The Westside Stories: Beyond the CBD

In Episode 006 of The Westside Stories Podcast: Beyond the CBD , Sean Johnston sits down with Markus Preston, CEO of Preston Group . Markus shares the story of growing up around the family business, starting on the workshop floor and eventually buying the company from his father before expanding it across Australia, New Zealand and North America. The conversation explores the realities of entrepre...

In Episode 005 of The Westside Stories Podcast: Beyond the CBD , Sean Johnston sits down with Helen Hamilton-James, Partner and Greater Western Sydney Market Lead at KPMG . Helen shares her career journey from Scotland to London, Sydney and Papua New Guinea, and reflects on the opportunities, mentors and bold decisions that shaped her path. The conversation explores the power of mentoring, the imp...

In Episode 004 of Westside Stories: Beyond the CBD, Sean Johnston sits down with Paul Plowman, Executive General Manager, Water & Environment Services at Sydney Water. Paul shares his career journey from engineering graduate to executive leader, including the opportunities, risks and lessons that shaped his leadership approach. The conversation also takes us behind the scenes at Sydney Water,...

In episode 003 of Westside Stories , Sean Johnston sits down with Martin O’Connell, Managing Director of ECORR, civil engineer, entrepreneur, and proud Western Sydney local. Martin shares his journey from growing up in a working-class family in Western Sydney to building and scaling successful businesses across construction, sustainability, recycling, and property development. The conversation exp...

Episode 2 of The Westside Stories Podcast is live! This week, Sean Johnston sat down with Tony Nash, Founder of Booktopia, one of Australia’s most recognised online retail success stories. Tony shares a candid and grounded perspective on what it actually takes to build a business from scratch, the challenges that come with growth, and the resilience required to keep moving forward. In this episode...

We’re excited to launch the very first episode of The Westside Stories. In Episode 1, Sean Johnston sits down with David Borger, Executive Director at Business Western Sydney, for a candid conversation on leadership, resilience, and the evolution of Western Sydney. From growing up across multiple schools and learning to adapt early, through to becoming one of the most influential voices shaping th...