The Canberra Business Podcast

He walks through Covent Garden on a lunch break, watches street performers pull a crowd out of thin air, and realises his computer programming career suddenly feels too small. That moment sends Humphrey Cornthwaite on a path from London street magic to touring, TV production, cruise ship stages, and finally building a fresh wave of live entertainment here in Canberra. We get specific about the cra...

If you think disability at work only means ramps and wheelchairs, this conversation will change how you see your own team. I sit down with Cate Johnson, Employment Services Manager at the Personnel Group, to talk about skills, inclusion, and disability employment in Canberra, and why “hire for potential” is more than a slogan. With one in five Australians living with disability and so many conditi...

Getting a visa wrong is not a minor admin slip. It can mean landing overseas for a critical meeting and discovering you cannot enter, your documents are not accepted, or your “tourist-friendly” destination has very different rules for business travel. We sit down with Sorial Ibraheim from CLS Capital Link Services, a Canberra-founded family business celebrating 30 years of helping people and organ...

Workplace conflict almost never starts as a crisis. It starts as a small issue that lingers, gets avoided, and slowly turns into factions, formal complaints, stress leave, or a long workplace investigation where nobody feels safe to talk. We sit down with James Judge, Principal of Mediation Canberra, to unpack what mediation really looks like for businesses and how leaders can step in earlier with...

Fifty thousand certificates is a big number, but the more interesting story is what it takes to keep training useful, compliant, and genuinely connected to work. I’m joined by Mark Field, Managing Director of Access Recognised Training in Canberra, to talk about how a local registered training organisation (RTO) delivers nationally recognised qualifications and high-demand short courses across hos...

Your leadership decisions don’t get to wait for calm weather. When the economy tightens, uncertainty rises, and everyone feels the strain, the real question becomes: how do we stay clear, human, and effective while we’re still in the storm? We sit down with Maike Brill from Zeitgeist Leadership Journeys to talk about modern leadership development and organisational development through the lens of...

Tim Cologan has Down syndrome, a job he loves, and a message that cuts through corporate noise: people with disabilities are human too and they deserve respect, acceptance, and real work. Alongside Susie Walford, GM Federal Self-Insurance at EML, we dig into what disability inclusion looks like when it moves from good intentions to everyday practice in the workplace. Tim shares his path into emplo...

The construction skills gap keeps getting louder, yet a huge pool of capable people still sits on the sidelines. We sit down with Greg Lackey, Social Inclusion Manager at Programmed, to talk about what happens when you stop treating workforce inclusion like a feel-good extra and start building real pathways into the trades, especially for people with disability and others facing barriers to employ...

If your retirement plan is “sell the business one day,” you’re not alone, but you might be taking more risk than you realise. We sit down with Craig Phillips from Phillips Wealth Partners, a Canberra-based financial planning firm, to unpack how small business owners can build a clear business exit strategy without guessing their way through the biggest financial decision of their lives. We dig int...

Chaos loves a vacuum, and small businesses feel it first. We sit down with Mike Meyer of M31 to explore how leaders can cut through noise, make smarter decisions, and take ownership of cybersecurity without turning into the IT department. The conversation starts with the shift from old, linear playbooks to a world where assumptions change overnight. Mike explains why divergent thinkers thrive unde...

A migrant-led business can be commercially sharp and still lead with mission, and Himayat Support Services is proof. We’re joined by Waheed Jayhoon to explore what “trading for purpose” looks like on the ground in Canberra, from culturally competent community support to building a model that can scale without losing integrity.  We dig into the real settlement barriers migrants and refugees face, i...

Your business is creating data every day, but most of it never gets a chance to help you. We talk with Michael Redman from Redders IT about analytical AI and why it’s one of the most practical ways for small business owners to improve decisions without turning into a full-time “data person”. We dig into what analytical AI actually does: spotting patterns in the operational data you already have, f...

Canberra has world-class talent, but talent alone doesn’t guarantee small business innovation. We sit down with Uwe Dulleck, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Business, Government and Law at the University of Canberra, to get honest about why a highly educated city can still be only “average” on research-driven innovation and productivity and what we can do about it. We walk through a practical ans...

