The Dialogue: Recent Episodes
Natascha Moy
Natascha Moy has scoured the country so she can share the lives of the most remarkable men and women with her listeners. It is daunting to know that everyone on social media these days seem to think they are fascinating and courageous but in many cases it is simply smoke and mirrors. On The Dialogue, Natascha explores what makes some men and women truly extraordinary. She shares tales of business and personal courage, stories of loss and sadness as well as moments of joy and success. Each and every guest is truly inspirational and you will leave every story with a feeling of awe and the desire to be remarkable too.
David Campese is one of Australia's greatest Rugby Union players, he is also a controversial voice in what can often now be called a vanilla arena. When the court of public opinion no longer allows for the voices of individuals it is good to see that some great stars are still willing to say what they believe. I taught David how to create Podcasts so he can share his own and his professional rugby alumni's thoughts and opinions in a genuine and relaxed manner. But as an introduction, I thought I might soundbite his life story and here it is. You can also listen to Davids Podcasts by following this link
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-ssa53-baa4ad?utm_campaign=au_share_ep&utm_medium=dlink&utm_source=au_share
I was asked by a friend once if Dominatrix's were real or just seen in the movies. Well Kelly is real and authentic and delightful. In fact so lovely that I consider her now a friend. She has perfected an art form, in latex and thigh high boots with a whip and a few other tools of the trade. Some would call her a therapist, some a master... but everyone that visits her professionally is considered a slave.
Nicole Gamerov is making a difference, a big difference to the lives of the people with disabilities and their carers. She started in the corporate world and excelled. Her sharp mind and desire to succeed drove her to do well and she loved her role. But when her mother lost her sight Nicole realised that there was more that she could do and so she launched My Care Space https://mycarespace.com.au/ connecting people with disabilities and their carers with services and providers in their area. Nicole is a truly remarkable woman, working tirelessly to connect and enhance the lives of people with disabilities.
Yvonne Englman survived hell. Her story is gut wrenching, unbelievable. Her journey from a loved child in a middle class family to the gas chamber is as tragic as it is almost unbelievable. But it happened to this stoic, remarkable woman. She is a survivor and has told her story to bring attention and importance to the lives of survivors. Now the matriarch of a growing family she has met the challenges of living head-on. A truly remarkable journey and the only interview I ever cried after.
Its mot easy to be brilliant at both right brain and left brain pursuits. However Catriona is a master at both. On the one hand she has built CP Communications into a thriving PR and Media company looking after high profile clients and speaking at events as an expert in Social Media and Marketing. On the other hand she is an accomplished artist creating incredible contemporary basket weaving pieces that are natural and reflective. Catriona reminds us that anything is possible if you tackle it with passion and purpose.
This is an incredible interview that is raw and authentic. Sonia McDonald speaks about her journey from China where her husband had an affair and left her and their child to returning to Australia and starting her own business as a Leadership Coach. Here she has taken on then business of helping people and at the same time been faced with the challenge of protecting her daughter who has endured extreme bullying. Sonia as always delivers both the challenges and the triumphs of each situation.
Tanya Jackson-Vaughan is an exceptional woman. As the Executive Director of RACS the refugee advice and casework service she is responsible for managing and growing as well as fundraising for a vital immigrant resource. Her desire to help people has led her down an exciting and challenging path. Starting in the fast paced film and TV industry in the UK Tanya travelled back to Sydney to pursuit additional film opportunities but soon the challenges of being a mother and career worker in the unforgiving film industry had her turning towards helping refugees navigate the English language. Soon she found herself running the much needed RACS organisation where she leads a team of lawyers who assist refugees in how to manage their rights and legal disputes.
What is it like working for the Australian Defence Force and Army when you are a gorgeous, intelligent woman. Kelliegh Jackson, shines a light on her 19 years in this very male environment and talks about why this was her choice. Kelliegh charts her journey from losing her dad to suicide at the tender age of 4 to a life in boarding schools and then the Australian Army. She is now working with RSL clubs and veterans achieving coordinated support and services for them and their families through community practice.
Filmmaker Michi Marosszeky is an incredible woman. She champions change and awareness through filmmaking and has produced Woven Threads an incredible TV series that shares the stories of refugees and reminds us that we are all human. Michi has been confronted with her daughters mental illness and has her own ongoing cancer fight. Michi remains positive, blessed and hopeful which is why she is truly remarkable. Michi is a change maker and for that we applaud her.
Form more info Visit https://www.woventhreads.co/
https://iview.abc.net.au/show/woven-threads-stories-from-afar
Robert Ian Bonnick is effervescent. His new book Soul Survivor charts his life journey to date and is worthy of a read. Robert's remarkable story takes us from an orphanage in the UK where he spent the first 17 years of his life to the international basketball court where he played for England’s juniors. His journey sees him living in Milan as a model, Australia as a entertainment specialist and Redfern as part of a unique community outreach project. He has rubbed shoulders with some of the most famous people in the world yet remains humble and grounded. Robert brings the light in with him. He is inspiring and delightful and a pleasure to interview.
Most of my interviews center around remarkable men and women that have lived a relatively full life (they make better interview guests) but every now and again I am convinced to interview someone younger. In this case Jane Lu did not disappoint. She is an incredible young woman. Launching a fashion label behind her strict parents backs while they thought she was at her corporate job, Jane has built and incredible business and community.
Her success lies in the ability to read female fashion trends and much like Zara she delivers fast fashion that is sexy and on trend. But this is not Jane's most impressive skill. What Jane does very well is offer a real look into how young women think, dress and feel. Her social media posts are real, transparent and fun. She is nothing other than herself and everyone loves her.
Jane Lu founded Showpo back in 2010 from her parents’ garage. Jane previously worked in accounting and corporate finance, but after returning from a year abroad, was inspired to ditch the “cubicle life”, so she quit her job to start her own business.
With so much enthusiasm for entrepreneurship, she set off to start her first business, which failed spectacularly. However, Jane was undeterred and got right back on the horse, starting the online fashion brand, Showpo the following month.
What started off with a laptop and two shelves of clothing is now an online global fashion empire, shipping to 80 countries. Through being disruptive in the retail space and capitalising on the use of social media, Showpo now boasts a cult social following of over 2.8 million.
Jane is a keynote speaker, is heavily involved in Australia’s startup scene and has been nominated for numerous awards, taking the title of Cosmopolitan’s Entrepreneur of the Year in 2015 and Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia in 2016.
Angela Ferguson the MD of Future Space an award winning commercial interior design firm working with clients like Google and realestate.com. Angela shares her journey from living in a family with substance abuse to rising into a resilient award winning businesswoman, mother and wife. Hers is a dynamic story shared with authenticity.
