The Spotlight Series - Don’t just survive, thrive!

Ken Auer is the Founder of Role Model Software in North Carolina in the US.  Since the mid-1980s, Ken’s passion and commitment to software craftsmanship has made him a respected leader in the creation of sustainable software and high performance teams. He was introduced as "the father of software craftsmanship" at the inaugural Software Craftsmanship North America conference in 2009. As...

In the latest "The Spotlight Series - Don't Just Survive, Thrive" podcast, Nicola Steel speaks to David Davies. David is the Founder of AgUnity & has a fascinating story! He grew up in Outback Australia & his interest in tech took him to Hong Kong & the UK, time in West Africa & 12 years working in investment banks in Japan & Singapore. During his adventures on a...

Mike Seidle is Co-Founder of PivotCX, a company based in Indiana in the US which delivers awesome candidate experiences & saves recruiters time with live, human-to-human communication. Mike is a serial entrepreneur who has founded 6 businesses. Last year, he had to reinvent his company very quickly when his revenue dropped by 85% & PivotCX was born. Mike and Nicola talk about the importanc...

How can you transition from a career in art to a career in AI?   In the latest podcast episode, Nicola Steel talks to Rosie Attwell.  Until recently, Rosie was Artificial Intelligence Delivery Lead at CUA. Rosie puts the pivot into pivoting! She studied a degree in Fine Art then moved to marketing in digital agencies followed by innovation & AI.    They talk about how Rosie applied for over 60...

In the latest episode of “The Spotlight Series – Don’t just survive, thrive”, Nicola Steel talks to Jeff Jaraved & Taryn Syratt.  Jeff & Taryn are Co-Founders of a startup called CAASie. CAASie stands for Contextually Aware Advertising System and is an online pay for click advertising model which is revolutionising the billboard industry.  In this episode, they discuss Jeff & Taryn’s n...

Did you know that 90% of SaaS startups fail within the first 3 years? In the latest episode of “The Spotlight Series – Don’t Just Survive, Thrive”, Nicola Steel speaks to Stewart Marshall about the reason behind this extremely high failure rate. Stewart AKA “Mr SaaS” is a Commercial Software Strategist and bestselling author.  He describes SaaS as the modern gold rush however many SaaS companies w...

What will the future of work look like in 2051?  Nicola Steel speaks to Tony Ryan who predicts that there will be more change in the next 30 years than in human civilisation! Tony is an Education Futurist who helps education systems prepare for the future. He is also the author of 8 books on innovative thinking & lifelong learning, his latest being “The Next Generation”. Tony believes that cap...

In the first episode of 2021, Nicola Steel talks to Maree Beare, the Founder of  Wanngi, a health tech startup.  She is a Consumer Health advocate and is listed in Forbes Top 50 Women Led Startups disrupting Healthtech.   Wanngi means alive, living one, well, or healthy. It is part of the Djinang language which is spoken in north-central Arnhemland (Northern Territory, Australia).  Maree's st...

In the final episode for 2020,  Nicola Steel speaks to Dave West. Dave was Lead Data Scientist at Origin Energy.  In November, he founded a tech startup called BatNav.  In this episode, Nicola and Dave talk about Dave’s passion for the future of energy, merging digital & AI technologies with engineering & business, & how this can benefit both people & the planet.  They discuss Dave...

Sharyn Doolan has many years’ experience as a radio announcer and professional voice over artist.   She is also the founder of an early stage tech startup called Zijit which she describes as 'Shazam' for Creatives.  In this episode, Sharyn and Nicola talk about the challenges in the creative industry and how Sharyn is overcoming them with Zijit. You may not know Sharyn's name but yo...

Prasanna Nagar worked at Commonwealth Bank for 6 years as the Executive Manager for Customer Engagement and Decision Science.  For the past few years, he has co-founded a start up called Zivora.  Today we are going to talk about the secrets to his success in his data career as well as the challenges and benefits of co-founding a startup. We talk about Prasanna's thrill for problem solving and...

Stephanie Khalil is the founder of an early stage startup called OnRoute App and was in the previous cohort of the Activate Programme with River City Labs.  In this episode, Nicola and Steph talk about the challenges of being a young female early stage startup founder and Steph's plans for the future. Key takeaways How to get the most out of the River City Labs Activate programme How to overc...