Prices move, rates rise, and suddenly every decision feels harder. We sit down with Professor Uwe Dulleck, Executive Dean at the University of Canberra, to unpack what inflation really is, why central banks lean on interest rates, and how businesses can navigate a world where money is tighter and planning matters more than ever. No jargon, just clear frameworks you can use to make smarter calls. W...

Mental health risk at work isn’t an abstract HR topic anymore—it’s a daily operational reality. We sit down with Keith Govias, Workplace Safety and Risk Principal at EML Group, to demystify psychosocial hazards, decode the latest regulations, and share practical steps any employer can use to protect people and performance. From role clarity and hybrid complexity to customer aggression in frontline...

Tired of hearing that inclusive hiring is “too hard” or “too costly”? We sat down with Jigsaw Australia’s Canberra hub manager, Lucas Tyson, to unpack a model that proves otherwise: real workplace training through digitising projects, award wages from day one, and structured support that makes placements stick. This is a ground-level look at how to turn paperwork backlogs into purposeful work and...

Ready to stop guessing at social media and start leading it? We sit down with Susie Basiaco, founder of The Social Nest, to unpack how a former e‑commerce owner turned strategist builds real results without chasing every trend. Suzy shares the pivotal lessons that took her from packing secondhand books in her lounge room to shaping campaigns for micro, small, and mid‑sized businesses across Canber...

Looking for a faster path into global markets without starting from scratch? We sit down with Egypt’s ambassador Mr Hani Mohamed Nagi to map out a clear route for Australian businesses to scale across Africa, the Middle East, and Europe using Egypt as a strategic base. This is a practical tour of policy, opportunity, and on‑the‑ground support that helps founders, exporters, and investors move from...

Want the real reasons Canberra homes cost more—and what would actually move the needle on supply? We sit down with Taz Building Group CEO Suman Dhillon to unpack a 13‑year climb from one home to a $30 million operation, delivering 70–80 new builds a year while keeping clients coming back. From stable subcontractor teams to five‑month build timelines after approvals, Suman shares how paying trades...

A hotel door that scans your face sounds futuristic, until it won’t let you back in after breakfast. That story sets the stage for a candid tour through AI’s promise and pitfalls with Dr. Ryan Payne of CanBe Lab at the University of Canberra. We dig into how convenience can collide with bias, what inclusive design looks like in practice, and why Canberra is a powerful proving ground for responsibl...

What if the problem isn’t the pipeline, but the job ad? We sit down with Craig Wallace, Head of Policy at Advocacy for Inclusion , to unpack why disability employment remains stuck and how a simple shift—hiring for inherent requirements instead of generic checklists—can unlock talent and performance. Craig explains how AFI blends individual advocacy with systemic reform, drawing on lived experienc...

A pen test won’t save your business if the cleaner unplugs your backup server. We dig into Purple Resilience with Aris Zinc Group's Lizzie Christiansen and Michelle Carn to show how true operational strength blends cyber defense with people, process, and supply chain readiness. From tailgating and propped warehouse doors to vendor failover and business continuity drills, we share the simple f...

A Canberra success story meets global scale: Greg sits down with Sarah Bailey, Group Executive Director and CEO Australia at Penten Amio, to unpack how a startup founded by 11 local families became a trusted partner to the Five Eyes. From secure communications that enable classified access anywhere to AI powering electronic warfare decoys, we get inside the technology, the strategy, and the people...

What does it take to prove competence when the stakes are sky-high? We sit down with ASPEQ’s Hamish Finlay to unpack how a New Zealand–born exam provider became a global engine for regulators, running high-stakes testing for pilots, trades, healthcare, and emergency services across 25 countries while anchoring leadership, IT, and candidate services right here in Canberra. Hamish traces the company...

Australia’s biggest customer isn’t a corporation; it’s the Commonwealth. We sit down with AQMN Legal’s Matthew Bautz to map a practical path for SMEs that want to sell to government without getting lost in rules, panels, and paperwork. Matthew explains why procurement inside Canberra runs on transparency and value for money, not speed. Including how that changes the way you bid, partner, and prote...