Books To The Boardroom

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...

​​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 , C...

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 be...

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 ho...

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 ho...

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 Territ...

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...

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...

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 i...

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 e...

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 h...

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...

Today’s guest is Sharyn Williams, CFO of G8 Education.  In this episode you will hear how Sharyn was impacted by Covid. G8 Education is a company that runs a number of childcare centres around Australia, so this past year and a half has been very difficult. We speak about that at length. Other topics we discuss include: How Sharyn’s team reacted to Remote Working during Covid. How Sharyn got her f...

Today's guest is Michael Hentscher, CFO at The Scooter Group. Michael tells us about growing up in Outback Queensland and some of the culture shocks you can expect when coming to work in the city.  Beginning his career in the city, Michael shares valuable insights as to what those first few years were like. Michael shares his experience watching those who get promoted to management positions...

Today’s guest is Toni Hawkins, CFO of Armour Energy. Toni’s interest in leadership started very young, and we go back to her school days to discuss how this interest came to be, and how that set the grounding for her career.  We cover a range of other topics in this episode including: Why Toni chose not to work in the Big 4 Accounting Firms.  What her first year was like at Qantas. This was the ye...

Today we are speaking to Thomas Mackie, Financial Controller at Imaging Solutions. As someone who has worked in the Medical industry for his career, Thomas speaks to us about what that decision has meant for him, and what challenges it presents. Having taken a non-typical path, Thomas didn’t pursue a job in the Big 4 and got into Senior roles when he was very young. We talk about what the implicat...

Today we are speaking to someone who has had an extensive career in Finance, Michelle Cooper. Bucking the trend for Finance Professionals, Michelle has a passion for life and adventure. You can find her skydiving and motorbike riding on the weekends. But this isn’t the only uncommon aspect to Michelle’s story. She talks to us about how she made a career change away from Finance early on and why. ...

This episodes guest is Mark Tobin, CEO of Followmont.  Followmont is a Family Business in the Transport industry, and Mark shares some of the effects Covid had on Transport.  He talks about how he communicated with his team throughout Covid and lead the business through the pandemic.  Mark talks about how talent is moving in Australia and how he has built and kept the best quality team regardless....

Today’s guest is John Livesey, an established professional who is passionate about healthcare. John is the Director of Finance at Wesley Mission Queensland, and this organisation like many were affected by Covid. We speak about the challenges and pivots he had to make when Covid arrived.   We speak about his philosophies in leadership and how he gets the best out of his team and those around him,...

Today’s guest is David Delaporte, CFO of Drifta. Drifta was a company affected by Covid and we speak extensively about the challenges he had when the borders shut. Having a business that relies on freight and logistics, it wasn’t easy. We cover a range of topics in this episode including: Adjusting to remote work.  Taking on considerable responsibility early on in one’s career and what that means...

Today’s guest is Scott Richards from Beyond The Numbers.  Scott has a story that takes us from starting a business and advertising in the Yellow Pages through to working in Kenya, this episode has it all. Scott talks about his first business and how difficult it was to promote himself when he wasn’t accustomed to doing that.  We talk about the composition of teams and getting the right mix of high...

Today’s guest is Andrew Evans, CFO of Redpath Australia.  Andrew describes himself as  'Not your typical Accountant.' As you listen to his career and story you will be able to see why. Having navigated much of his career through feel and gut, Andrew explains how he has made important decisions and his philosophy around leading others. We also talk about: Why he was encouraged to be an Ac...

On this episode, our guest is James Versace, CFO of the Brisbane Racing Club.  James was CFO of a business that was greatly impacted by Covid. The Brisbane Racing Club relies on in-person events, and James shares how he and his team have navigated the pandemic so far.  We also discuss: His considerations when hiring someone.  What it’s like to be around senior directors reacting calmly under press...

Today’s guest is Caitlin Scantlebury, Head of Risk Culture and Assurance at LGIA Super. Caitlin’s career path is anything but usual.  We speak about how she has worked directly under executives from the start of her career and what that has taught her about leadership.  We talk about how she always wanted to be a teacher before ultimately deciding to not go down that path.  Caitlin explains: - How...

Today’s guest is Matthew Hudson, Associate Director and Shareholder of SV Partners Matt has built quite a reputation on Linkedin amassing 15,000 followers and posting most days. He is someone who is passionate about insolvency and often speaks out for the industry. This episode will give you an idea of why he is the perfect person to do this. We speak about: What song plays when he receives awards...