Strategy Bites - podcast cover

Strategy Bites

Anika Stokespodcasters.spotify.com
In this series, we speak to industry leaders about the highs and lows of their careers, offering advice to others who want to follow in their footsteps.
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Episodes

S5 E6 Rushika Handa Independent Management Consultant

Joining us is the brilliant Rushika Handa who has an impressive 13+ years of experience working with top-tier consulting firms like McKinsey & Company and BCG. She’s a wizard when it comes to strategy, product, organisational design, and so much more. From startups and venture incubation to digital strategy and building high-performing teams, Rushika has done it all. In this episode, she'll be sharing her insights on how management consultants can leverage AI to supercharge their work. Wheth...

Aug 06, 202453 min

S5 E5 Danielle Handley - Chief Customer & Transformation Officer at Bupa

Join us for an insightful conversation with Danielle Handley, the Chief Customer and Transformation Officer at Bupa. With a wealth of experience in driving customer-centric transformation, Danielle shares her journey, strategies, and the challenges she has faced in the ever-evolving healthcare and insurance industry. Tune in to gain valuable insights and practical advice from a leader at the forefront of customer and organisational transformation.

Jul 23, 202447 min

S5 E4 Angad Soin - Chief Business Operations and Strategy Officer at Xero

With over a decade of experience as a consultant at Deloitte and now serving as the Chief Business Operations and Strategy Officer at Xero, Angad Soin brings a wealth of knowledge to this episode. Angad delves into how he rose from Analyst to Partner, honing his expertise in business operations and strategy. He gives some great advice on how a strategy consultant should think about their careers, when to leave management consulting, and how to transition from consulting to industry. Angad joined...

Jul 09, 202442 min

S5 E3 Roseanna Leddy - Founder of MBBW

Rosanna Leddy, a self-confessed gender equality advocate, is the Founder of MBBW – a global private member community for professionals from top-tier consulting firms. Roseanna is a McKinsey Alumna who has held senior roles in the Champions of Change Collision, a global community of 250+ CEOs who implement innovative initiatives on gender equality in their organisations and drive national conversations for societal change. More recently she has been a member of 2X Global. For applications to MBBW...

Jun 25, 202446 min

S5 E2 Leah Balter - CTO & CIO of Bunnings

Leah Balter has most recently been the Chief Transformation Officer and CIO at Bunnings. Having worked her way up through McKinsey to Associate Principal level, Leah left McKinsey to pursue a career in Industry when she became pregnant. Leah talks about her journey, being a mum of 4 whilst holding down a C-Suite role, and she gives her best advice to the community from whence she came on how to think about their careers in Strategy and beyond.

Jun 11, 202431 min

S5 E1 Olya Rudenko - CEO of Cars24

Olya Rudenko is currently the CEO of Cars24. Born and raised in Russia, she vowed to make a better life for herself in Australia. Olya is a McKinsey Alumni with Private Equity background prior to joining Management Consulting and has now led teams in multiple tech firms across Australia. She talks about how to navigate your career should you want to go through the tech and startup space.

May 28, 202448 min

S4 E10 Mailys Pauletto - Contract Strategy Consultant

Mailys Pauletto, ex Roland Berger consultant, has purposefully designed her current lifestyle and currently, she has a dual career. Mailys is a contract or interim Strategy consultant which allows her to also follow her passion as a holistic breathwork coach and yogi, running retreats and classes to teach others about her practice. Mailys talks to me about the pros and cons of being a contract management consultant vs having a corporate career or career in management consulting, as she has now e...

Oct 23, 202339 min

S4 E9 Wendy Mackay - Managing Director of Pollination

Wendy is a Managing Director of Pollination and she was previously a Managing Director and Partner in BCG's Sydney office. At BCG, Wendy worked in Financial Services & Insurance and also led BCG's Social Impact, Climate and Sustainability work in Australia and New Zealand. Wendy talks to me about working in ESG and what types of projects she was doing at BCG and now at Pollination. She has always been passionate about working on Social Impact, Climate and Sustainability projects and gives so...

Sep 26, 202331 min

S4 E8 Aliza Knox - Senior Advisor BCG, Best Selling Author "Don't quit your day job"

Aliza Knox was the first Female partner at BCG in Asia and has been dubbed a “kick-ass woman slaying the world of tech”. Aliza was also listed as a Top 100 Women in Tech (Singapore, 2021), has been named the IT Woman of the Year (Asia, 2020), honored as the AWA Singapore International Business Woman of the Year (2015), elected to Chief Executive Women (Australia, 2016) and featured in the book Women on Board—Making a Real Difference. Aliza speaks to me about her amazing career journey from BCG t...

