Minutes by boardcycle: Directors | Executives | Governance

"All transformation should come from strategy." - Julie Coates Julie Coates, Director of Wesfarmers and Scentre Group, led the OneCSR transformation programme as CEO and Managing Director of CSR Limited — a programme that contributed directly to CSR's acquisition by Saint-Gobain at a significant premium. In this episode, Julie explains the governance architecture she put in place: th...

"There's an inherent danger that we lapse into just being operational." - Greg Ridder Greg Ridder, Chair of Kogan.com, Life Without Barriers and Bridge It, and Director of the PNG Sustainable Development Program, discusses how to build board forward plans that add real value when the planning environment keeps shifting. Greg explains why the drift from strategic thinking into pure op...

"There's a real risk to fall into the trap of believing... 'Oh, that's just how it's done there.'" — Audette Exel AO Governing across borders is not just a compliance exercise — it requires a clear view of where global standards must hold firm, and where local knowledge must lead. Audette Exel AO has been doing this for nearly three decades through Adara Group, which...

"By starting with governance - defining it as the strategic side of governance, not the control side - you lift everything up." - Catherine Livingstone AC Catherine Livingstone AC, Chancellor of UTS, Chair of Pacific National and former Chair of the Commonwealth Bank, Telstra and CSIRO, explains why the way organisations frame ESG shapes the quality of every conversation that follows. Ca...

"Risk is a currency in these businesses, and we just need to work with it." - Phil Morle Phil Morle, Partner at Main Sequence Ventures and Chair of v2food, Samsara Eco, Eden Brew and Nourish Ingredients, shares how he approaches risk governance across multiple deep tech companies built on scientific breakthroughs. Phil explains why the most valuable venture-backed companies are inherentl...

"The company secretariat role is fascinating because you get to hear and see so much — you don't just read the outcomes of a meeting." - Anthony Wright Anthony Wright knows the Company Secretary role from the inside. He was General Counsel and Company Secretary at Transpacific Industries before making the move to Head of Strategy, then founded and exited his own legal operations and...

"I think dealing with risk is really hard - especially without good experience or mentors around you." - Mike Gonski NFP chair and Herbert Smith Freehills partner Mike Gonski addresses the governance tension at the heart of many not-for-profit boards: how to give voice to the people your organisation exists to serve, while managing the very real risks that come with putting inexperienced...

"The best way to sell a company is to run it properly." - Peter James Peter James, former Chair of Nearmap and Ansarada and former Director of iiNet, shares what it actually takes to prepare a company for an exit and how to manage the process when one is underway. Drawing from his experience guiding multiple companies through acquisitions and takeovers, Peter explains why the strategic p...

"You need to live through the board meetings and the committee meetings and the annual cycle." - Julie Coates Julie Coates, Director of Wesfarmers and former CEO and Managing Director of CSR, discusses what successful director onboarding actually looks like in practice. From pre-joining meetings with each existing director to understanding board dynamics, from coordinating with business...

"I find when I talk about these two organisations which prima facie comparable in revenue terms, that the inclination of people is to put more emphasis on Kogan in terms of complexity and scale. When in fact, I think the reverse is true, and substantially so." - Greg Ridder Greg Ridder, Chair of Kogan.com and Life Without Barriers, discusses where governance complexity truly lies when co...

"Purpose and profit collide. Now in a beautiful world, they work together. But they require a series of choices and trade-offs, and they require enormous integrity." - Audette Exel AO Audette Exel, Chair and Founder of Adara Group and former Director of Westpac and Suncorp, explains how to build a purpose-driven business model where purpose and profit coexist. Drawing from her experience...

"The perfect decision is rarely the right decision" - Catherine Livingstone AC Catherine Livingstone AC, former Chair of the Commonwealth Bank and Telstra, discusses why seeking perfect information can be a director's worst enemy. In this episode, Catherine explains how boards navigate ambiguity, when to stop asking for more information, and why judgement - not process - sits at the...