Narelle Anderson is the founder and managing director of Envirobank, Australia’s largest network of reverse vending machines and automated recycling depots.
In 2000 she was the first aboriginal woman (she is the great niece of the late Senator Neville Bonner) to solely own a waste management company, buying and expanding CBD Enviro Services, then selling through a trade sale to a public company.
In 2008 she founded Envirobank Recycling and introduced Australia to the concept of Reverse Vending Technology. Initially starting the business to reward and incentivize consumers for recycling, this technology is now going to underpin the Container Deposit Schemes being rolled out across Australia. In December this year NSW becomes the first state (after longstanding SA and NT) to legislate a Container Deposit Schemes.
Like her great uncle she is passionate about indigenous welfare and has achieved many firsts as an indigenous woman and entrepreneur. In Narelle’s words ‘my culture makes me a custodian of the land so cleaning up the country seems a natural fit. Narelle is a self starter, she has developed a business few women would consider and she has been very successful both financially and from a business perspective. Interviewing her was a intense because as with all successful individuals their journey is never easy and is often peppered with challenge and loss. Narelle gives us a beautiful account of her life to date and I can only expect that she will continue to make us very proud.
Stephen Todd is fun, intelligent, accomplished and humble. Born in Yallourn, raised in Melbourne he moved to Paris age 30 to simply try somewhere new. That time turned about to be 20 years and took him from hand beading bras into the company of fashion gurus like Karl Lagerfeld, John Galliano and Vivienne Westwood. In Paris he established himself as a writer and editor. He was the Paris fashion correspondent for The Australian for 14 years, as well as writing on architecture and design for a selection of papers including The New York Times, The Guardian, Le Monde and mags of merit most notably American Vogue. Stephen set up a Paris-based boutique branding and communications agency called concept+image in 2005, working in the luxury sector for clients including Moët & Chandon, Woolmark, Kopenhagen Fur, Swarovski and in 2008 he accepted an offer to become Director of Branding & Communications (Global) of Swarovski.
In 2010 Stephen decided it was time to head back to home to Sydney but on arrival he decided that if he was going to live in Australia he wanted to really live in Australia and so moved out to a small house on a large wheat and livestock property 5 hours inland, nearest town Forbes. Never far from the action however he is still travelling and is now Design Editor of the AFR Magazine and a weekly contributor to the Life&Leisure section. He is also at the helm of the features of Habitus quarterly, a section he has branded In Habitus Veritas. I expect he will never stop even when sequestered on a property 5 hours outside of the city.
What does one say about Clive Burcham?
Clive is a business maverick, social entrepreneur and a great single dad of two small children plus he can cook a very good lamb.
This is a man on a mission, having grown up in the country, he lost his dad at the age of 8. and soon after he suffered abuse at the hands of a trusted member of the community.
He has since gone on to become a well known businessman and has made media waves, some good, some not so good. Clive is a success story but it has come with its challenges.
Clive founded the successful branding agency The Conscience Organisation 14 years ago with Coca-Cola as its foundation client. He has worked with some of the most impressive brands in the country. But what really makes him tick is his passion for social change and he works closely with several organisations including OzHarvest, The Global Poverty Project and KidsXpress Limited to help achieve this.
To me Clive epitomises a successful entrepreneur he is dynamic and fallible which makes him very relatable.
Chido Govera offers one of the most inspiring and emotional interviews I have ever done.
Chido Govera is a pioneer of hope. She grew up as an orphan in a small village in Zimbabwe. Following the death of her mother, she turned into a parent at the age of 7, mothering her brother and caring for her nearly-blind grandmother. At the age of 8, she had already experienced the worst possible sexual and physical abuse, inflicted by a close uncle. She promised herself then that when she was older, she would save and protect other orphans from experiencing what she, and so many others, had suffered.
Turning down a marriage proposal at the age of 11, Chido chose to take fate into her own hands -- learning to farm mushrooms from local waste. She changed her journey to one of education and cultivation, she founded the Future of Hope Foundation and has now taught over 1,000 orphans and young women to take responsibility for their lives and see the opportunities around them.
An incredible woman who offered a raw and honest story of her life journey. She is an inspiration.
Ash Mackinnon is an incredible man, one that refuses to give up. After watching his wife fight cancer he authored the book Dying to get to Oklahoma, The story of an Australian family's cancer journey that includes amazing cameos by Oprah, Elvis, Patrick Swayze, Spongebob and more. It is also a tale of amazing travels in search of the treatment that had eluded them in Australia. Some tragedy, a few laughs but also the determined fight to change cancer treatment options in Australia.
Ash was nominated for Australian of the Year and has tirelessly campaigned to get the the first CyberKnife into Australia. The CyberKnife can offer life saving cancer technology to sufferers of certain cancers and Ash is committed to seeing one in every state. He is tireless, he is truly amazing.
Recognised as 'CEO of the Year' by the CEO World Awards and winner of a Gold Stevie award for Female Executive of the Year Sharon Rowland does not do things in halves. In fact if anything she knows how to get to the top of every business she has worked in. Sharon is a force in international business having led the well known finance house Thomson's which bought out Reuters in 2008. She has rubbed shoulders with some of the most dynamic forces in the finance world. Financially successful she banked over US$1.5M one year, Sharon shares that being a woman and making large sums of money is ok, woman should strive for success. Now CEO for ReachLocal a global social media business Sharon spends her time as a super savvy digital marketing specialist and works with a global team to help small businesses punch above their weight.
Success is sexy and never more so than when coupled with global brands, a dynamic woman and the successful reaching out to make people seek their potential. Great interview by a truly successful woman in the global arena.
What happens when you follow a man to America for love? You get inspired by Kate Spade and decide to launch your own handbag brand. Sam Wagner did just that. Launching Sambag on a shoestring budget she built her fashion and accessories brand into an iconic Australian brand that has cemented our love of the ballet flat and the fabric handbag. Sam is driven to succeed with a strong work ethic and an understanding that in order to survive in the fashion market you also need to be adaptable. Here passion for beautiful things extend to her homes that she lovingly renovates as well as her businesses. As a single mum she is doing what every woman wants to do and that is find a balance between family, work and play. Listen to my interview with this gorgeous woman to find out how she makes it work.
What happen when you are the first person in your family to go to university? You become a criminal lawyer who fights sex offenders and then you change 360 degrees and launch one of the most successful adult education schools in Australia. Tricia has a steel backbone combined with a deep desire to do good. Interviewing her was memorable and her energy and compassion has marked her interview in my mind as exceptional.
