Game Changers

From award-winning photography to philanthropy, Andrea Francolini is now giving girls the gift of education with My First School Pakistan which he founded in 2011. So is he a game changer? Let's find out.

From dazzling on the skating rink as a champion figure skater to revolutionizing the corporate world, Janice Elsley has become a master at transforming businesses. An expert in leadership and change, she’s built a reputation for improving businesses by unlocking human potential and driving people-first performance. So is she a game changer? Let’s find out

She went from fashion modeling to editing iconic magazines and from running an ASX 200 company to becoming a leader in the not-for-profit world. Deborah Thomas’s career has been ever-changing with soaring highs and challenging lows. There’s almost nothing she hasn’t done—or survived. So, is she a game changer? Let’s find out.

She grew up in caravan parks, and her first job was answering phones at a tech startup. Today, Vanessa Sorenson is Microsoft New Zealand MD, and an advocate for girls embracing STEM and inclusivity. This tech leader knows what it means to be down—and climb back up. So, is she a game changer? Let’s find out.

Growing up on New Zealand’s coast, Erin Burke was schooled early in financial literacy. Her parents had her work full-time during summer holidays and save a portion of her paycheck. Initially working in government, her career unexpectedly pivoted into the fast-paced world of finance. Her latest role? Leadership at a global FinTech platform. So, is she a game changer? Let’s find out.

Born and raised on a council estate in Northern England, an ad in a local paper—followed by university as a mature-age student—set Paul Queeney on a path far from home. His adventurous career has taken him to Moscow, Prague, Hong Kong and Jamaica, but he’s come to call Australia home. First with some big retail corporates, and now, with kids, bringing tech solutions to education. So, is he a game...

Vanessa E. Wyche is the director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, managing over 11,000 employees and overseeing human spaceflight activities, including the Artemis missions to the Moon and Mars. She previously served as deputy director and held other key leadership positions at NASA. Wyche earned her B.S. and M.S. in Bioengineering from Clemson University and is a passionate STEM advocate, serving...

From programmer to an industry leader who is transforming the health sector.    David Calvo, CIO at Northern Health, is passionate about the cloud, security and big data. Motivated by the knowledge his role can and does make a difference to people’s lives from the improvements he and his team make . His big focus now is the digital transformation of the health service he works for.

Anthony Woodward was a computer geek at school who learned to code from reading magazines. Now, he’s the CEO of Logicalis Australia which is a global technology service provider delivering next-generation digital managed services through its 7000+ ‘Architects of Change’ around the world. Speaking on series 17 of Game Changers, Anthony describes how sustainability, gender parity, diversity and incl...

From a trophy-winning musician in a big brass band to reshaping the future of tech in the education sector, Karina Foley has never feared the unconventional. And, as a leader of IT for Western Sydney University and an advocate for inclusivity, her journey is nothing short of inspiring. Here’s how this game changing mother of two, who started building home computers with her dad in kindergarten, ha...

Robyn Foyster speaks exclusively to Dr Claire Craig, who is the first woman to be appointed as Provost of The Queen’s College, Oxford. She is also the co-author of the book “Storylistening” .

Robyn Foyster interviews Katherine Bennell-Pegg, the first qualified astronaut under the Australian flag, and also the first Australian female astronaut. She is also a Director of Space Technology with the Australian Space Agency.

From empowering couples around the world, to transforming the corporate world, Lissy Abrahams‘ mission is to help people unravel the mysteries of their own mind so they can learn how to end internal suffering, and have more meaningful relationships. So, is she a Game Changer? Let’s find out.

From witnessing unnecessary legal disputes to creating a digital suggestion box, Shirli Kirschner’s web-based tool proves that early intervention is key to finding solutions. Streamlining concerns, so organisations can respond quickly, and ensuring issues don’t end up as problems. Is she a game changer? Let’s find out.

From empowering emerging companies to levelling the venture capital playing field, Tando and Margaret Matanda help founders build healthier ventures, and find the right funding. Their intelligent platform and proprietary venture health assessment tool brings a holistic and objective lens to allow funders to easily source, screen and scale diverse ventures. This dynamic mother-daughter duo is using...

From engineering solutions and data analysis to ensuring more sustainable and ethical global supply chains, this husband and wife powerhouse are teaming up their companies helping other businesses reassess how their information is used to become more competitive. They’re part of a community of Trust Architects, solving one of the most challenging global problems. So are they game changers? Let’s f...

Robyn Foyster talks to Nick Downing, the General Manager of The Siam Hotel.

Roccoco Botanicals is the fastest growing Australian beauty brand you’ve probably never heard of. With over $4.2million in revenue this year, this beauty business has doubled its turnover in the last two years, but with more than 80% of its customer base in the US it’s an Australian brand making big waves internationally, but little known in Australia.  Founded by Jacine Greenwood and headquartere...

Game Changers host Gemma Acton interviews Damien Boehm, the founder and CEO of Urban Clean. Damien launched his commercial cleaning company Urban Clean in 2008 with a mop, vacuum and a laser focus on income growth. Today, Urban Clean is Australia’s second biggest locally owned commercial cleaning brand operating in over 500 commercial spaces every day.   Urban Clean has 150 franchises and is expan...

Game Changers interview with Darren Stephens

From pioneering financial solutions to streamlining information management, Equifax's Sarah Moorhouse and Bianca Saccaro are transforming how our supersensitive employment income details are exchanged and verified, meaning Aussie’s can secure those big ticket life aims more quickly and safely. So are they game changers? Our Game Changers host Gemma Acton finds out.

Founder of the award-winning  Kamalaya Koh Samui,  Karina Stewart is a renowned authority on holistic health and wellbeing. An acclaimed speaker, author and innovator, Karina has more than 40 years of experience in the study and practice of diverse Asian healing and spiritual traditions. Named ‘ Owner & Operator of the Year ’ by American Spa in 2018 and ‘ Spa Personality of the Year ’ at the A...

Michael Nettlefold is a leader in outdoor advertising, a man with advertising in his blood and a natural born salesman. Michael Nettlefold has advertising in his blood. As an 18-year-old, Michael worked from the back of a company van, climbing ladders and slathering posters with splodges of paste to make sure his dad’s outdoor advertising sites across Melbourne were up to date and generating reven...

She was on track towards a career as a dentist, but Tehani Legeay’s path took a vastly different course with her now helping Australians to protect against identity fraud. Our Game Changers host Gemma Acton talks to Tehani, General Manager of Identity and Fraud at Equifax, about the technology tools which verify people are who they say they are and how her work takes her into financial counter-ter...

Fighting sophisticated cyber criminals and implementing gold standard cybersecurity practices, Head of Security Advisory & Risk at Equifax Sulata Bhattacharjee is a leading advocate for women in security. Sulata is especially passionate about financial inclusion thanks to her origins from a small town in India. She tells Game Changers host Gemma Acton how she could easily have been part of the...