Authentic Leadership Podcast

Imagine you started losing your sight at the age of 15 and within six weeks were blind. This is exactly what happened to Dan Stubbs, the Victorian Disability Worker Commissioner. Gabrielle had the pleasure of interviewing Dan on her latest Authentic Leadership Podcast episode. Dan was appointed in October 2019 by the Governor-in-Council, on the recommendation of the Minister and in consultation with the Disability Worker Registration Board of Victoria. As Commissioner he is responsible for regulating the conduct of disability workers. Dan is passionate about the rights and entitlements of vulnerable people and has a history of advocating for their rights. He has worked in the community legal sector for the past 10 years as a lawyer and recently as CEO of Inner Melbourne Community Legal. Here he led innovation and law reform advocacy, advancing the rights of vulnerable people including people experiencing homelessness, people with disability, people escaping family violence and those from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse backgrounds. During their interview, Dan offers some great insights into leadership. He also discusses how his management style has changed over the decades, especially as he was thrown into leadership roles at a relatively young age. What's more he shares some unique challenges that visually impaired people had to navigate during the pandemic. Dan is a truly passionate leadership who has had an amazing career.

On this episode of Authentic Leadership Gabrielle has the pleasure of speaking with Grant McBeath who is the Customer Director at Spark New Zealand. As Customer Director at Spark New Zealand, Grant is a part of the organisation's Leadership Squad. Grant leads the customer facing teams across the Spark Business Group and Consumer Channels and is focussed on creating an environment where teams can thrive and deliver amazing customer outcomes. Prior to working for Spark, Grant held a number of global roles at Nokia throughout Asia, and other global roles with Chevron Texaco, Coca-Cola and Cadbury in NZ. Grant completed a BCom at Auckland University, and also completed his MBA from the Helsinki School of Economics. Gabrielle first met Grant several years ago when she conducted a series of Storytelling workshops across Spark. Over the last six months she has been working with him and a selection of his team on Thought Leadership. What immediately struck Gabrielle about Grant was his vulnerability and authenticity when interacting with his team. Subsequently, he is greatly respected across his team. It was then somewhat of a surprise to Gabrielle, that perfectionism is his Achilles' heel. After realising that this was having a negative impact on his leadership, he decided to lean into vulnerability. For any leader that is still thinking that showing vulnerability is a sign of weakness or that you have to have all the answers, Gabrielle urges you to listen to this, at times quite emotional, podcast. Grant is a living example that perfect leaders aren't real and real leaders aren't perfect.

On Gabrielle's first Authentic Leadership Podcast for 2022, she had the pleasure of interviewing Julie Rynski. Julie is a senior executive at NAB looking after Business Banking, Regional and Agri for Australia. She is also the chair of Medfin. Julie joined NAB in October 2017. She is a senior finance industry executive with more than 25 years' experience in financial services and human resources. Julie has held a variety of senior leadership roles across Retail, Business Banking Projects and recently acted in the role of NAB Group Executive Group Chief People Officer. Julie has a MBA from UNSW, a Graduate Diploma in Business Administration and a Graduate Diploma in Australian Rural Leadership. She is also part of the Alumni of London Business School and IMD Lausanne Switzerland and has worked closely with The Big Issue. In this personal interview, we hear about the influence her amazing mother had on her. She shares her passion for gardening and bees, and you might just be surprised about her all-time favourite song. Plus, Gabrielle has found another leader who is sick of hearing the word pivot.

On this latest episode of the Authentic Leadership Podcast, Gabrielle speaks to Tim Watsford. He is the CEO of the Northern Territory Major Events Company (NTMEC). Listen in to discover how this career sports administrator (namely with the National Rugby League and Australian Rugby Union) and avid surfer at Manly beach, moved to Darwin with his family several years ago to take on his current role. Tim has worked in the industry for more than 15 years, and has extensive experience in delivering major events, project management and government relations. Over the past 18 months, Tim has led the NTMEC team in new directions as they navigate an events sector profoundly affected by COVID-19 restrictions. The result has seen the team successfully deliver several large-scale major events in the Territory that have attracted national and international attention, and record attendance numbers. Tim shares how he loves nothing better than swimming and surfing in salt water. Unfortunately for him there is not a lot of surfing going on in Darwin and a whole lot of saltwater crocodiles. He also shares some great insights into the challenges he has faced and his ‘Oh Shit!' moment being in the events and tourism industry when Covid-19 hit.