Sep 05, 202357 min

S4 E7 Anna Podolsky - CEO and Founder of Lyka & Bain Alumni

I speak to Anna about her decision to leave Bain in order to found Start-up sensation Lyka, which has gone from strength to strength and is now a leading supplier of human grade pet food in Australia. We discuss the challenges of growing a business at speed and the highs and lows of being a start-up founder. This is a must listen to for any consultant who has an idea for a business but are yet to act on it.

Aug 22, 202340 min

S4 E6 Milosh Milisavljevic - Chief Customer Officer of Medibank & and McKinsey alumni

Milosh Milisavljevic, Chief Customer Officer at Medibank and McKinsey alumni has been a go to mentor to many an ex consultant, helping them work through the trade-offs and options of moving from consulting into corporates, and then growing and developing in a corporate role once they make the move. We discuss what the high achievers in corporates who came from consulting did differently. Milosh gives some solid advice for those hoping to thrive in a corporate environment and shares some of the b...

Aug 08, 202338 min

S4 E5 Sophie Hayek - CEO of PropHero & Roland Berger Alumni

Sophie Hayek, CEO of PropHero and Roland Berger Alumni talks to me about her experience moving from France to Australia to join Woolies Group Strategy, why she moved to NBN, and what she feels were the skills that helped her climb the ladder in a Corporate. We discuss her motivations to move into a Tech- Start-Up and the skills necessary to be a CEO of a Scale-Up. She gives some great advice to management consultants thinking about their careers in both corporates and start-ups....

Jul 25, 202343 min

S4 E3 Steve Duke - Host of Two Roads Podcast

In this episode, I chat with Steve Duke, who left McKinsey at the Consultant level to help grow two Unicorns at a young age. He shares his story of transitioning from consulting to tech startup life. After being let go from the last start-up Steve went on a journey of personal discovery and talks about his quest for career enlightenment. This led him to become a fellow podcaster, he is currently the Host of the podcast Two Roads aimed at helping people find meaning in their work and life. In thi...

Jun 20, 202352 min

S4 E2 Katrina Barry - CEO of Me&U

Join me as I chat with Katrina Barry, the CEO of Me&u - a technology company that is transforming the hospitality industry. In this episode, Katrina shares her personal journey and life experiences, going from a country girl in New Zealand to McKinsey and on to exciting roles in a variety of sectors from Finance to Fitness, Travel to Tech. She candidly discusses the challenges she has faced on her journey as well as her victories. Katrina shares how she has thought about the career decisions...

Jun 06, 202348 min

S4 E1 Victor Cheng - CEO caseinterview.com

Victors’ 2nd appearance on the podcast! In this episode, we deep dive into : The importance of case interview prep How to be a good case interviewer to attract the best candidates The importance of humility How to harness unshakable self-esteem and more.... Links to information referenced in the podcast https://caseinterview.com/ “Look” Over My Shoulder https://www.caseinterview.com/look-over-my-shoulder How to Develop Gravitas https://www.caseinterview.com/gravitas How to Sell Your Ideas in Eve...

May 23, 202346 min

S3 l E8 - Joshua Taylor - VP Strategy & Insights of PepsioCo North America

Ex BCG Principal Josh Taylor has worked and lived all over the world. He is now an Aussie who has settled in Dallas (for now)! He shares his experience of traveling with BCG to different continents and gives his best advice to those considering an international career now that travel is back on the cards.

Jul 19, 202245 min

S3 l E7 - Stuart Fitzroy - MD of Rokt APAC

Tech Unicorn Rokt was Sydney-founded and is now New York-headquartered. Rokt closed the largest single venture raise in Australian history, securing a $2.75 billion valuation from a US$325 million (AUD$458 million) Series E funding round led by Tiger Global. Stuart joined Rokt in the early stages and has grown with the business. Both Stuart and Founder Bruce Buchanan are ex-BCG consultants. Stuart chats to me about his journey and gives some great advice about how to think about if a Start-Up is...

Jun 13, 202235 min

S3 l E6 - Lucy Wark - Founder of NORMAL

In this episode I talk about: *The world of SexTech *How Lucy decided to leave McKinsey with less than 2 years under her belt to found a start-up *The highs and lows of being a young founder in an early stage start up *Lucy’s focus on ensuring she founded a socially conscious start-up *The education programs Normal is driving *Some of the best advice Lucy can give to any consultant wondering if this path is for them

May 30, 202256 min

S3 l E5 - Adam Jacobs - Co-Founder of THE ICONIC, Co-Founder of Hatch

In this episode, Adam shares his journey with me and how he went from a Senior Associate at BCG to an overnight Aussie Start-Up legend. He shares tips and advice for budding entrepreneurs and management consultants who are looking for a career beyond consulting.