Lyndey Milan is a force of nature. She walks her own way and has created a path within the food media that is by all standards exceptional. Her journey as a single mum to successful food personality has all the makings of an incredible TV series. She has featured on our TV screens and authored cookbooks, launched a range of baking aids and MC'd enough events to last a lifetime. She loves a sing-a-long around the piano with the family and is now a very proud grandmother. The loss of her beautiful adult son Blair rocked the industry but as luck would have it Lyndey had filmed an incredible overseas food trip with Blair not long before he fell ill. Her story is of strength and perseverance and told in the beautiful way only a great storyteller can. We bow to Lyndey.
Meiron Lees took the high road. The one you often walk alone. From his journey through religion to his success as a financial planner and then his brush with cancer Meiron has been a personal disruptor. Not happy to just agree and carry on, he has questioned everything bringing himself into a place that is often challenging. Hard work, an expansive world view and a book on stress has him sharing his business knowledge and his life journey with corporate businesses and the speaking stage. His honesty is breathtaking and his story inspiring.
Lucy is likable and passionate. You want her at your dinner party and to have your back in business. She is also challenging and refuses to tow the party line. Her decision to go her own way has had positive and negative consequences for her career. As the former CEO for Sunrise Cambodia and Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia, she raised impressive donation amounts and shook the charities from their sleepy hollows. Her personality is as electric as her pink hair. You can't help but follow her.
Lucy ran a successful creative services firm for 20 years before she took on the start-up challenge as founding CEO of a brand new women’s health charity. In less than three years at the helm, Lucy built the team and the communication strategy which raised $7M for a network of hospitals and a midwifery school in Ethiopia. Lucy then moved on to transform Sunrise Cambodia as the charity’s first CEO. The rest will be history.
Investigating homicides, leading international teams into scenes of crisis and disaster is not your normal path to global keynote speaker and business consultant. Peter Baines worked in countries following major crisis including Indonesia, Japan, Thailand and Saudi Arabia.
His grounding came from two decades as a forensic investigator that saw him unravel the mysteries and discover the secrets of criminals thought rested solely with them. Prior to finishing his career as a forensic investigator he would spend time working with both Interpol in Lyon, France and the United Nations Office of Drug and Crime advising on Counter Terrorism and capacity building.
But it was the work his in Thailand that brought the biggest change. In response to the needs of the children left without a home and without parents Peter formed Hands Across the Water and commenced fundraising in Australia to build these needy children a home. Ten years after starting the charity he now spends much of his time helping other charity leaders through The Growth Project and advises business on how they can and indeed should benefit from their engagement with their community partners through corporate social responsibility programs.
Peter had seen things no man should ever have to experience from identifying dead bodies after bomb blasts and tsunamis to witnessing the crushing hopelessness of orphaned children he is a man that has risen to the challenge of Doing Good. He has not come out unscathed but is without doubt one of the most incredible individuals I have ever been blessed to meet.
Adrian Newstead OAM is recognized for his contribution to Aboriginal Art in Australia and as the Owner of Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Art Consultant and Author. Adrian grew up with the desperate fear that he would be ordinary and instead he has turned out quite extraordinary. Adrian has actively supported Australian ethnic art and the artists who produce it for many years and is viewed by many as the man behind the the promotion of our beautiful ethnic art landscape.
Adrian Newstead OAM established Cooee Aboriginal art Gallery in 1981. A former President of the Indigenous Art Trade Association and Director of Aboriginal Tourism Australia he became the Head of Aboriginal Art for Lawson~Menzies in 2003, and Managing Director of Menzies Art Brands until 2008. An Aboriginal art consultant, dealer, and art commentator, based in Bondi, NSW, he has more that 30 years experience working in Aboriginal and Australian Contemporary art.
Adrian Newstead began working with Aboriginal communities in 1981 when Coo-ee Emporium (founded with Louise Ferrier) held the first exhibition for Tiwi Design of Bathurst Island. By 1985, when prominent Aboriginal identity Joe Croft became a partner in the business, Aboriginal art had become its primary interest. The company organised more than 100 exhibitions of Aboriginal art in Australia and overseas during the following decade.
As a prominent retailer in Sydney's Paddington precinct through the 1980s and 1990s, Adrian acted as the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Chair of the joint working party between Woollahra and South Sydney Councils for more than a decade. In that role he steered the rezoning and streetscape refurbishments of this lively tourism precinct through both councils.
For more information visit http://www.cooeeart.com.au/
Listen to my fabulous interview with the remarkable Jean Kittson, funny, intelligent, passionate and authentic.
I was fortunate enough to be present at an event when Jean Kittson took the mic to share some of her insights about being a woman. Not only did I almost hit the floor with laughter I felt myself feeling so incredibly understood. She is funny, ruthlessly honest and yes remarkable. i loved interviewing Jean because like every remarkable person I have had the pleasure of interviewing she has a perfectly fascinating story and i discovered that nothing is as easy as it looks.
Jean Kittson is an Australian performer, writer and comedian in theatre and print on radio and television. She made her comedy debut at Melbourne’s comedy venue Le Joke in a series of solo performances, and then in the stage version of let The Blood run Free.
She came to national attention on The Big Gig. This was followed by Let the Blood Run Free, Kittson Fahey, the Great Debate series as well as Good News Week, The Glasshouse and The einstein Factor. She is also well known for her lively comedy debates for the ABC, Channel 9 and Channel Ten and was a regular guest on Channel 7's the Morning Show, Channel 9's KAK Show and 20 to One. She has also been a judge on Strictly Speaking and a guest on Talkin' About Your Generation.
Jean Kittson is a regular guest on TGIF, ABC radio 702, Sydney and has been a regular columnist with New Weekly, Sunday Telegraph, the SMH Sydney Magazine, Inspire Magazine, and the Readers Digest Health Smart magazine.
She is the author of Tongue Lashing, published by Penguin.
Its hard not to know about the brand Roses Only. The beautiful long stemmed roses set the bar for Valentines Day and all the days in between from I love you to I'm sorry. So how did this brand grow so formidable?
James Stevens grew up with immigrant Greek parents who worked tirelessly to give their children the best opportunities. In response James learnt from an early age about the challenges of running a small business at the mercy of landlords and decided that he wanted to change the game. So he took a bold step as his father's business partner and launched a roses brand aimed at men. The rest is history.
Listen to my fascinating interview with this dynamic businessman and brand builder.
Bebette has built her career as an internationally recognised leader in the field of Competitive Intelligence (CI) and Strategy in business and academically. She founded The MindShifts™ Group in 1992, as a leading consulting company specialising in Competitive Intelligence, Strategy and Business Mentoring, in response to the number of organisations looking to interpret the landscape of business and make smarter decisions.