Margaret Cole is the newly appointed Executive Board Member at the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority (APRA). She joins Gabrielle on her latest episode of the Authentic Leadership Podcast. Margaret and her husband moved from the UK to Australia mid last year and brought their dog and horse with them. Margaret Cole was appointed as an APRA Member from 1 July 2021 for a five-year term. Born and raised in the United Kingdom, Margaret graduated from the University of Cambridge with a degree in law. She spent more than 20 years in private legal practice specialising in commercial litigation with an emphasis on financial services. Margaret brings to APRA a strong blend of regulatory and private sector experience, with a particular focus on conduct, risk management and enforcement. In this episode Margret talks about the strong influence of her mother. She not only instilled some solid values but also passed on her love of Shakespeare and beautiful quotes. Margaret is also a woman after Gabrielle's own heart and hates the overuse of the word ‘pivot'.

On the latest episode of the Authentic Leadership Podcast, Gabrielle speaks to the CEO of Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust (GMCT), Deb Ganderton. Besides discussing Deb's very authentic leadership style, they also talk about the future of cemeteries and the role they can play for both the living and the dead. In 2019, Deb was appointed CEO of GMCT. This community-focused non-profit organisation manages 19 cemeteries and memorial parks in Melbourne. It is one of the leading players in Australia's funeral and cemetery industry. Her ambitions are to lead a resilient and happy GMCT workforce who remain committed to providing an essential service to Melbourne's diverse communities. Deb has significant management and leadership experience in the public and private sector. What's more she owns and operates her own business. In this episode, Deb shares what shocks her about her job and the impacts of COVID-19. She also discusses what she loves about her job. And you may be surprised by just how many pairs of glasses she owns.

In this episode Gabrielle had the pleasure of interviewing Anne Sullivan who is the Head of Asia Pacific and Chief Executive Officer Australia for Georg Jensen. Anne Sullivan began her retail career at upmarket department store Georges in Melbourne. It was here that she was given the opportunity to complete an Executive Retail Management program and her passion for retail grew. In 1999, Georg Jensen approached Anne to develop their retail business and she quickly identified the strong market and the Australian affinity with Danish design. Georg Jensen Australia is the largest market outside of Scandinavia with 14 stand-alone stores. Anne was appointed Georg Jensen Australia CEO in 2009, and in 2018 was made CEO of Georg Jensen Asia Pacific. Listen in and discover how Anne went from working in her father's petrol station to CEO. As well as what she has discovered along the way. Anne also talks about how she has learnt to back herself and believe in herself. She discusses the struggles she faced personally when the pandemic hit and how she had to adjust to a life without travel ...you may know that feeling too!

In this episode Gabrielle speaks with Jenelle McMaster who is the Deputy CEO and Markets Leader at EY. Earlier this year Jenelle interviewed Gabrielle on her Change Happens Podcast, so this time Gabrielle gets to ask the questions. With over 20 years of consulting experience in the areas of transformational change, management and HR, Jenelle previously led the Change and HR services for EY member firms across Asia-Pacific. She is passionate about driving cultural change and shifting mindsets about the realms of the possible. Jenelle is also a passionate supporter of women in business, lover of yoga and dance, former army reservist and mother of two. Jenelle reveals how she has struggled with Imposter Syndrome all her life and how her value of humility has been both a strength and a weakness. Overall their discussion provides many valuable insights for leaders. Join them to see how this amazing woman went from her first job at 16 spruiking sausages at Woolworths to the Deputy CEO of one of our largest professional consulting firms. Plus the extraordinary and humorous lengths she takes to avoid the word ‘pivot'.

In this episode of the Authentic Leadership podcast, Gabrielle was delighted to sit down and speak to Layne Beachley AO. Layne is one of Australia's sporting legends with seven world surfing championships. Other accomplishments include being the Chair of Surf Australia and founder of The Awake Academy. She is also a successful motivational speaker and author. Layne's nine-year professional surfing career was an emotional rollercoaster filled with injury, failure, success, depression, happiness and contentment. Through her experiences she has come to believe that life loves throwing curveballs to test your resolve. Consequently, she loves sharing her life lessons to inspire people to wake up, take ownership of their choices and live a life they love. During their chat they cover topics such as some of her biggest professional and personal challenges. Layne shares how she overcomes fear and doubt and her ongoing work around mindset. This episode is full of amazing insights and funny stories, like how she lost her wedding ring while surfing and had to come up with a genius way to tell her Rockstar husband, Kirk Pengilly, so he wouldn't be upset.

