Captains: Recent Episodes
ILENNA COPLEY
The Captains podcasts showcases the exceptional talent, capability, experience, skills, intelligence, creativity, generosity of heart and general brilliance of Australians. The series shines a light on Captains of Commerce, Industry, Sport, Environment, Creative, Technology and Charity Sectors. Rather than being simply a talk fest, the Captains podcasts are catalysts for at least one initiative each, to draw together Australians and Australian businesses, to harness their energy and daring to deliver beneficial impacts.
Adam Wolfensohn is the Managing Partner of Encourage Capital, NYC. It is purely soul-enriching to hear of Adam's dedication to sustainable investment that reflects the application of both intellectual rigour and compassion to benefit the lives of many. From his days as a producer of "Everything's Cool", that created a bow-wave of climate change docu/mockumentaries, to his early stage investment in the LEAF Coalition that was the driving force behind 131 nations at COP26 agreeing to end and reverse deforestation, Adam continues to serve the interests of genuine environmental protection. With the astute commercial acumen of a true business leader, humility in service and a wonderful sense of humour, Adam is thoroughly engaging as we discuss the distinguishing approach of Encourage Capital to implementing solutions to a range of the world's ills. In a world crying out for inspirational leadership in humanitarian issues, to which the meaningful restoration of the natural environment is fundamental, Adam's voice should be heard and followed across nations, by governments and the private sector. He is simply a superb human of the highest calibre.
Founder of Te Kworo Foundation, Alice Achan, speaks beautifully about how she came to establish Pader Girls' Academy in Northern Uganda for girl mothers who had been stolen by the Lord's Resistance Army. Joined by co-author of "School of Restoration", Philippa Tyndale, Alice also speaks about the impact of COVID on the girls and community, since the book was released at the start of the pandemic in early 2020. Alice is a rare and exceptional woman who is restoring hope and transforming lives through the education, child-minding, vocational and maternal health initiatives of Te Kworo. Consistently in the top percentiles of academic results for Uganda, amongst their many achievements while raising their own children, the girls continue to demonstrate that being a girl mother does not diminish their value. Join Alice (via video), Philippa and Dr Andrew Browning of Maternity Africa in Brisbane on 3 June 2022 for a magnificent evening to support Te Kworo and Maternity Africa's collaboration to provide maternal health services through Te Kworo.
Joe Brumm is the genius creator of Bluey, the Australian and international children's animation sensation. With a focus on play and imagination, Joe and his colleagues provide outstanding entertainment for children and adults alike. Bluey elevates the Australian persona, albeit through a canine prism, as dad Bandit and mum Chilli raise their daughters, Bluey and Bingo, with love, nurturing and guidance. With laugh aloud, genuine humour, the storylines resonate strongly with families, particularly as there is a massive degree of comfort for parents in the imperfection of everyday parenting. Beyond the record-breaking audience of children, at 7 minutes per episode, Bluey is an ideal escape from the stress of making dollar-bucks. If you've not yet watched Bluey, start immediately with the Dad Baby episode, as Joe recommends. Joe is certainly a Captain of Australian children's television ... and one of Australia's favourite sons.
Nick Baron is a fountain of knowledge in creating impactful digital marketing strategies. With a deep dedication to enhancing clients' businesses and serving their digital marketing needs, Nick leads the development of insightful and comprehensive strategies to deliver meaningful returns that can be measured through analytics. Nick is distinguished amongst his peers for his ability to cut through the noise, with astute business acumen, experience and technical skills. His Scottish/Australian lilt only contributes to his genuine charm.
Jenny Atkinson has created an outstanding tech platform dedicated to enhancing literacy for children. Importantly, Littlescribe! focuses on encouraging creativity in children by physically writing and drawing their own books and has revealed the talents of many children, including those who have otherwise been dismissed as non-writers. Using the Littlescribe! app, children can photograph their work and publish their books as printed copies or in electronic form. Beyond their own libraries, children can share their books with family, friends, schools and the broader community. Comprehensive teacher resources are also available, to meaningfully support teachers to enable them to easily deliver streamlined educational opportunities. The Mini-Writers Festival and other innovative initiatives of Littlescribe! are transforming the world of children's literacy.
Leading Captain of Commerce, John Cook, has led the pioneering work of Business for Development's projects in Kwale, Kenya, including to reinvigorate the Kenyan cotton industry. John's work is genuinely inspirational as he applies his exceptional business acumen to establish and expand projects to support developing communities, on an enduring and economically sustainable basis. From modest beginnings, the projects are now being scaled, including into other countries.
With his thoroughly engaging narrative style, Mike Pelly regales with often amusing stories and lessons from his career and life, including how he transformed and grew businesses in the wine and beer industry, in a way that is so rare today. At the core of Pelly's success is his focus on developing and maintaining genuine business relationships. He is an advocate of the importance of saying "yes" to opportunities. Then there are the tales of his impressive travels ...
CEO of the Queensland Farmers' Federation, Dr Georgina Davis, is advancing the interests of Queensland growers, through genuine innovation, new technologies and burgeoning developments in AgriTourism. Hear the substantive and impressive initiatives Georgina is leading, to provide additional opportunities and access to valuable technology resources for growers, including regional, rural and remote women.
As the Head of Australia's Antarctic Division, Kim Ellis' career has come full circle, having first visited Antarctica in the late 1970s. Beyond his knowledge and experience of Antarctica, as a truly exceptional business leader, Kim has demonstrated a genuine dedication to the advancement of women in business, throughout his career. His stories, wisdoms and views are so refreshing to hear, including on the importance of enabling the younger generation of capable and smart Australians to take on greater leadership roles.
Sharna is the cofounder of Imvelo, an advisory firm to major businesses across industries on the application of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, particularly in supply chains. Amongst her many role and accomplishments, Sharna led BHP's Automated Operations Programme, including its test bed in Arizona, USA. Sharna is also a member of the Industry Advisory Committee to Australia's Space Agency. With a deep commitment to the advancement of women in Australia and globally, Sharna speaks with passion about the work of Opportunity International, a pioneering micro-finance organisation that is economically empowering women and girls.
Lucas Handley is the embodiment of the magnificence of Australia. With a lifelong, deep dedication to the protection of oceans and marine life, Lucas has lived with a genuine focus on environmental sustainability, long before the phrase was used in common parlance. This interview lays the foundations for a series of initiatives that are now in the pipeline and will soon be announced.
Having endured seemingly insurmountable challenges to achieve her own education, Alice Aachan is dedicating her life to restore hope and futures for the girl mothers of Northern Uganda and their bubs. School of Restoration, cowritten by the magnificent Philippa Tyndale, tells of the transformational beneficial impact of Alice work focused on educating and restoring hope and lives for the girls who were stolen by the LRA and subsequently returned to Pader as girl mothers. Upon their return, they were faced with heartbreakingly overwhelming social stigma and ostracism. Yet Alice's love and protection of them continues to demonstrate they are not defined by their past, are not "second hand" and, most importantly, are the future leaders of Uganda.
Australia's tourism industry has been devastatingly impacted by COVID in 2020. However, under Bob's leadership and exceptional business acumen, Tourism Australia is recalibrating to focus on promoting Australia to Australians. Our conversation includes a consideration of a new initiative, Australia's Favourite Daughters and Sons, to showcase outstanding Australians, feature Australia's beauty and align with important social themes including literacy, fitness and environmental protection.