What I learned in business (that didn't kill me!)

Bruce Carter AO is one of Australia’s most respected commercial advisors and arguably South Australia’s “Mr Fix-It”. Over more than three decades, Bruce has become the person governments, boards and business leaders call when the stakes are high and commercial pragmatism is in demand. Bruce built his career in corporate restructuring and insolvency as a young partner at EY before founding Ferrier...

When Iain Nairn walks into a room, he brings over 40 years of global retail experience — and a lifetime of lessons in leadership, resilience, and reinvention. From his early days with Laura Ashley in the UK to record-breaking years at Country Road Group , a short but powerful stint at David Jones , and a complete digital reinvention of Hudson’s Bay in Canada, Iain has led through every challenge r...

From a kitchen table in Brisbane to a global online fashion movement — this is the story of Black Milk Clothing. In this episode of What I Learned in Business (That Didn’t Kill Me!) , host James H. Stewart sits down with Jackie Kruger , CEO of Black Milk Clothing , the cult Australian label known for its bold designs, product range diversity, and fiercely loyal community of Sharkies . Jackie share...

John King's global experience in retail and wholesale brands is unique. He led three major retailers— Matalan , House of Fraser , and Myer —through wildly different market cycles, against major headwinds and each with their own unique set of challenges. After an early career with Sainsbury's and Marks and Spencer in the UK, he spent 13 years in the wholesale sector, witnessed the 9/11 attacks on t...

The Jim Thompson story is a spy mystery that leads to the launch of the Thai Silk industry In this episode, James H. Stewart sits down with Frank Cancelloni , Group CEO of Jim Thompson — Thailand’s most iconic names in silk design, craftsmanship, and culture. Frank shares his journey from leading global retail giants in Asia like Lacoste , Tommy Hilfiger , and Calvin Klein to reimagining Jim Thomp...

Private-equity veteran Patrick Elliott (Founding Partner, Next Capital; ex-Macquarie PE; former Chair of JB Hi-Fi) joins James H Stewart to unpack career pivots, equity investing and what they teach us about risk, governance, and value creation. Patrick traces his path from restructuring at Ferrier Hodgson to Private equity investing at Macquarie , then the leap to found Next Capital . We dig into...

Di Gillett is a former fashion-design student, turned retailer, turned headhunter, turned podcaster — whose life and career are a study in resilience and reinvention. Di began her career in fashion and retail with Myer and Country Road, before spending more than 30 years in executive search , working with industry icon Andrew Banks at Talent 2 and later founding her own firm, Agora Partners . Toda...

Evan Thornley is an entrepreneur, investor, reformer, and one of Australia’s most original thinkers on business and social change. Evan’s career has been anything but conventional. He co-founded LookSmart , one of Australia’s first tech companies to list on NASDAQ at the height of the dot-com boom, before riding out its spectacular crash. He later entered Victorian politics , led the global Better...

Paul Howes is one of Australia’s most recognisable public figures and a leader whose career has spanned the union movement, politics, and corporate life. Raised by a single mother in Sydney’s Blue Mountains, Paul became the youngest ever National Secretary of the Australian Workers’ Union , rising to national prominence during the Beaconsfield mine disaster . He later became a key player in Labor’...

Born out of the ashes of Enron and the collapse of global Big 5 firm Arthur Andersen, Korda Mentha has become a powerhouse advisory firm in Australia/Asia fuelled by winning some of the biggest and most high profile mandates in the country. In this episode of What I Learned About Business (That Didn’t Kill Me) , James H Stewart sits down with Mark Korda , co-founder of KordaMentha to discuss the i...

For 40 years I was a corporate undertaker. I buried businesses that failed and helped save those where there was still a pulse. I was parachuted into some of corporate Australia’s biggest financial crisis, insolvencies and turnaround environments. I have been in Board rooms, Court rooms and on shop floors when all seems lost (and sometimes it was). Over decades at the coal face of business (often...