Mark Nielsen is the Global CEO of Talent International and is Gabrielle's latest guest on the Authentic Leadership Podcast series. Mark's aptitude was recognised in 2018 when the CEO Magazine awarded him both CEO of the Year and Professional Services Executive of the Year. Over the course of his career, Mark has held C-level roles across start-ups, turnarounds and multinational corporations. This experience spans organisations in Australia, South Africa, China, the United Kingdom, and the USA, and across the recruitment, technology, resources, retail and medical device sectors. Throughout his career he has held executive and non-executive director positions on listed and unlisted company boards. Mark is a big believer in people being their most authentic selves in the workplace and is a huge equality champion. He knows that people should be the number one focus of every great business and that they should be allowed to be their most authentic and vulnerable selves. He grew up in South Africa which, at the time, was a very conservative country and he really struggled to express his identity as a gay man which he openly speaks about. Still to this day, there are a lot of people who struggle with this and don't have the courage to be themselves. Mark wants to change that. During the conversation, Mark speaks candidly about the challenges he has faced being an openly gay man in the corporate world. He also has one of the best articulated company polices Gabrielle has heard. This episode will be well worth a listen.

Last week Gabrielle had the pleasure of speaking to Martin Halphen who is the CEO of The Fruit Box Group. He shares with her how he went from being a lawyer to running a fruit distribution company and then starting a charity The One Box. After starting his career in commercial law, Martin made the leap to small business owner and ‘accidental entrepreneur', buying a suburban fruit delivery business advertised in the local paper. The Fruit Box business had 1.5 staff and serviced 280 homes in Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs. When a customer asked whether they would deliver to her office, it sparked an idea that changed the course of the business. Martin saw a market opportunity to move into corporate deliveries. The Fruit Box Group is now Australia's leading, premium quality, workplace fruit and milk delivery company. In 2017, recognising the lack of fresh produce in food relief, Martin established The One Box. The program provides a free weekly box of fruit, vegetables, bread and milk to families experiencing hardship. Join Gabrielle and Martin as they talk about the strong influence his father had and continues to have on him. You will also be surprised what a CEO and father of four loves to do in his spare time ...and how he manages to do it.

In this episode of the Authentic Leadership podcast, Gabrielle speaks to John Cox. She first met John when he attended her storytelling training at National Australia Bank. Currently he is finishing a five-year stint as Chief Information Officer at Australia Post before moving onto Coles as their Chief Technology Officer. John's career has covered the breadth of financial services (banking, payments, insurance, wealth, and markets), retail, government services and logistics. He has lived and worked in Australia, Germany, Scotland, and England and has managed teams across the globe. John is passionate about learning and the potential of education to change lives. During the conversation John discusses his belief in leading bravely and saying it as it is. So please be warned that you may want to listen to this with headphones as there is a bit of swearing. Gabrielle would like to say John started it but he didn't. Anyway, we hope you enjoy the conversation which includes what authentic leadership means and looks like to John.

In Gabrielle's latest episode of the Authentic Leadership podcast, she has the pleasure of speaking to Deanne Stewart. She is the CEO of Aware Super, one of Australia's largest super funds. An experienced financial services industry leader, Deanne Stewart is passionate in her belief that a strong culture and clearly defined purpose drives business success. She has more than 25 years' leadership experience in financial services in superannuation, wealth and insurance sectors in Australia and internationally. Their conversation includes how Deanne went from growing up in country NSW to finding herself studying at Yale University. She shares the challenges and joys she has in her role of being CEO of Australia's second largest superannuation fund following the merger between First State Super, VicSuper and WA Super. If you are one of their 1.1 million members rest assured, you are in good hands because Deanne still holds herself accountable to her parents who are fund members and retired teachers. Deanne also shares the three life lessons that she has learnt from her parents that heavily influences her role as both CEO and parent.

