In episode 28, Luke sits down with Simone Carroll, one of Australia's leading Chief People Officer's and the current Executive Director of People and Culture at Alinta Energy. With over 25 years of experience in HR and 15 years in C-suite positions, Simone has successfully led high-performing teams and contributed to market leadership at prominent organisations such as REA Group, Vicinity, and Wesfarmers.
Simone’s achievements are driven by her willingness to embrace calculated risks that align with the interests of businesses, people, customers, and shareholders.What sets her apart is her expansive expertise, which extends beyond HR to encompass customer service, marketing, brand management, data, and digital product development. For those aiming to broaden their scope in leadership roles, this episode offers profound insights.
Simone also shares her vision of nurturing future-ready organisations by empowering bold, impactful leaders. Tune in for an inspiring conversation that delves into leadership, transformation, and how to create enduring success with both strategic foresight and emotional intelligence.
One of the best we've recorded...so many incredible insights as we deep dived into the sharp, creative and curious mind of Blaise Witnish, CEO USA & Chief Growth Officer of Funlab the market leading Entertainment company head quartered in Oz and a footprint across NZ and the now the USA.
Hosted by Luke Marshall, the conversation unpacks the state of the hospitality and entertainment industry, what it's like staying fun and innovating even though you are owned by a global Private Equity company and how radically authentic, passionate and above all human leadership can transform your organisation.
Blaise doesn’t shy away from discussing the gritty realities of leadership. Highlighting the importance of empowering your team to think big and take risks, even if it means facing failure head-on. For Funlab, it’s all about fostering a culture that’s real, playful, and unafraid to push boundaries in the pursuit of something truly epic. And when it comes to hospitality, Blaise drives home the critical need for genuine human connection. In a world where everything can feel a bit too polished especially the Boardroom...where she says you have to be real or just don't bother! If you’re into cutting-edge innovation and interested in leadership that breaks the mold, this episode is a must-listen episode.
In this episode, host Luke Marshall engages in a deep conversation with Adam Pay, a CEO who began his career as an auto technician and worked his way up to leading a Mycar. The discussion covers Adam’s unique journey, which is becoming increasingly rare in today’s business landscape. Adam shares the challenges he faced, including taking steps backward to move forward, and how this experience helped him gain a deep understanding of the business from the ground up.
The podcast delves into leadership insights, balancing operational and strategic roles, and the importance of staying close to the front line. Adam also emphasises the significance of mental health and creating a supportive work environment for his team members, particularly the 450 apprentices across the organisation.
The episode is a compelling narrative about resilience, growth, and leading with a customer-centric mindset in a rapidly changing industry.
On this episode we delve deep into the world of 'culture'. The elusive topic that has CEOs and HR practitioners both mystified and clear in equal measure. Is it back to the office, Hybrid or Remote and does any of that really matter? In a world where screens are more common place and everything looks ubiquitous, how do companies build tangible differentiators that employees can quantify. To unpack these very topics we are joined by renowned social scientist Nigel Dalton, Co-Founder of Culture Amp Doug English and Partner at transformation consultancy Neu21, Bia Affonso. This is one not to be missed!
John Winnings unconventional journey and leadership style, incorporating data and neuroscience, has been instrumental in the growth and success of the Winning Group. Obsessed with giving customers the best shopping experience, John has transformed his business from omni-channel retail to an ‘experience company’, focusing on creating the best experiences not just for customers but for people, communities, and the planet.
This is an incredible insight into how he thinks about his own business and more importantly his purpose and the opportunity Winning Group has to make an even bigger dent in the universe beyond e-commerce and retail.
Sit back and enjoy the lessons and stories from the #1 CEO in Australia.
In today special episode for International Women's Day, Managing Partner, Luke Marshall explores the extraordinary story of Kerri Wane, CEO of San Churro, as she shares her dynamic career spanning hospitality, fashion, and franchise.
Kerri's career has been defined by taking calculated risks and getting out of her comfort zone, no better example of this than her experience in India as a 23 year old HR Director for Dominos as they expanded in the region.
Kerri shares her leadership principles, driven by vision, purpose, care, authenticity, passion, and integrity and guiding San Churro to become Australia's beloved sweet treat experience as they look to double their footprint in Australia and New Zealand.
With a background in psychology, an MBA, and a Master of Law, Kerri offers unique insights into business success and shares them with you on this incredible episode.
On this episode Luke sits down with the CEO of David Jones, Scott Fyfe and explore his career journey where we dive deep into arguably the biggest challenge of his incredible career as CEO of the iconic Australian department store. Under new ownership and renewed investment, Scott paints the vision for the future, takes us through the road map to success and is candid about just how much time, effort and energy it's going to take. You will get an authentic look at being a CEO, what steps he took to get there and view on new revenue streams DJs are exploring in Media and Digital.
Retail is an industry made up of personalities, people leaders and change makers. In this episode we meet someone who embodies all that Retail means and offers, the Divisional CEO at Accent Group, Armando Pedruco. Starting his career on the shop floor and rising quickly to become an AFR Executive of the Year, Armando has delivered outcomes wherever he has led teams. Known for his engaging style, passion and energy, Armando takes us on his career journey that has found him arriving at the C-Suite in a time when disruption and ambiguity is at it's peak. For all aspiring and arriving Retail executives this is a passion fuelled episode not to be missed.