Since then Babette has undertaken 350 projects with Australian and Fortune 500 companies. Utilising skills and principles of CI and Strategic Intelligence she has worked with industries such as aerospace, information technology, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, and financial services companies.
Babette was appointed a Fellow of SCIP (Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals) in 1997. In 2006, she was the recipient of the SCIP Meritorious Award, and is the first Australian and first international female recipient to be honoured with this award.
The SCIP Meritorious Award is the most prestigious award within the international CI community. Awarded annually, it recognises a single individual for their significant contributions to the CI profession. These contributions are judged in terms of both the advances made within the industry practice and the publicity for CI that has resulted from this person’s achievements.
In recognition of her international awards and endeavours, Babette received the 2006 Alumni Award from Macquarie Graduate School of Management (MGSM).
Listen in to be inspired and motivated by this remarkable woman.
Here is a story of a life journey from loss to support, near death to success and the realisation that giving back is the only way forward.
Emlyn Scott loves Business Development. Creating new and exciting businesses, products and services and helping businesses grow. he has over 20 years experience in the finance sector with experience in startups, turnaround situations, SMEs, capital raising, clearing, exchanges, funds management, trading, all across a broad range of financial products and services.
Hi stellar CV includes 4.5 years as CEO of the National Stock Exchange of Australia (www.nsxa.com.au), co-founder of CapitalPitch (www.capitalpitch.com), co-founder of OpenMarkets Online Trading (www.openmarkets.com.au), and nine years as head of business development of equities & CFDs at LCH.Clearnet (www.lchclearnet.com) in London.
Listen in to be inspired and motivated and for some great tips on raising capital.
Garry Browne AM
Garry Browne AM is the CEO and Managing Director of Stuart Alexander & Co, an importer, marketer and distributer of premium consumer brands throughout Australasia.
Beginning his career as a sales and marketing graduate trainee at Stuart Alexander & Co, Garry has held several positions within the company including Sales and Marketing Director and National Sales Manager. Garry also spent two years at Sara Lee in Europe in Product Development and Product Management roles.
Promoted to CEO and Managing Director in 1997, Garry is a respected business and industry leader and a master of brand building, successfully introducing numerous international brands to Australia including Moccona instant coffee, Lindt, Baci and Guylian chocolates, Betty Crocker cake mixes, Homer Hudson ice cream, Tabasco sauce, Stimorol, Hershey’s, Fisherman’s Friend and Mentos.
Delivering retails sales well over $300 million, Garry is an expert in transforming organisations that have lost their way through a combination of cultural change and innovative practices.
A committed philanthropist and advocate of social corporate responsibility, Garry founded the Stuart Alexander’s S’Team Foundation in 2004, donating over $100,000 every year to worthy charitable organisations in Australia.
Garry currently holds non-executive board roles with the Centre for Social Impact, NSW Procurement Board Industry Advisory Group, Outcomes Australia, Foundation of National Parks and Wildlife, Jewish Communal Appeal. He is a past president of the Food and Beverage Importers Association and of the Rotary Club of Sydney and was Sydney District Governor for Rotary International from 2013-14.
Garry’s significant service to the community was recognised with a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2014.
A truly inspiring interview about the man behind the business. Garry Browne is one of the most accomplished and humble men I have met.
Enjoy.
Barry Du Bois is a man of many talents. He started his career as a tradie, working his way up into a successful property developer and today he graces our TV screens as one of Channel 10's favourite reno personalities on The Living Room.
But it hasn't always been that easy, in fact lots of his journey has been peppered with challenges that most people have never had to face. Barry shares his story from growing up in a fibro house next to a six stack highway to his battle with cancer and his surrogacy journey with wife Leonie.
An awe inspiring interview with one of Australia loved personalities.
Articulate, erudite and informed not to mention beautifully styled Jan Land is a woman of intelligence and vision. She was a member of Mensa before she was 10 and enrolled at University at 15 to do medicine. But a sneaky turn of events had her following a broadcasting career that spanned the BBC and the ABC for many years. She was instrumental as the media and technology consultant to the Sydney 2000 Bid Committee as well as being the video communications strategist for Federal Government. Jan pioneered introduction and implementation of digital compression technologies and developed and implemented tele-health applications. Interestingly her first love was always medicine. I think Jan is just a superb achiever and shows us that you can have a balanced life with a top career, children and grandchildren and remain relevant as a woman throughout the entire journey.
Dr Malcolm Linsell was born into a Salvation Army family who migrated from place to place sharing their passion for giving back. No wonder he became a doctor. As a very young boy he badly burnt his hands on a stove top, little did he know that this painful act would shape his future. Malcolm shares with us his journey from a young boy with a dream to a top plastic surgeon and he talks about why he left medicine to join a commercial cult and how his first love saved him from ruin. Featured on 60 minutes with his biggest success story Wesley, Malcolm includes us in his compelling and heartwarming journey. Look out for his book. "An Ordinary Man, an extraordinary life" by Dr Malcolm Linsell. Published by New Holland.
Kobi Bokshish offers us a candid look at a life lived with few barriers. Strong willed and determined he fell in love with hairdressing the first time he held the clippers. After emerging from an army jail in Israel Kobi was directionless until he was steered into the army hair salon. He has honed his craft over many years, in many countries and he still loves what he does. As the creative director of large brands he is responsible for emerging trends and helping to push his industry to grow and thrive. But nothing gives him more pleasure than his charity event each year called Hair Raise where he raises money for a number of charities. He is also a passionate industry supporter working with groups on legislation and improving the image of the hairdressing industry. As if this is not enough he is also a partner in an innovative business that has developed an eco-friendly shower head for salons and he is working on initiatives to improve the industry. Warm, funny and brilliant this is a fascinating interview.
To say this was an incredible interview on The Dialogue is an understatement. Joan Philips is a celebrated child and family psychologist. She pioneered working with children and families launching successful initiatives in her home country South Africa. Now a young 98 she has a memory that would leave you gasping as well as a beautiful energy and sense of humour. We follow Joan from her childhood town of Bethal where she taught herself to read at 7 through her school career and admittance to University at 14. At the age of 22 after studying in London at the London School of Economics she returned to Johannesburg and set up her practice as a child psychologist. During the apartheid years Joan and her husband fought for equality and justice while both building stellar careers. All I can say is Thank you Joan it was an honour to interview you.