Gabrielle's latest podcast has a twist. Her editor, Kelly Irving, whom she has been working with over the past 10 years, took the opportunity to interview her. Kelly is the person that gets to see all of Gabrielle's initial ideas and writing before anyone else. She lets her know if what she wants to say is good or if it is absolute crap. They have a rule that whatever happens in the first draft, stays in the first draft ...well Gabrielle has that rule. In this podcast they cover Gabrielle's new book Magnetic Stories but Kelly also throws in some curve ball questions. One of which challenges Gabrielle to talk about what is perhaps the biggest regret of her life.

In Gabrielle's latest podcast, she had the pleasure of interviewing Denise Padin Collazo. She has just published her first book, Thriving in the Fight - A Survival Manual for Latinas on the Front Lines of Change. The messages in the book are applicable to any woman of colour as well as those that lead women of colour. Gabrielle first met Denise at Harvard when they attended the same Executive Education program. A couple of years later, Denise joined Gabrielle in New York for her Thought Leadership and Storytelling training. Denise is a social justice leader, a mentor to fellow women of colour, and a family work integration innovator. She is squarely focused on encouraging women of colour to lead into their vision, live into their fullest selves, and love past negatives that hold them back. Denise is the senior advisor for external affairs and director of institutional advancement at Faith in Action (formerly PICO National Network), the largest faith-based, progressive organising network in the U.S., where she has advanced the cause of social justice over the past twenty-five years. Listen in to their conversation about Denise’s experience of writing and publishing her first book. You will witness first-hand how she is an extraordinary storyteller and thought leader as she shares some inspiring stories and wonderful insights. Her book is available now for pre-order at your favourite book retailer.

Ep26: Authentic Leadership Podcast - Genevieve Hawkins by Gabrielle Dolan

In this episode Gabrielle sits down with the hilarious and insightful Maz Farrelly. Maz started life as a magazine journalist and stylist in London. Absolutely Fabulous was based on her agent, so to her the show felt like a documentary rather than a comedy. Chances are some of your favourite TV shows have been produced by Maz. Her work includes Q&A, X Factor, Big Brother (UK and Aust), Farmer Wants a Wife, Dancing with the Stars, Celebrity Apprentice and loads more. Gabrielle first met Maz a few years ago when she set up her company MazSpeaks and it would be fair to say they hit it off instantly. Maz is a keynote speaker, media trainer and content creator, who still produces the occasional award winning movie. Maz believes that all business is show business and she does not pull any punches. She helps leaders and business think differently and stand out. Her message is: “It’s not my job to be interested – it’s your job to be interesting”.

In this episode of the Authentic Leadership Podcast, Gabrielle sits down with Warwick Fairfax. If you are wondering about a connection to Fairfax Media, there is. After the death of his father Sir Warwick Fairfax in 1987 and at the age of 26, Warwick took over the family media business, John Fairfax & Sons. Three years later the mighty media company collapsed due to crippling debt. In their very honest conversation, Warwick openly talks about the challenges of those years. He highlights what drove his desires at 26 to take over the company and the ‘dumbest mistakes’ he made. Warwick Fairfax is now the founder of Crucible Leadership, a philosophical and practical breakthrough in turning business and personal failures into the fuel for igniting a life of significance. His podcast Beyond the Crucible, shares insights from his experience and interviews other leaders who have leveraged their crucible moments to live and lead with significance. Listen in to the conversation to get a rare insight into a part of Australia’s media history and how one man recovered from what he calls his ‘crucible moment’.

On this Authentic Leadership podcast series, Gabrielle speaks to Gretchen Gagel. Gretchen previously lived and worked in the USA as a leading expert in the construction industry. Two years ago, she moved to Australia and was appointed the Managing Director, Asia Pacific at Conversant. Gretchen is an affiliate Professor for the Australian National University in Canberra and the University of Denver. Together with these accomplishments, she also runs her own consultancy and Greatness Podcast. Recently Gretchen completed her PhD on Organisational Learning, Performance and Change. This led them to discuss the difference in leadership styles between Australia and America. The podcast also covered the importance of emotional intelligence when it comes to authentic leadership and performance. Listeners will be surprised to hear what the research shows about emotional intelligence when people hit the age of 55. During the conversation they also discovered that they run for the same reasons and both dislike raw tomato ...riveting conversation.