In this episode, Emu Partner Anna Mercer meets Brodie Arnhold. Brodie chairs an impressive eight boards including ASX listed iSelect and Shaver Shop. Brodie takes us on his non-executive journey and shares how he has carved out a long and successful board career. He talks about some of the pitfalls to avoid and what it really means and takes to sit on an ASX board. If you're embarking on this journey or have aspirations to join an ASX board in the future this is a must listen.
In Episode 19 we meet the incoming CEO of Flybuys Anna Lee, one of the most humble, humorous and high energy executives you are likely to meet. We explore just how she maintains that enthusiasm for work and life and what we can expect from her first 100 days at the helm of Australia's largest loyalty program. If you're interested to hear from one of the top female CEOs in Australia to truly understand what makes her tick, this is the episode for you. It's jam packed full of takeaways and life lessons to get you back on track with your leadership career and bouncing out of bed again to tackle the next corporate challenge.
On this episode we sit down with Uber's GM for Rides, Dom Taylor and discuss how they've navigated through a pandemic which put the brakes on nearly 70% of their business. With over 15 million cars on the road it's hard to see the future looking any different but Dom shares his own perspective from inside the tent on the future of car ownership and large bets Uber are making on a big, bold future. Dom has a Masters from Oxford and has enjoyed a meteoric rise in one of the worlds most talked about companies, we go under the hood of how he's made it all work and thrive as a leader in a global technology Unicorn.
On this Episode we meet Ed McManus, CEO of food and grocery delivery giant Deliveroo but unlike many tech CEOs his career started in an unlikely place. Having graduated with a PhD in Biochemistry, Ed went onto to work in executive roles at GSK, became a researcher for Melbourne University and to lead Australia's greenest energy retailer Powershop. In this wide ranging interview Ed shares his incredible career journey, views on climate change, advice on building diverse teams and there's of course a bit of Irish / English banter along the way. One not to miss!
Retail director of Nike outlets in the US by the age of 30, CEO of Jeanswest and Co-founder of his own retail conglomerate which includes 60 licensed Nike stores and now Samsung. We explore Steve Younane’s incredible career and what a year operating a retail business through Covid was really like! Sit back, relax and listen as this episode is full of takeouts and lessons from a long career at the top.
On Episode #15 we meet the Managing Director of Accenture's Retail & Consumer practice, Nhung Mason where we explore what it takes to be trusted by a CEO in today's volatile and uncertain world. We take a trip down memory lane as Nhung shares her heroic journey as a refugee fleeing Vietnam and arriving safely to Australia with her 10 siblings! If that's not enough she also advocates for women in leadership and shares her views on finding balance in a lop sided world. Gender is one thing but diversity is so much more argues Nhung...and I tend to agree. This one is not to be missed.
In Episode 14 we meet Cameron McIntyre the Managing Director and CEO of Aussie tech superstar Carsales.com. We explore his journey from manufacturing to technology via FMCG and digital advertising. Cameron had some golden nuggets of truth and strong views on the power of Data to drive decision making and growth. We looked under the hood of what makes a highly successful tech company tick and how Cameron has risen to lead one of the greatest tech stories in Australian history. It was a pleasure to capture Cameron's journey to the c-suite, I hope you enjoy it.
Ever wondered how to transition from CEO to consultant and have the luxury of creating a life on your terms? Well that's exactly what Adam Summerville has achieved in as little as 2 years since leaving the big gig. In Episode 13 we explore how he did it, from cleaning ash trays to leading one of the most incredible hospitality turnaround stories and thriving as the Managing Director of the revered Emirates brand. If you are considering taking the opportunity of Covid-19 to transition your executive career then this is not to be missed.
Ever wondered how to combine your passion with an executive career? How to jump out of that corporate gig into the arts, culture or sport? Well that's exactly what the Executive Director of The Australian Ballet managed to do after leaving her corporate career behind at Monster.com and Telstra following her love of the arts and realising almost by accident that her commercial skill set was much needed in a world she knew little about. Libby Christie a recently awarded Order of Australia takes us on her incredible journey to the c-suite in this incredible episode. If you have ambition to follow your passion then this is a must listen.
In Episode #11 we meet the entrepreneur behind EatNow one of the first movers in food delivery and a tech success story that still has huge relevance and lessons today. We take a look at Matt's lead up to founding the business, what inspired him to start and where the idea came from. Matt takes us on the rollercoaster journey the twists and turns and how he became etched in Aussie tech history by being part of one of the largest private. This is his Journey to the C-suite.
Dropping out of school at 15 and becoming a chef is hardly the career path you associate with leading a venture backed technology scale up but for Scott Bateman it was the journey he would never replace. It taught him so much and particularly the key lesson later in life that going back to education could provide him with so much. Scott the youngest CEO I've had on the show and is driven by his obsession with learning and challenging himself and his team to create a global success story with Kolmeo, a revolutionary SaaS platform for the real estate industry connecting tenants, landlords and agents. If you're an aspiring CEO of a technology business, this is one not to be missed.
In Episode #9 we meet the Group CEO and MD of ASX market darling BWX, Dave Fenlon. We explore his journey to the c-suite from a management trainee scheme at Safeway in the UK, to leading Blackmores Group through incredible growth alongside Christine Holgate. But it wasn't that straight forward, there were many bumps in the road including a high profile failing in his first CEO role at Red Group Retail. Dave didn't allow it to define him, he learned a number of hard but valuable lessons and brought him back right to the start in some early lessons on the front line at Tesco. Dave shares his incredible journey in this candid and insightful discussion.