncomfortable situations. In today’s podcast we welcome Shankar Kotha , Chief Commercial Officer of Arise Hotels and Apartments . After studying hospitality in uni, Shankar was fortunate enough to land a job with Addison Hotels before taking on a r...
Mar 11, 2022•40 min•Season 2Ep. 24
Who needs a coach? What does executive coaching look like? How does it work, and does it work for all? These are just a few questions Rob Balmer , Executive Coach and CEO of Executive Central answers on today’s episode of Books to the Boardroom. Rob shares his experience of his first introduction to executive coaching and how it ultimately transformed his performance as a leader. We hear about how a performance review became his "wake up call" and his appreciation for constructive feedback. You ...
Mar 10, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 23
In today’s podcast, we welcome Allan Cooney , CEO of The North Australian Pastoral Company . Allan has been leading teams and taking risks from the young age of 28 when he took over his family’s farm. He has since been involved in all sorts of top level management roles across a diverse range of industries. Some of his experiences include working alongside the Chief Minister in the Northern Territory to a year and a half expedition in Antarctica with the Australian Antarctic Division. Listen in ...
Feb 23, 2022•55 min•Season 2Ep. 22
In today’s episode we welcome Calvin McDonald , Head of Australian Operations at BrewDog . This BrewDog “lifer” shares experiences from his 14-year career on how he went from working as a part-time bartender during his economic degree to dropping out and pursuing his newfound passion for craft beer. We explore Calvin’s journey of how he was able to overcome challenges of expanding into new markets and how his passion for beer and the BrewDog brand enabled him to become the passionate leader he i...
Feb 17, 2022•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 21
This is the first time Sonia Chadburn, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NAK Hair, shares her story of how she transitioned from a Chartered Accountant in London to a renowned CEO of a leading international hair care company. As a mom and executive, she talks about how she manages her everyday life, as well as juggling three young children. Sonia discusses the importance of emotional intelligence and how having a trust-building leadership style has helped her become the leader she is today. This ...
Feb 10, 2022•54 min•Season 2Ep. 20
Josam Watson is Chief Risk Officer (CRO), of digital banking company Tyme. Having an exceptional life starting in Zimbabwe where he couldn’t afford shoes as he was growing up, Josam has grown into an exceptional leader over the course of his career. This podcast details that journey. We talk about: How the development of a Chief Risk Officer has occurred. The value of root cause analysis and how it can help organisations from failing. Why Josam thinks individuals are easy to blame in leadership ...
Jan 19, 2022•1 hr 17 min•Season 2Ep. 19
On today’s episode we are speaking to Peter Wolff, Managing Director of Wolff Coffee Roasters. It seemed he was always meant to build a business in coffee as Wolff is spelled with two ‘f’s, like how coffee has two ‘f’s. In this episode we speak about: Building his coffee business when he was young. How Peter credits a couple of mentors with shaping his approach to business and leadership at an early stage in his life. How he faded out (but didn’t drop out) of Law school to pursue a career in hos...
Dec 17, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 18
Today we are very fortunate to have a shark on the show. That shark is Dr Glen Richards, Investor and Director of The Richards Group, Ex-CEO of Greencross, and an investor on Shark Tank Australia from Season 2 - 4. He chatted to us about all things entrepreneurship and leadership. As you can imagine, Glen is a wealth of knowledge and was very generous with the insights he shared and the stories he told on this episode. We talk about: What life is like after Shark Tank How his companies did durin...
Dec 08, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 17
Today we are speaking to Ben Flintoff, COO of QTM Energy Having just moved on from a successful tenure as GM of Baskin Robbins, a well-known brand, Ben speaks about why he made the move into a completely different industry and what to think about if others are thinking of doing the same. It might appear like an unusual decision on the surface but we take the time to really unpack what it’s like to make a big change after you are already established in your career. We also speak about: How import...
Dec 01, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 16