In this edition of the Authentic Leadership Podcast Series, Gabrielle speaks to Lisa Barron. A pillar in the Australian Fashion industry, Lisa has been designing and creating the highest quality, locally made collections since 1983. Lisa is a strong advocate for supporting small business, locally manufactured garments and women in business. Their conversation includes how she moved from Perth to Melbourne with nothing more than $500 and a dream to start her own clothes label. Lisa also mentions the amazing feeling she experience when she sold her first item. The last time Gabrielle saw Lisa in person was Friday 6th March. She was purchasing some new designs from her collection for a range of overseas speaking arrangements in the coming months. Needless to say, about a week later the world was very different for all of us. Their podcast conversation covers the challenges Lisa faced with her fashion label when you have to physically close your doors just before the Melbourne Fashion Festival and the launch of a new collection. She discusses not only what the team and her had to do differently but also what she learnt about herself. You can find out more about Lisa and her amazing designs at http://www.lisabarron.com.au/. What’s more you can register for her first ever online fashion event on Wednesday 17th June from 6 – 7:30pm. It is an interactive session with Lisa as she launches her Autumn/Winter 2020 collection. You can register for the free event at sales@lisabarron.com.au.

In this episode of the Authentic Leadership Podcast, Gabrielle had a great time talking with Steve Plarre. He is a 4th generation baker and current CEO of Ferguson Plarre Bakehouse. This family owned bakery business has a wonderful legacy that dates back to the 1880s. As CEO & Director, Steve works closely with his brother Mike in a business that is still very much family owned & operated. With 75 stores and a large bakery that crafts over 100,000 cakes & savouries daily, Steve & his brother are intensely focused on making sure that the care and passion that helped make the family business what it is today isn’t lost in the wake of growth and scale. Steve came to Gabrielle's attention after she saw his Corona-oke videos on social media. He started these videos during the Coronavirus lockdown to connect and engage with customers. Steve takes well-known songs and modifies the lyrics which he then sings and dances to. Some favourites include, I want to bake free, We built this city on sausage rolls and Another one bites the crust. You can check them out alongside other examples on the Ferguson Plarre Bakehouse Facebook page. When speaking with Steve, Gabrielle discovered how these songs align perfectly with the company values of bringing happiness to people. With lockdown in place, the bakehouse lost its traditional means of bringing happiness to people via bakery treats in the form of a meat pie or vanilla slice. Consequently, he decided on the next best thing ...a bit of karaoke. A great example of authentic leadership! Listen to the podcast to find out why Steve started doing this, his thoughts on authentic leadership and some of the challenges, benefits and pressures of being CEO of a family business.

In this episode of the Authentic Leadership podcast, Gabrielle had the pleasure of interviewing Sandra Sully. Sandra has had over 30 years’ experience as an editor, journalist and TV presenter. She currently heads Channel Ten’s News First as the weeknight news presenter. Sandra’s extensive journalistic career is littered with highlights but perhaps none are more significant and poignant as the September 11 terror attacks. With calm and poise, Sandra was the first person to tell Australia about the tragic events unfolding before her eyes while delivering a professional news bulletin on the world's worst terrorist attack. In this podcast Sandra talks about how she ‘fell’ into journalism and the changes she has seen in the industry over the decades. She also talks frankly about when her personal values have clashed with the demands of her role. Tune in to find out what Sandra loves about her job and what she loves doing when she is not reading the news.

It was Charlie ‘Tremendous’ Jones who said, “You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.” Well, 15 years ago Gabrielle read a book that changed the direction of her life. It was so good that she read another two books by the same author, Steve Denning, the former Senior Executive of the World bank. The titles were The Springboard, Squirrel Inc and The Leaders Guide to Storytelling. The content she read prompted her to leave corporate life and start a company teaching leaders how to share stories. Fast forward a few years and Gabrielle got the opportunity to see Steve speak. Then after another couple of years passed, she had a coffee with him on one of his trips to Australia. You may be interested to know that Steve was born and raised in Sydney. If Gabrielle's storytelling training has had a positive impact on the way you lead and communicate, then you have Steve Denning to thank for that. We hope you enjoy this podcast interview with Gabrielle's professional idol and the irrefutable father of storytelling in business.

Gabrielle first met Peter a few years ago when he was CEO at Peoplebank. Recently, he became the CEO of Chandler Macleod, taking up the role in March this year. Peter is an experienced Chief Executive Officer with a demonstrated track record. Deeply passionate about employee engagement, Peter fosters a high-performance environment filled with career opportunity, agile leadership, seamless systems and constant innovation. In his spare time, Peter enjoys reading both non-fiction and fiction books, playing tennis, watching AFL and spending time with his wife and four children. Gabrielle was delighted to interview him as part of her authentic leadership podcast series. They discussed many things, such as, the changing focus for business leaders, how he manages the demands of CEO while raising four children and his love of apricot chicken.