Kshira Saagar is Group Director of Data Science and Analytics at GFG, the parent company of The Iconic and various other organisations.  He has been named as a Top 10 Analytics Leader in Australia in both 2019 and 2020.  Today the spotlight is on Kshira’s rapid career journey and how he achieved this level of success.   Key takeaways The chain effect of mentoring and helping future talent Human be...

Faith is the Founder and CEO of SixPivot and Cloud Ctrl.  SixPivot is a cloud first innovator which helps startups, SMEs, corporates and governments by building software that creates real change.   Cloud Ctrl is a multi-cloud service management platform, providing customers with insights and financial control of their cloud subscriptions.  Faith is also mentor and adviser for various organisations...

Simone Joyce is the CEO and Founder of Paypa Plane and a Board Director for FinTech Australia.  In this episode, Simone and Nicola Steel discuss the challenges in an early stage fintech and how to overcome them. Key takeaways Resilience is key in the fintech world The importance of diversity of thought The benefits and learning opportunities of making mistakes Links Simone LinkedIn profile - https...

Anna Chipperfield is Head of People & Culture at businesDEPOT & Founder of Secret Women's Business.  In this episode, we talk about the importance of being part of a “tribe” and also reset planning. Key takeaways Think about who you are surrounding yourself with Think about where your future self is headed Be flexible and realistic in your goal setting Links Anna LinkedIn profile - ht...

Luke Faccini is Chief Brand Strategist at The Sponge, Co-Founder of Good North and also author of “Impact Brand Storytelling - A how to guide for founders hell-bent on changing the world”. Key takeaways Why it is important for a company brand to have purpose and be perpetuating good The importance of an authentic, consistent and unified culture in improving your customers' experience and incr...

Bianca Dillon is the Founder of B:Content Marketing.  She is a certified inbound marketer obsessed with digital technology.  In this episode, Bianca and Nicola Steel discuss the magic of inbound marketing, lead nurturing and marketing automation. Key takeaways The importance of the buyer journey How to use inbound marketing to build trust How to use marketing automation Links Bianca LinkedIn profi...

Kylie Denton is the Founder of Performance Advisory Group.  She is a professional coach and leadership expert who specialises in leadership development and sales training to develop high performing teams in financial services.  She is also a speaker and bestselling author.  Key takeaways How leaders can embed behavourial change successfully during the pandemic How leadership teams can communicate...

Chloe Rees is a Programme Manager, “Change Wizard” and Innovator.  In this episode, Nicola and Chloe talk about the impact of change during the pandemic and Chloe's predictions for the future. Key takeaways: Main benefits and challenges created by pandemic Impact on digital transformation and innovation Predictions for the future of work Blogs Chloe discusses: https://www2.deloitte.com/global...

Nerida Trappett is Director of Rivers Insurance Brokers and Tanya Williams is a Digital Marketing Specialist and Chief of Everything at Digital Conversations.  In this episode, we talk about how Tanya has helped pivot and reinvent Rivers’ marketing campaign during the pandemic. Key takeaways The importance of pivoting your marketing strategy quickly Why your values are intrinsic in your marketing...

Sueanne Carr and Peter Turner are the Founding Directors of Customer Frame, a company which helps businesses close the gap between their business strategy and operations by putting the customer at the heart of everything they do.  Key takeaways Why businesses should put the customer at the heart of everything they do Key competencies needed to build a successful customer strategy Why now is the ti...

Chris Skehan is a telecommunications expert and entrepreneur who through a series of life events was led down the path of life coach and author.  In this episode, Chris tells the story of how a near-death experience in the 2011 Floods in Toowoomba was an epiphany which change the direction and purpose of his life.  This and other pivotal events made him decide to write a book about mentorship and...

Mel Telecician is the Owner & Head Strategist of Loyalest.com.  She specialises in marketing strategy especially analysing why previous marketing efforts didn't work and which marketing efforts are worth investing in. Key takeaways Why your marketing should change during this crisis Keep your marketing message agile and relevant Make your marketing decisions based on facts and evidence Li...

Edwin Trevor-Roberts is a Career Expert and Co-founder of Resugraphic.  He also has a PhD in Career Development.  Helen Gough is Founder of Growth Curators, a management consultancy which leads organisations through the dynamic interplay of systems and strategy, and the other Co-Founder of Resugraphic. Key takeaways How careers will change and evolve over a lifetime The questions we should ask to...