Elly Bradbury is a woman of many talents. Her career spans storytelling (film) to working with top celebrities on critical aid ventures around the world. Listing some of her friends as Hugh Jackman and his wife Deborra Lee Furness, Rebecca Gibney and Fifi Box Elly has experienced the world of riches and poverty. Working on critical aid projects allowed her to see first hand what the world has to offer in terms of hardship and it was an eye opening experience. She used many of her skills gleaned travelling in marginalised countries when her husband was diagnosed with cancer and she decide to help him fulfill his travel bucket list. Terrified he would not make the trip successfully she had the details down pat taking into account all the possible outcomes. Having spend her career and personal life experiencing pain and suffering Elly knows all too well how important it is to remain grounded and to continue to pursue challenges and keep giving back. An inspiring interview that puts life into perspective.
Award winning Sustainable Architect Caroline Pidcock is a force within the sustainable architectural landscape. Her accolades are impressive, she launched her own firm Pidcock which specialises in sustainable architecture. And she has been instrumental in informing, transforming and educating consumers, students and government bodies on how to create a sustainable environment. Caroline lectures and sits on boards across many different universities and companies and yet is down to earth and realistic. She is an advocate for public transport and is the cofounder of Origination which is actively commercialising a modular prefabricated flatpack building system. Caroline offers a beautiful combination of strength and understanding, of acceptance and humility. She is one of the best people I know.
Mia Feasey is the owner and founder of Siren Design an award winning commercial interior design firm in Sydney, Singapore and Melbourne. Mia shares her journey from the early years in London to her debut as a girl band member and from mother to world class business owner creating commercial interiors for Google, Lonely Planet and Twitter. Mia shares her successes and failures in this candid interview. Having overcome the challenges of adoption, loss and hormones, Mia is a stand out remarkable woman. Her interview is inspiring.
Kylie loves to learn, in fact she has decided that once the work slows down she will be heading off to Uni to learn as much as she can. As a top recruitment professional who knows what it is like to watch a loved business crash during the GFC, Kylie has turned her talents to recruiting for Board roles. Her business the Directors Institute placed over 2500 Board members in 2015. Her passion for her industry is evident as is her desire to see more women stepping up for Board roles. Kylie takes us from her home town in Perth to her travels and finally landing in Sydney. Through sheer tenacity she has succeed twice and her story will motivate you to never give up.
Jan Latta is an accomplished author, photographer, publisher and businesswoman. She has stared danger in the face during her epic travels to photograph endangered wildlife. Jan has published 15 books on endangered animals all illustrated with her own photographs taken around the world. She is an incredible educational crusader, teaching children in schools about endangered animals and how vital they are for our world. Listen to Jan share her incredible life journey and be inspired.
Jutka Freiman was raised in Bondi by her father, her journey is an eclectic mix of discovery, loss and love.
‘The longing that comes from the soul is a wonderful, virtuous longing and its greases the path to spirituality. The longing that comes from the ego, I think the Buddhists would call ‘desire’ and that’s not so healthy,’ says Jutka Freiman.
Since the mid-1980’s Jutka has guided women on the journey from self to Soul through her ‘Women Journeying’ workshops. A psychotherapist and group facilitator with degrees in psychology and anthropology, Jutka has many strings to her bow. She is an expert in the fields of archetypal psychology, psychodrama, Gestalt, Somatic psychology, art therapy and the Enneagram.
She is wise, deeply creative and an inspiration for any woman wanting to embark on the heroine’s journey.
Jutka Freiman is a psychotherapist and group facilitator. She has a degree in Psychology and Anthropology is a graduate membership of the Bereavement Care Centre, is a supervisor and trainer with the Institute of Group Leaders.
Since the mid ’80s she has worked extensively locally and internationally using Attachment Therapy, Archetypal Psychology, Gestalt, Somatic Psychotherapy, Psychodrama, Art Therapy, Family Constellations and Enneagram. She brings to her work a passion for the creative and the collective believing both to be a true expression of the essential being
Jutka is an internationally certified Enneagram therapist, supervisor and trainer. She is on the teaching team for the (Helen) Palmer Daniels professional training in Australia (ETPT). She also offers comprehensive Enneagram typing sessions for individuals, couples and families.
On interviewing Neale Whitaker I found myself speaking to a man who is as humble as he is successful. A true professional with all the traits of a remarkable man and none of the BS that comes with success. Neale started his career as a PR agent working with real life Ab Fab Edina, Lynn Franks. It is in this role that he honed his love of publishing and his stellar magazine career as the Editor in Chief of both Belle and Vogue Living has turned him into a publishing darling.
Neale's spot as a judge on The Block on Channel 9 has cemented him as a household name and he has proved to be generous as a judge and mentor. In our interview he chats candidly about gay marriage, confidence and depression. As a style guru and household name Neale offers an insight into a world of beauty and shares his love for his partner David and two dogs Ollie and Otis. This interview, I am proud to say, was one of my career highlights it’s a must listen.
Ronni Kahn is considered a maverick within the Not For Profit sector. From changing legislation to allow her to operate OzHarvest to consulting and speaking internationally she has single handedly changed the way we think about food waste.
In 1994, she became an events planner using her knowledge of flowers, food and business to quickly build Ronni Kahn Event Designs (RKED) into a successful enterprise.
It was during these events that Ronni became aware of the incredible wastage. She was over-producing food, because the best way to judge if a party was successful was by the amount of leftovers and she kept on throwing away perfectly good food.
Kahn says about $10 billion of food goes to waste every year in Australia, where 2.5 million people, of whom 603,000 are children, "don't have food security". So, in 2004, she started OzHarvest, which every day collects surplus food from delis, takeaways, boardrooms, hotels and restaurants, producers, growers, farmers and fields, and delivers it to more than 585 charities all around Australia. OzHarvest has brought wagyu beef to the poor, and whole salmon, raw and cooked food from the finest restaurants, and even the leftovers from Masterchef and other TV cookery shows.
She has actively lobbied to change the legislation around leftover food and is now consulting to countries around the world. When she launched Oz Harvest Ronni continued working in the catering business and doing very well however it soon became evident that she was needed full time and so now she is a full time member of the team.
Oz Harvest uses the term "For Imapct" rather than charity and they intend to grow the serive into other areas over the next few years.
Rachel Smith is remarkable, well in my book incredibly remarkable because is 2014 she chose not to buy anything other than basic necessities. Inspired by her efforts I tried to do this too and I failed after 3 months. She is also according to News Limited one of Australia’s brightest thinkers on the perpetual challenge of urban planning. She is a passionate sustainable advocate and a massive cycling fanatic. She has spoken at more than 200 global conferences, given two TEDx Talks was hand-picked to be part of the international mobile think tank the BMW Guggenheim Lab and developed the world’s first crowd solving bicycle map. Rachel was retained by the UK Government for 6 years as a specialist advisor working with businesses, schools and tourist destinations.