Tune into this podcast where Gabrielle interviews Annette Simmons, a global storytelling expert. Along with being one of Gabrielle's industry idols, Annette was also one of the very first pioneers to promote the use of stories in business. Annette Simmons is the bestselling author of The Story Factor that was first published in 2001 with the third edition recently being released. She has also written three other books including, Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins (published in 2007)… what a great title! Annette currently lives and works in the USA but she spent a decade living in Australia during the ’80s. It will come as no surprise that Gabrielle was delighted to she discover Annette's favourite ‘80s artist is also an Aussie!

Gabrielle first met Michelle Loader when she was CEO of Chandler Macleod and the Vice President of the International Women’s Forum. After a 12-month break, Michelle is now the Managing Director of Fisher Leadership. She is also a founding ambassador for Gabrielle's global movement, Jargon Free Fridays. Michelle is a leader with an endless curiosity to ask ‘why?’ She follows this up with the strategic know-how, energy and passion to transform people, projects and organisations. As an executive with an extensive history leading change in both large and small organisations, Michelle believes in the idea of ‘life-giving workplaces’ and views rapid disruption as a gifted opportunity to challenge old paradigms, inefficient processes and outdated ideas of culture. Gabrielle recently sat down with Michelle to interview her about authentic leadership. She has some great insights into what type of leadership is required in the future and why, as well as highlighting one of the biggest challenges that executives face.

Today, storytelling is extremely popular in business ...and rightly so! Over time, it has come to be recognised as a critical leadership and communication skill. Back in in the early 2000’s it certainly wasn’t.  So, Gabrielle thought she would pay homage to the early pioneers of storytelling and interview them. A few weeks ago, Gabrielle had the pleasure of sitting down with Lori Silverman who graciously made some time for her while she was on holidays. They spoke about storytelling and the changes Lori has seen over the last 15 years. They also both got a bit fired up discussing how the term ‘storytelling’ has been hijacked by some fields, which is causing confusion around storytelling in business.

Gabrielle first meet Matthew Ricker over 12 years ago when she was running a storytelling training workshop at nab. During the workshop, Matt shared a story about his Nana. His story stayed with her all these years and she has shared it many times in her subsequent workshops. Matt joined Bank First in 2018 as Chief Customer Officer where he leads the Lending, Insurance, Financial Planning, Branches and the Member Contact Centre teams. With over 27 years’ experience at National Australia Bank, Matt has a strong understanding of financial services. Gabrielle was delighted to interview Matt for her authentic leadership podcast series. The story about his Nana and the reputation of the finance industry was relevant 12 years ago and unfortunately, even more relevant today. Have a listen to their conversation. You might agree that it is finance industry leaders like Matt that will be able to make our Nanas' proud again.

In this episode of my Authentic Leadership Podcast, Gabrielle had the pleasure of chatting with Shelley Park. She is the CEO of Australian Red Cross Blood Services. Not many of us can claim that our job is saving lives, but Shelley and her team can. Prior to joining the Blood Service, Shelley was Chief Executive of Monash Health, which provides healthcare services to over a million people in Melbourne. Her previous positions have also included Executive Director of Jessie McPherson Private Hospital, General Manager of Medical and Surgical Services at Christchurch Hospital (New Zealand), and General Manager at The Princess Margaret Hospital in Canterbury, New Zealand. Her 20 years of business experience at a senior level has been supplemented by formal studies including a Master of Science in Management from Ashridge Business School (UK) and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Management from Massey University (New Zealand). Have a listen to find out what this amazing leader thinks of authenticity, diversity and gardening.

In Gabrielle's latest podcast, she had a wonderful conversation about authentic leadership with the fearless Holly Ransom. Born in 1990, Holly has had an impressive and productive career to date. A globally renowned keynote speaker, Holly is also the chief executive of Emergent, a consultancy which specialises in marketing to millennials. Well-known for her commentary on intergenerational economic and social challenges, she has featured on ABC’s ‘Q&A’, Channel 7 News and Channel 10’s ‘The Project’. She is also a popular contributor to a number of leading publications including The Australian Financial Review and the Huffington Post. The conversation covers what inspired Holly to want to make a difference. She discusses her natural curiosity since an early age and how this led to being vocal about youth involvement and representation in society. Holly also speaks about career highlights such as her facilitation of a gender forum alongside Billy Jean King at the Australian Open and how this led to the opportunity to interview the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama. Sit back and have a listen as Holly shares what she loves outside of work – sport, cooking and song choices at karaoke.