"Value created to time used is the most important metric." - Phil Morle Phil Morle, Chair of v2 Food, Samsara Eco, Eden Brew and Nourish Ingredients, and Partner at Main Sequence Ventures, discusses how boards can govern companies where being unprofitable is the strategy for years. He explains the concept of "binary companies" where revenue doesn't gradually increase but li...

"The objectives are not necessarily monetary related - but how do we add more value to what those members do in their jobs?" - Anthony Wright Anthony Wright, Independent Director of CPA Australia and Chair of Hanlon Industries, explains the governance challenges that arise for organisations that exist to serve members rather than shareholders. Drawing from his experience with CPA Austral...

"In smaller organisations, I prefer a board director on my board who will err towards being more hands-on than hands-off." - Mike Gonski Mike Gonski, Chair of ReachOut Australia and Carriageworks and partner at Herbert Smith Freehills, challenges conventional governance wisdom about board size and director involvement. He explains why he prefers larger boards where directors actively con...

"Technology and the business are almost one and the same." - Peter James Peter James, Chair of MYOB, Macquarie Technology Group and DroneShield, and former Chair of Nearmap and Ansarada, explains why boards must stop treating technology as separate from business strategy, how to establish frameworks for evaluating major technology investments, and the critical importance of post-implemen...

"There shouldn't be two lists. There should just be the list of things that need to be done." - Julie Coates Julie Coates, Director of Wesfarmers and former CEO and Managing Director of CSR, shares practical guidance for managing board actions/matters arising effectively. Drawing from experience on both sides of the boardroom table, Julie explains why action items without context can...

"It's simply attract and retain... but once you deconstruct that, it's all about how do you get the right talent, the right incentive, the right people in place." - Greg Ridder Greg Ridder, Chair of Kogan.com and Life Without Barriers, shares the practical realities of executive remuneration decision making. From navigating proxy advisor resistance to managing shareholder strikes...

"There is enormous risk when you try to metricise the value of a human life." - Audette Exel AO Audette Exel, Chair and Founder of Adara Group and former Director of Westpac and Suncorp, discusses how boards can transform social impact reporting from a compliance exercise into a strategic governance tool. She explores why the "S" in ESG lags behind environmental reporting, the dangers of reducing...

"You want a Company Secretary that's helping you work out how things can be done, not telling you why they can't be done." - Catherine Livingstone AC Catherine Livingstone AC, Chancellor of UTS, Chair of Pacific National and Director of The Australian Ballet, reveals what separates exceptional Company Secretaries from competent ones during periods of intense governance pressure. Drawing on her exp...

"Different science choices could have huge downstream impacts on timing, capital, customers, or how big the business might be." - Phil Morle Main Sequence Ventures Partner Phil Morle shares insights from chairing breakthrough deep tech companies like Samsara Eco and V2 Foods about the governance challenges facing science-based businesses. Phil explains how boards can bridge the gap betwe...

"I think it's really a change in mindset... once you've got the basics right, it's then taking a step back and asking yourself, what more could we do to help this organisation or this team being the board to do better, to do things more efficiently?" - Anthony Wright Join Richard Conway as he interviews Anthony Wright, Chair of Hanlon Industries and Director of CPA Australia, about why governance...

"It is a hundred percent not a silver bullet to anything. It's just another useful tool we need to know how to use." - Mike Gonski Mike Gonski, Chair of ReachOut Australia and Carriageworks and Partner at Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, discusses strategic approaches to AI adoption in governance functions. From the risks of AI minute-taking creating litigation hazards to building "walled gardens"...

"Give the founder the oxygen to do what they do really well." - Peter James Experienced technology chair Peter James reveals practical strategies for governing founder-led businesses without stifling innovation. Drawing from his experience at companies like iiNet, Nearmap, Ansarada, Macquarie Technology Group and DroneShielf, he discusses managing the unique dynamics when founders hold significant...

"You know if you can secure their backing, that's incredibly empowering." - Alison Watkins In this candid conversation, seasoned director Alison Watkins pulls back the curtain on boardroom dynamics from both the CEO and director perspectives. Having been CEO at Coca-Cola Amatil, Graincorp, and Berri before transitioning to non-executive positions, Alison reveals the completely differ...