Here awards listed include:
Winning the CIHT BP Road Safety Award
Awarded the AITPM Janet Brash Memorial Scholarship
Nominated for 2015 Queensland Premier’s Award for leadership in sustainability.
And then there is the challenge of breaking the consumer trend when she didn’t buy anything new or 2nd hand during 2014 and saved 38% of her take-home salary.
Rachel is the author of Underspent – How I broke my shopping addiction & buying habit without dramatically changing my life.
Jasmine Batra left a successful career in India to immigrate to Australia. She found herself at the bottom working in a call centre. This didn't deter her. Using her experience as a learning curve she soon excelled and learnt all about Australian customer serive and sales. She is now one of Australia’s most respected Digital Marketing Strategists. With an MBA in Marketing and an Honours Degree in Information Technology, Jasmine combines these two disciplines towards delivering marketing solutions which are powered through digital marketing methods and tools. With an illustrious career spanning from Advertising, Marketing and Project Management, she has developed a sharp acumen in Digital Media including SEO, Google Analytics and Website Conversions.
Leading the way as a digital futurist helping mid-size and large companies understand and navigate the digital landscape and soar new heights. Having worked in digital marketing space for 16 years backed by Honours in Systems Management and MBA in marketing. As the founder-director of one of Australia’s most respected digital marketing agencies Jasmine leads a team of over 20 passionate people working on some of the toughest and challenging projects in the industry.
Combining her passion for Digital marketing with her love of sharing Jasmine is a sought after speaker and media commentator as well as a committed mother and wife.
Cate Sydes was appointed to the position of CEO of Marist Youth Care in 2006. In 2015 she was a finalist in the Telstra Business Women's Award and she has been recognised for her commitment to social justice. As the first woman to head the Marist Youth Care she has been innovative and proactive in providing vulnerable people in poverty with the resources and tools to work towards economic independence.
Cate has held senior management roles in the Australian community services sector working with children and families at a national, state and local level for thirty years. Prior to working with MYC, she was National Manager of the LifeForce Suicide Prevention Program and NSW State Manager Accommodation Services (holding both roles concurrently), with Wesley Mission.
For the past 10 years, Cate Sydes has focussed on building Marist Youth Care into a leading not-for-profit agency helping more than 1,800 of the most disadvantaged young people per year.
Through the introduction of an ever-expanding range of innovative and targetted youth welfare programs, Marist Youth Care provides vulnerable young people in poverty with the resources and tools to work towards economic independence.
"I am proud that I have helped build an organisation that is vibrant, diverse and innovative. Social inclusion is a priority for Marist Youth Care, ensuring that we allow access for all young people who need safety, support, education, training or employment. We work with those at risk of exclusion from education, young offenders, homeless youth, Aboriginal people, migrants, refugees and young people in transition from care," says Cate.
Landmark programs such as the Aboriginal Trainee Support Worker Program introduced by Cate Sydes 5 years ago have established MYC as the laregest employer and trainer of aboriginal people in Western Sydney. ATSWP has enabled local people to gain skills, qualifications and employment in the community services sector. In partnership with the local Aboriginal community, MYC trains then employs culturally aware and experienced staff to work with and achieve outstanding results for Aboriginal young people in juvenile justice, foster care, education, training, employment and family support programs.
"Programs like ATSWP provide very real solutions to improving the life chances of vulnerable young people and enable them to be responsible for themselves and take control of their destiny," says Cate.
Susanne tossed in a profitable corporate career to enter the word of gender equality no easy feat when you are fighting against the old guard. After interviewing her I imagine there is little that this formidable woman is scared of. She combines the perfect mix of intelligence, passion and poise and is taking on the one of the most challenging issues facing women in the workplace today. She is the Founder and Executive Chair of the Centre for Gender Economics and Innovation, and is credited with being the Founder of the Gender Economics Movement.
Susanne is an internationally sought after Speaker and Consultant in Diversity and Gender Economics, and prior to that as an expert speaker on Project Management, Governance and Outsourcing.
A serial entrepreneur, Susanne previously owned a successful retail business and later, was one of the few women to establish a multi million-dollar information technology consulting company focusing on Business Transformation. She brings an extensive business consulting history to the field of sociology and academia and is the driver for the development of Gender Economics as a field of study.
Susanne developed a whole of organisational diagnostic, the Diversity Performance Review Framework(DPRF™) and currently works with the Australian resources industry using the framework to assess an organisation’s diversity capability. That is, measure the degree to which an organization accepts diversity, and is able to integrate systems that enable and enhance that diversity to leverage increased innovation and performance.
Susanne believes that by understanding the underlying research and formation of economic theory, we are much more likely to change the conversation around gender. She is developing the field of Gender Economics, which looks at the exploitation of gender for profit, how this affects organisational culture, company profitability and how underlying economic and gender theory translates into economic policy at a global level.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree, majoring in Sociology and Business Management with a focus on gender, and previously undertook a Bachelor of Business Finance with a computing major. As well as her consulting work, Susanne is a Guest Lecturer in Gender Economics at Macquarie University and was nominated for the Griffith University Alumni of the Year Award in 2015.
She is the author of “Contemporary Global Perspectives on Gender Economics (IGI Global 2015).
While Wendy's business career has been exceptional it is her personal life that in many ways defines her. With a strong belief in God, Wendy has spent her life caring for others. Wendy and her husband have fostered 13 children through their home offering love and support to neighbourhood children in need. Wendy is also a cancer survivor and sits on the board of World Vision. Wendy is an experienced, versatile global business leader and entrepreneur. She is the Chairman of Wengeo Group, an innovative diversified investment group. She is also Chairman of Springboard Enterprises Australia, Australia’s only internationally focussed business accelerator for women entrepreneurs seeking investment capital.
Previously, Wendy was a Senior Vice President of Alcatel Asia Pacific and was responsible for a sales budget of 4.2 billion Euros. She implemented the sales of major mobile and broadband services to 17 countries and was on the team that negotiated with the Chinese Government to bring the internet to China. She has also had global leadership roles with QBE Insurance, Alcatel and TNT International. Wendy is on the organising committee of the annual Sydney Prayer Breakfast.
In February 2013, Wendy was honoured in the Australia Day 2013 Honours with Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the community through a range of women's and youth organisations. On International Women’s Day 2013 she was inducted into the Australian Businesswomen’s Hall of Fame. Order of Australia Medal Government House, Canberra Wendy Simpson was conferred with the Order of Australia Medal at the official Ceremony May, 2013. She was listed for the Award as part of the Australia Day announcement 2013 in recognition of her significant contribution to youth organizations, women's groups, mentoring. .
