Interview Archives - Page 10 of 15

Maria MacNamara – On Reinvention

August 25, 2020August 25, 2020
by Claire

Our guest on the show this week is someone who’s a textbook case in career reinvention.

Maria MacNamara completely reinvented her career after two and a half decades working in professional services. After finally getting sick of what she describes as misogyny and bad behaviour, Maria knew she had to call it quits and leave professional services for something completely different.

Now, that’s not to say professional services today has the same issues Maria experienced, and Maria is the complete diplomat on this topic, but suffice to say she needed a change and knew she wanted to do something completely different.

And so she did! Maria worked in politics and government in completely different roles including digital transformation for a number of years and immersed herself in the startup world. Today Maria’s role is CEO of Advance which is all about connecting global Australians with one another and to Australia, in order to create economic and cultural opportunities, collaborations, investments and innovations.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How being an immigrant set Maria up for successful reinvention
What it takes to reinvent your career
Maria’s principles for successful innovation, and
Her advice on networking and connecting.

Enjoy this episode with the constantly learning and always connecting Maria MacNamara.

Useful Links

Start-ups Maria has Mentored

1. Stone & Chalk and its new acquisition Ribit.net
2. Faethm.ai
3. Curious Thing
4. WithYouWithMe
5. Hyper Anna
6. Startup Muster

Interview

Julia Paige – The Stories We Tell Ourselves

August 11, 2020
by Claire

Join us this week for a fascinating conversation with Uber’s global head of Social Impact, Julia Paige. This mum of triplets has so much wisdom to share, particularly about resilience and the stories we tell ourselves.

Julia’s had an amazing career including working as Chief of Staff for Maria Shriver (the first lady of California who was married to Governor Schwarzenegger) for numerous years. She’s also held senior marketing and global roles at Google and now Uber.

Julia is a passionate believer in the power of the narratives we create in our lives and how having the right narrative can help us be more resilient and cope better with disappointments and failures.

In this episode you’ll learn:

When and how Julia found out she was having triplets
How she manages juggling work and a young family
What she thinks her super-power is
And why we all have to learn to tell ourselves stories that serve us.

So if you’re in the need for a dose of positivity and inspiration, then this is the episode for you.

Useful Links

Uber’s Social Impact work

Julia on LinkedIn

Interview

Brianne West – Running the World’s most Sustainable Cosmetics…

July 28, 2020
by Claire

Our guest on the podcast this week is Brianne West, the New Zealander serial entrepreneur and founder of global sustainable cosmetics company, Ethique.

Brianne has a bold and pioneering mission, to rid the world of single-use plastics. She started Ethique to replace all those bottled products we use in our bathrooms, from shampoos to moisturisers, with solid bars of concentrated product.

We’ve been so impressed with the degree of sustainability and ethical practices that Brianne has baked into her business, from sourcing her products directly from around the globe, to being a B Corp, to donating 20% of profits to charitable causes. It really is a business that walks the talk.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How Brianne displayed the entrepreneurial gene very early
How she’s funded Ethique with two very successful crowdfunding campaigns, as well as what it takes to crowdfund successfully
What Brianne does to manage her anxiety; and
How Huffington Post and Britney Spears changed everything for her business overnight!

We hope you come away as inspired by this conversation as we were. It’s a real demonstration of what’s possible when a business decides to make a reasonable profit whilst also caring for planet and people.

Finally, a quick request from us, if you enjoy our podcast and have yet to rate or review us on your listening platform of choice, we’d so appreciate it if you would. This is a passion project for us and it would really make a positive difference.

Interesting Links

Ethique Website

Brianne on Instagram

Interview

Hayley Markham – The Unflappable Entrepreneur

July 14, 2020July 14, 2020
by Claire

Our guest this week is one of the co-founders of an international venture all about teaching the younger generation to code.

Hayley Markham is co-founder and COO of Code Camp, which to date has reached 90,000 children with their holiday and after school camps, and online programs, in Australia and also the UK.

Hayley co-founded Code Camp seven years ago and as you’ll hear this hard working pragmatist and efficiency queen got started in the business when her third child was just two weeks old! Little did she know what she was getting herself into then but there’s no doubting Hayley is an unflappable master at juggling life and building a startup.

Code Camp was named one of Smart Company’s top three, fastest growing businesses in Australia in 2018 with 510% revenue growth. It was also nominated as a Deloitte ‘Fast 50 Rising Star’ in 2019 and Hayley herself is a recent winner of Australian Mumpreneur of the Year.

In this episode you’ll hear:

How Hayley found her forte and niche in people leadership and operations after years of trial and error in different jobs not knowing what she wanted to do,
The career advice she has for others who aren’t sure what their dream role looks like,
How Code Camp overcame the challenges involved with scaling the business,
And the one thing Hayley credits with helping her juggle running a business and having a busy family life.

So if you’re looking for inspiration on how to tackle the challenges and juggles in your life, then you’ll love this episode with the unflappable and humble Hayley Markham.