May 09, 202243 minSeason 3Ep. 5

S3 l E4 - Stephanie Knight - Chief Learning Officer of Management Consulted

Stephanie is an ex McKinsey consultant who now works at Management Consulted, a business founded to specifically help budding strategists prepare and ace the case interview. We speak about the different types of case interview, what interviewers are looking for and how one would prepare for a case interview at all stages of their career. This is a must listen to for any candidate interviewing for a consulting firm or any strategy role.

Apr 25, 202253 minSeason 3Ep. 4

S3 l E3 - Ilan Israelstam - Co-founder & CCO of Betashares

I speak to Ilan Israelstam, Co-Founder and CCO of Betashares, a leading manager of ETF’s in Australia. Ilan is a natural-born entrepreneur and after spending 5.5 years with BCG in Sydney and New York, he set up business both here in Australia and in China. He talks about the mindset and skills needed to be a successful start-up business owner and entrepreneur and how consultants might want to think about their options beyond consulting if being an entrepreneur excites them.

Apr 04, 202239 min

S3 l E2 - Paul Mullins - Board Member of Investigo

Paul, Board Member of Investigo (UK, Europe & US' leading Strategy & Consulting recruitment Agency), joins me from the UK to discuss all the trends they are witnessing in the strategy & consulting market in the UK, Europe and the US. We touch on salaries, what roles are in demand, how Australian market experience is viewed off-shore, and Paul's advice to anyone wanting to do a stint abroad.

Mar 21, 202230 min

S3 l E1 - Tennealle O'Shannessy - CEO of Adore Beauty

Tennealle, who was recently named #1 in this year's Inside Retail Australia Top 50 People in E-commerce, kindly agreed to talk to me about her journey. Going from Law and Logistics, through consulting at Kearney, various line roles in Seek, to becoming an award-winning CEO. We discuss her recommendations to anyone wanting to obtain the top job in an ASX listed business, how to view and cope with the challenges that present themselves along the way, and she shares some great advice for the up and...

Mar 07, 202237 minSeason 3Ep. 1

S2 l E10 - Leah Weckert - CEO of Coles

In this episode Leah Weckert, CEO at Coles and McKinsey Alumni, speaks openly to me about her journey. We discuss her time at McKinsey, the different roles she has held at Coles on her way to the top, and how she juggles being on the ELT of an ASX100 business, being a mum to 2, and maintaining her identity, ensuring she makes time for herself. Leah is authentic and inspiring and gives some great advice, do not miss it!

Sep 13, 202137 minSeason 2Ep. 9

S2 l E9 - Liana Downey - Founder of Common Ground on Climate

In this episode, Liana shares her journey from her 10 years at McKinsey reaching AP level, to embarking on a very successful career in the not-for-profit sector both here and in New York. Most recently Liana has started a is leading a national project called Common Ground on Climate, tackling the all-important topic of climate change. Liana gives advice to anyone looking to move into this sector and currently has opportunities for those looking to move into the non-profit sector on a volunteer o...

Aug 19, 202146 minSeason 2Ep. 9

S2 l E8 - Lili Sussman - Chief Strategy Officer of Wisr

In this episode, I talk to Lili, an academic and ex top tier management consultant, about her fascinating journey and how a freak accident changed her whole perspective on her career, and how she lived her life. This life-changing incident drove her to follow her heart and values to obtain a strategic purpose driven role in FinTech. We explore the differences in working for a nimble FinTech and a big corporate and how she went about finding a purpose driven role.

Jul 28, 20211 hrSeason 2Ep. 8

S2 l E7 - Tim Moore & Jake Maisey - Dorado Capital

In this episode I speak with Tim Moore and Jake Maisey from Dorado Capital who are entrenched in the world of search funds. This is a very new concept here in Australia and one that I certainly think will appeal to the strategy and consulting community here. Essentially it could be the fastest way an MBA grad can make CEO of an established business. All you need is Smarts & a bit of Hustle. For more information visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29O4wc5oD48...

Jul 12, 202134 minSeason 2Ep. 6

S2 l E6 - Amanda Price - Partner in Charge for Ventures of KPMG

In this episode, I chat to Amanda Price who is the Partner in Charge of High Growth Ventures, a team within KPMG dedicated to working with start-ups. Amanda has worked in and with start-ups for over 20 years in both Australia and the US. She believes very strongly in the correlation between the mental and physical health of the Founder and the performance of the start-up.

Jun 21, 202138 minSeason 2Ep. 6

S2 l E5 Victor Cheng - Notorious MBB Case Interview Coach & Author

In this episode, Victor, the legendary case interview prep coach, joins me to discuss how he got to become the go-to for anything and everything to do with Case prep. Victor discusses with me his journey, case interview trends, hints and tips, and much more. Not to be missed.

May 24, 202139 min
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