Finalist Telstra Businesswomen's Awards Telstra In recognition of her leadership in the male dominated telecommunications industry and her key role in helping in the transformation of the industry during its de-regulation, she was a finalist in the Telstra Businesswoman of the Year Awards
Chairman's Prize University of NSW Australian Graduate School of Management Awarded for academic excellence and leadership contributions to the AGSM during the MBA course
100 women of influence Australian Financial Review/ Westpac
Debb Meyer is a fighter, a survivor and a winner. I met her in my studio and discovered a woman that challenges herself to succeed not just in business but in life. I was introduced to her as the winner of the Franchise Woman of the Year for her business Narellen Pools. Her career has spanned some of the most successful franchise operations but what impressed me was her life philosophy and how she has turned tragedy into hope. I LOST MY BABY, BUT NOT MYSELF. When Xavier Christopher was born at 8.19am on January 31, there was no excitement or congratulations.
At just 25 weeks, it was action stations as doctors worked to save his life.
Shortly after the emergency caesar, my husband Chris made his way over to the table where Xavier laid. I’ll never forget his face as he turned to me with a look of pride, love and disbelief and said,
Honey, it’s a boy!
It was such a precious moment that’s etched into my mind. Even in the tragedy of what was happening, I had a giggle when I saw my husband in his blue scrubs and pink surgical hat, but we were quickly snapped back to reality, to our living nightmare.
As an army of doctors whisked Xavier away, the anesthetist, a beautiful man, kept stroking my head and telling me it was going to be ok. The two obstetricians sewing me up talked about their golf weekend, completely detached from this life-changing experience.
That morning, I’d been the happiest woman in the world. Now, I was totally and utterly devastated.
Two hours later, I finally saw my Xavier. He weighed 850g, was perfect and looked just like his Daddy. He was the beautiful baby I’d loved from the minute I saw two pink lines on the pregnancy test.
Xavier fought gallantly for 29 hours, but the odds were against us.
We had to turn off his life support; the most heart-wrenching decision we’ve ever made. Before we did, we held him for an hour. We said everything we thought we’d have a lifetime to say. Xavier passed away in my arms, surrounded by love.
I let out a primal scream as I saw him take his last breath.
Going home to an empty nursery without our son was the most harrowing and lonely experience of our lives. My arms physically ached; I knew I should be holding Xavier, yet I wasn’t. We’d lost the thing we wanted most in the world – a family. At that moment and for some time, I was absolutely and utterly broken.
My healing journey is ongoing and always will be. There was a moment in time I didn’t think I could go on. I was so totally broken, I didn’t see how I could ever be happy again. I remember that moment so clearly.
I was in the bath when I felt my darkest hour; I was lost, broken, depressed, sad and angry. I felt like I was at the bottom of the deepest hole, it was black, it was dark and I was drowning. I couldn’t see the light. But then as if someone was talking to me, I heard:
If you don’t pull your shit together, you are going to lose more than Xavier, you will lose your husband, your friends, your work and most importantly, yourself. Xavier wouldn’t want that, do you? That’s not what you are about, you get up and you fight, you find a way to the light.
It was that day in the bath, I chose to find the light.
To believe I am not what happened to me, I can choose what I want to be. I can choose to be happy, I can choose to move forward in my life whilst still honouring and loving my son. I didn’t want to be defined by my loss. To be that person sitting on the sidelines of life just barely surviving, I wanted to be thriving.
Xavier’s death has changed me in many ways but, I haven’t lost myself.
Here I am, three years later. A wife and mother to a beautiful son in heaven, a two-year-old daughter Eliza and 7 month old son, Kingston. I am strong, happy and whilst I miss Xavier every moment of every day, I can live with my grief.
I lost my baby, but I haven’t lost myself.
By Debb Meyer
Angela is the Founder and CEO of Vivo Café, an iconic Sydney CBD destination for office workers, tourists and weekend shoppers. Angela has been in small business for thirty years, and was ‘born’ into the hospitality business, catching her first shoplifter at the age of three. She has gone on to own, operate and sell close to 30 businesses, naming her mother, Chris, as her biggest influence and inspiration. Through the wins and disappointments, her path has been fuelled by self-belief, ambition and the motivation of her parents’ achievements after migrating to Australia.
Driven to empower and educate other small business owners to follow a greater path, Angela founded Eagle Waves Radio in 2013, Australia’s first digital radio station dedicated to small business. The name is symbolic of Angela’s vision to give small business the ‘wings’ to ensure that they never fly under the radar. Stationed within Vivo Café, Eagle Waves Radio has delivered over two thousand live shows and podcasts since launch, with Angela ‘the Voice of Small Business’, a natural behind the microphone. Her commitment to raising the profile of Australian small business can also be seen in her monthly column for My Business magazine and as a commentator on Sky News Business.
In 2012 she became the first Australian Greek woman to be elected as a Councillor to the City of Sydney, an amazing achievement formally recognised by the European council. Her experience and commitment to small business saw her elected as Deputy Chair of the City of Sydney Economic Development and Business sub-committee. This will see her Council responsibilities extend to encompass a wide variety of issues including, economic development and strategy, global city relationships, trade and marketing, small business, village economies, tourism and more.
More recently, Angela has announced that she will contest the role of Sydney Lord Mayor at the September 2016 elections.
She is a sought after keynote speaker, MC and media commentator who has featured in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Daily Telegraph, The Australian Financial Review. She has appeared on radio and television, including, The Today Show, Paul Murray Live, Sky News Australia, ABC News, Sky News Business, SBS, Studio 10, Sunrise, 2UE, 2GB and 702.
Angela is a natural connector who can engage an audience of any size with her warm and enigmatic presence. As an award winning entrepreneur and small business leader, she is in demand to speak on topics including women in business, entrepreneurship, staying competitive in retail, leadership and people and culture. Her own business journey is entertaining and powerful, and one that inspires and empowers audiences of all types.
Jacinta and her brother, Justin, have always been involved in the fitness industry, with their parents running fitness clubs when they were young, and in 1992 they opened their first gym straight out of high school.
In 2008, the siblings felt it was time for something new and launched Anytime Fitness Australia. The pair became the master franchisors of the American fitness brand and brought the 24-hour gym to Australia. Since then, the duo has been able to implement their own business strategies and techniques, creating innovative products and systems to grow the brand. They personally own 20 clubs and have grown the business to 292 clubs across Australia in just five years. The club opened 350 gyms by the end of 2012-13 financial year and the Australian group turned over $170 million.