Useful Links

CodeCamp website

Hayley on LinkedIn

Interview

Mitra Azizirad – How Resilience and Persistence Can Make…

June 16, 2020June 17, 2020
by Claire

This week’s episode features a trailblazing woman in tech who’s had an extraordinary 28 year career at Microsoft.

Mitra Azizirad is Corporate Vice President of AI and Innovation Marketing at Microsoft based in Seattle.

As you’ll discover, Mitra’s heard it all, including a senior Defence executive telling her he had shoes older than she was! This indomitable woman has also got used to hearing plenty of ‘No’s’ at work but has repeatedly found ways to prove the naysayers wrong.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How it’s almost an accident Mitra got into tech in the first place, given she studied and wanted to work in International Relations
What it was like being Chief of Staff to the CEO of Microsoft and why she turned the job down several times in the first place
Why she’s never taken anyone’s advice
And the secrets of innovation she’s learnt from working on the cutting edge of technology.

We spoke with Mitra in Seattle during the coronavirus shutdown but before the Black Lives Matter protests.

Without further ado enjoy this episode with the forward thinking and very persistent Mitra Azizirad.

Links of interest

Mitra on LinkedIn – see her speeches here too! Well worth a look!

Microsoft Innovation – Mitra’s team

Microsoft AI – also Mitra’s team

Microsoft’s AI Business School – Free Course

Interview

Deanne Weir – Following Her Passions

June 2, 2020June 2, 2020
by Claire

This week on the show we’re excited to introduce you to Deanne Weir, a former media lawyer and executive; turned media entrepreneur, investor and company director.

Deanne started her career as a corporate lawyer in Australia and spent years in the telco and television sectors. She became one of the most respected executives in the broadcast industry.

In 2012, as a member of the senior leadership team and a shareholder of Austar, an Australian cable TV company, she played a key role in the sale of the company. The capital she personally earnt from the sale, gave Deanne the opportunity to start her own investment company and start a new career.

Her company, WeirAnderson.com, invests in entrepreneurs and storytellers in the media and social sectors to help them change the world. She is the Chair of three start-ups including one in data and analytics and one in AI, as well as supporting numerous not for profits including being Chair of the Sydney Film Festival and Global Sisters.

In this conversation you’ll learn:

How Deanne’s upbringing in a regional town in Australia shaped her desire to change the landscape for women
What she learnt as an investor when three of her investments failed all around the same time
Why Deanne thinks there will be massive change after COVID-19 and the type of conversations we need to be having about the world we want to live in
And, ways we can all personally make a difference in society and effect change.

Enjoy this conversation with the driven and passionate Deanne Weir.

Links of Interest

Deanne on LinkedIn

WeirAnderson

WeirAnderson Foundation

Seer Data & Analytics

AI-Media

Hoodlum

Sydney Film Festival – Starts June 10th 2020 online

Global Sisters

The Australian Institute – they offer many interesting webinars, some of which Deanne has tuned into

Interview

Jacqueline Novogratz – Revolutionary For a Better World

May 19, 2020May 20, 2020
by Claire

We have a real treat in store for you today with a truly remarkable changemaker and NY Times bestselling author as our guest.

Acumen Founder and CEO, Jacqueline Novogratz, has been named one of the 25 Smartest People of the Decade by the Daily Beast, and one of the world’s 100 Greatest Living Business Minds by Forbes, amongst numerous other honours.

Jacqueline pioneered the notion of ‘patient capital’, investing in social entrepreneurs around the world. Acumen supports them to establish sustainable businesses that serve some of the world’s poorest people.

What makes this episode a particularly fascinating one is that all this work with entrepreneurs has taught Jacqueline and her team so much about what it takes to succeed when trying to create change. And now she’s also just released a new book sharing what it takes to be a changemaker. It’s called Manifesto for a Moral Revolution (and there’s a free course too if you buy the book).

In this episode you’ll hear:

How her early attempts at social change in Africa seriously failed to impress the locals;
What she learnt about humanity when she became one of the first people to visit in jail someone she’d known well who’d gone on to become a major perpetrator in the Rwandan Genocide;
How Jacqueline sees investment as a means to solving problems rather than making profit as the primary goal; and ….
How she’s seeing women entrepreneurs successfully breaking the rules particularly now during the coronavirus crisis.

Enjoy this episode with the incredibly inspiring Jacqueline Novogratz…

Links of Interest

Acumen Website

Jacqueline’s Books:

Manifesto for a Moral Revolution – Practices to Build a Better World – her latest book. If you buy a copy you can sign up for free to her 11 week course ‘The Path of Moral Leadership’ (usually it’s US$195)

The Blue Sweater

Interview

Audrey Tang – Taiwan’s Digital Minister and Her Vital…

May 5, 2020May 5, 2020
by Claire

We have a fascinating episode this week with our guest, Taiwan’s remarkable Digital Minister, Audrey Tang.