With three kids, Jacinta's mornings are understandably hectic. With her eldest daughter at high school, a toddler in daycare and a baby at home mornings are no mean feat. She works out of the office these days but makes up for it with strategy meetings and finding board members.
When starting out, the biggest challenge for Anytime Fitness was finding locations to keep up with the franchise demand to open new gyms. These days, communicating with franchisees and making sure they’re supported takes up more time.
The company opens between 10-12 new clubs a month, so they are growing rapidly. On a weekly basis, Jacinta focuses on business strategy and has meetings with her brother, the operations manager and the support manager. The team works closely with the US on a number of projects, and anything they look the Australian team looks at
The franchise strategy is on less traditional marketing and a focus on training around the culture of the club and getting involved in the local community events. This occurs in the form of sponsoring local fun runs or school activities, sponsoring sporting teams and raising money for charities by having events inside the clubs. Many of the franchisors also write fitness columns for their local papers.
The importance of work-life balance is something Jacinta feels strongly about. And on a personal level she achieves this by going on holidays with her family.
Jacinta’s third passion after her family and business is The Hunger Project, a charity that empowers people to end their own hunger by tipping the aid model on its head. They break the cycle of hunger and poverty. They unlock the vision, commitment and leadership of the hungry by training them in the skills and confidence to feed themselves and their families. Put simply, Anytime Fitness and The Hunger Project believe in the same thing – that each and every person has the ability to transform their life and that all people are resilient and inspiring. All we need is to unleash our potential.
She has personally committed to raising $100,000 for The Hunger Project, which will provide 200 communities with the ability to purchase food-processing equipment, provide 2,000 people with microfinance loans that are often used by communities to buy seeds/fertiliser, and train up to 50,000 rural villagers on agricultural practices.
Jacinta has also traveled Malawi to see first-hand what her funds achieve. As a passionate ambassador for health, fitness, life balance and to end hunger Jacinta McDonell-Jimenez has her challenges firmly in her sites.
Claudia Chan Shaw has many parts - fashion designer, television and radio presenter, curator, author, public speaker, collector, artist, photographer, cultural tour leader, business owner. Claudia was born and raised in Sydney.
Claudia Chan Shaw is a Company Director and Co-Designer for internationally acclaimed Australian knitwear and jewellery label – Vivian Chan Shaw. She has been a Director since 1986. The company was founded by her mother, Vivian Chan Shaw in 1972 and its flagship store was located in Sydney’s Queen Victoria Building for 28 years. In 2014 Claudia implemented the transition of the long standing Vivian Chan Shaw business from a bricks and mortar retail destination to an exclusively online business.
The designs are represented in the permanent collection of the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney.
She is Festival Curator for the City of Sydney Chinese New Year Festival 2016.
Claudia was a familiar face on Australian television as the co-host and presenter of ABC TV’s popular program, "Collectors" and is currently the co-host of "The Dialogue" on 89.7fm Eastside Radio.
She contributes to design and collecting publications and has curated a number of fashion exhibitions. She held her first solo photography exhibition in 2012.
Her book "Collectomania, From objects of desire to magnificent obsession" was published in 2012. "Collectomania" navigates the world of collectors and celebrates collections both strange and beautiful.
In 2016, Claudia lead a tour called "China – Art Deco to Art Now" for the Art Gallery of NSW. The tour headed to Beijing and Shanghai exploring China’s outstanding Art Deco heritage, fashion, design and architecture.
I interview people because I am fascinated by what makes them tick. Why do they do the things that they do. What makes them happy, sad, frustrated. In many ways it’s a lazy way for me to learn. Instead of reading a book or watching a video on a subject I like to get first hand experience and I thoroughly enjoy the subjective nature of that experience. So it was with interest that I interviewed Professor Andrew MacLeod. Firstly he flew in from Melbourne so I was to a degree flattered and then when he got chatting I discovered a hugely accomplished man. Reading his accomplishments is daunting but the man himself is delightful, erudite and engaging.
Professor Andrew MacLeod has extensive experience in multicultural and multi-religious settings. He has faced strategic, large-scale and diverse challenges, successfully resolving them through negotiation and leadership. He is a leading thinker in ‘Shared Value’ understanding risks and opportunities that exist between communities and corporations particularly in fragile states.
MacLeod has led or served in multinational humanitarian teams in conflict and natural disaster settings as diverse as Rwanda, Pakistan and Bosnia, negotiating with the varied religious and cultural stakeholders. Additionally has led business engagement with commercial, political and community stakeholders in economies including Mongolia, Peru and Australia.
Professor MacLeod is a visiting Professor at Kings College London and an Affiliate Senior Associate to the Center for Strategic International Studies in Washington DC. In the business world he is a Non Executive Director of New York based Cornerstone Capital, a Senior Adviser to Homestrings plc in London and Chair of the Advisory Board at Gravitas Capital.
When at the UN MacLeod’s work included Chief of Operations for the 2005 South Asian Earthquake relief and reconstruction operation, spending 2 ½ years between Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran. MacLeod ensured smooth integration between foreign aid operations in areas under Pakistan military and non-military control including the negotiations with military and non-state armed groups.
For the International Committee of the Red Cross MacLeod undertook similar roles in Rwanda and former Yugoslavia during the 1990’s. He has applied his learning in these contexts as part of the Kings College Humanitarian Futures project and the World Economic Forum’s Future of Civil Society project.
In business he has been GM Community, Communications and External Relations for Rio Tinto (Copper), was an advisor to the Sustainable Accounting Standards Board, raised capital for Gane Energy Australia, was the interim Managing Director of Good Super in Australia and led strategic urban based thinking while CEO of Committee for Melbourne.
He assists numerous charities including The Big Issue (Australia) and Swags for the Homeless. He maintains a Commission as an Australian Army Officer (reserve).
MacLeod is the author of ‘A Life Half Lived’ published by New Holland Press. He is a sought after speaker on the speaking circuit and an experienced and competent commentator in the electronic and print media.
Andrew received the Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal by Australia for work in the Balkans and was awarded a second time for work in Rwanda. He received the Australian Defence Medal for service as an officer in the Australian Infantry. He was awarded the Silver Medal for Humanity from the Montenegrin Red Cross and was recognised by the Australian Government for his work in East Timor. MacLeod received the 2014 University of Tasmania Foundation distinguished Graduate Award, the 2013 Young Britons Foundation Global Leadership for Freedom Award and the 2008 Australian Davos Connection Leadership Award.
Macleod holds a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws from Tasmania University, a Master of Laws from Southampton University, a Graduate Diploma in International Law from Melbourne University and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.