Audrey became the youngest Government Minister ever in Taiwan when she was appointed a few years ago at the age of 35. She is also the world’s first ever Transgender government Minister.

Audrey’s childhood was anything but conventional, in her early years she was something of a child prodigy who also had a serious heart condition. She dropped out of school at the age of 14 to manage her own education and at the age of 16 started her first successful software business.

Fast forward in time, and after some years working in Silicon Valley and further success, Audrey found herself moving from being a Government activist in her home country to a Government Minister!

In this episode you’ll hear:

How Audrey’s quick involvement in creating a valuable app has played a key role in Taiwan’s extraordinarily successful management of Covid-19, with the country never having to stop working
How her heart condition as a child means that to this day Audrey does not experience anger or upset or extreme joy
How in Taiwan, thanks to calling software coders Programme Designers vs Software Engineers, there are significantly more women than men working in the field
And her unique ways of seeing arguments from both sides

Enjoy this discussion with the remarkable Audrey Tang.

Useful Links

Audrey on Twitter

Taiwan Can Help Us – a COVID-19 initiative from Taiwan to help other countries

CoHack – a hackathon led by Audrey to use open data and technology to help fight the coronavirus pandemic across the world

G0V – a decentralised civic tech community from Taiwan

Interview

Naomi Simson – The Renowned Entrepreneur 1000s of Small…

April 7, 2020April 7, 2020
by Claire

We have a brilliant episode for you this week with the renown entrepreneur and Shark Tank investor Naomi Simson. Given these unprecedented times, this is just the tonic we needed and we think you will love her too.

On the topic of COVID-19, wherever you’re listening to us from, we hope you’re safe and well and not doing it too tough. Please know that you are not alone, #weareinthistogether . As you’ll hear in this episode, Naomi has some great thoughts for what leaders and businesses need to be thinking about.

Nearly 20 years ago, Naomi took her savings and founded her online business ‘RedBalloon’ when she was a Mum of two small children. The site she built is an aggregator of a vast variety of experiences that people can buy vouchers for from thousands of tourism and adventure operators around Australia and NZ, and they’re expanding internationally as well.

Today the ‘Big Red Group’ has 5 separate businesses under its umbrella with revenue over $70 million and literally millions of experiences sold to date. Thousands of small businesses rely on her company to deliver them customers, a big deal normally and an even bigger one now with COVID-19.

Naomi is also well known for sharing her positivity and business wisdom as a keynote speaker and author of two books.

In this episode you’ll hear Naomi talk about:

How she’s feeling in these uncertain times and how she’s coping with COVID 19 consequences
Her experience of stepping out of her business after splitting from her husband, only to later secretly buy back the company
What Naomi looks for when startups are pitching to her for investment
Why you’ll always see her wearing something red, and
Her advice to you in these times of uncertainty.

So stay safe, get comfy, and enjoy this episode with the super positive and impressive Naomi Simson.

One final note from us, given our leadership development business has understandably lost revenue, we’ve decided it’s timely to trial one or two ads at the beginning or end of each episode whilst taking great care not to damage your listening experience. This is a way to help us with all the hours we spend on bringing each episode to you. Thank you for being part of our community.

Links of interest

Naomi’s website

Redballoon

Big Red Group

Naomi’s books: Live What You Love & Ready to Soar

Interview

Bobbi Mahlab AM – Defining Success on Her Terms

March 24, 2020
by Claire

Our guest this week is entrepreneur and philanthropist, Bobbi Mahlab.

We think you’ll love Bobbi; she’s authentic, brave and very humble!

More than 20 years ago, Bobbi founded the content marketing and communications agency, ‘Mahlab’. Given how much the publishing and content businesses have changed in two decades, it’s a testimony to Bobbi’s foresight and agility that the business thrives and continues to evolve today.

Much more recently, Bobbi also co-founded the fast-expanding Australian arm of Mentor Walks, an initiative she was exposed to when she took part in a Mentor Walk in China, the brainchild of one of our earlier podcast guests, Michelle Garnaut.

Bobbi’s business has won multiple awards and accolades, and Bobbi herself also has her fair share of honours including recently being appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for her services to women, publishing and philanthropy.

Bobbi has some fascinating insights and perspectives on women in business and being an entrepreneur, particularly thanks to the insights she gleans from all the women taking part in Mentor Walks as well as from being a Juror on the prestigious international Cartier Women’s Initiative awards for entrepreneurs.

In this episode you’ll hear:

How it felt to grow up with a very high profile and feminist mother
Why Bobbi thinks leaders need to act like a hammerhead shark
What it was that made her walk into her office one day and say “everything changes from today”
The formative experience that taught Bobbi to think bigger

Enjoy this episode with the humble, wise and entertaining, Bobbi Mahlab.

Links of interest

Mahlab Media

Mentor Walks Australia

Cartier Womens Initiative

Episode photo credit: Mumbrella