Chris Freund is the founder and partner of Mekong Capital, an investment company based in Vietnam. Gabrielle has been working with Chris and his team over the last 6 months and Chris is one of the most authentic leaders she has had the pleasure to work with. Chris originally moved to Vietnam in 1994 and has more than 24 years of direct investment management experience, 21 of which were in Vietnam. Prior to forming Mekong Capital in 2001, Chris Freund was a Vice President and Portfolio Manager with Templeton Asset Management, Ltd., the emerging markets arm of the Franklin/Templeton Group. In this podcast you will hear his insights into Authentic Leadership and why he demoted himself as Managing Partner to Partner, even taking a pay-cut! How many leaders would do that? He also discusses what took him from Chicago to Ho Chi Minh and his love of quantum physics when trying to understand the origins of everything. Join Gabrielle and Chris as they converse about religion, language and even 80’s music!

In this episode, Gabrielle had the pleasure of speaking with Bank of Melbourne Chief Executive Michelle Winzer. With 30 years’ experience in banking and financial services, Michelle has held executive roles in retail banking, business banking, customer service and operations. She was appointed Chief Executive at the Bank of Melbourne in 2017. Michelle holds a Master of Business Administration from Melbourne Business School. She is a member of the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Executive Council and a mentor to emerging elite female athletes through the Minerva Network. What's more, she is passionate about customer service, diversity and inclusion. Their discussion covers the challenges Michelle experienced as her career progressed to more senior roles. This includes the effects of travelling extensively with her 3 boys under 10. Listen in as Michelle shares some embarrassing moments in business. What's more, discover her signature dish that she loves cooking for her now adult sons.

In this episode of the Authentic Leadership Podcast, Gabrielle spoke with the CEO of ME Bank, Jamie McPhee. Holding the position since early 2010, Jamie has been working with the Board and Executive team to develop, implement and lead ME’s business strategy. ME Bank partners with industry super funds and unions to build a competitive financial services alternative to the big banks. Jamie strongly believes in a banking model that genuinely acts in the interests of its members. Gabrielle's first meeting with Jamie was when he gatecrashed her last book launch. She has been working the team at ME ever since to bring their company values alive through storytelling. The discussion covers all things from the boardroom to the surf board, as surfing is one of his passions. Jamie and Gabrielle even cover topics like CEO Activism, as well as his favourite bands, Queen and ABBA.

In this episode Gabrielle had the opportunity to sit down with Jo Mithen, CEO of Monash College. Jo joined Monash College in 2008 as Chief Executive Officer. Having worked at senior levels with universities for more than 15 years, her expertise lies in her ability to recognise market trends and affect change. As a Monash University alumna, Jo is a proud advocate of the power of an excellent education and the opportunities it provides. She is passionate about people and has focused her career on transforming business and culture. As a leader, she values accountability, fosters innovation and inspires excellence. In the discussion, Jo reveals what Authentic Leadership means to her. She also talks about the inspiration she derived from a leadership conversation with Paul Keating. What’s more, Jo shares how she draws inspiration from a symbol not a quote. You might also be surprised to learn about her two favourite artists from the ‘80s. Join Jo and Gabrielle in this latest episode of the Authentic Leadership Podcast.

In this episode of the Authentic Leadership Podcast, Gabrielle speaks with Karen Hayes, CEO of Guide Dogs Victoria. In her current role, Karen draws on her corporate skills, not-for-profit experience and community background to lead Guide Dogs Victoria through a process of significant change and challenge within the sector. As well as being recognised as a dynamic influencer in the Australian Not-for-Profit sector, Karen is a strong advocate for women. A breast cancer survivor, Karen was also one of the founders of Breast Cancer Network Australia. Have a listen as Karen explains the importance of her personal values being aligned to the company she works with.

Michelle Dixon is the CEO of the law firm, Maddocks. She is the first female CEO in the firm’s 133 year history. In her role, Michelle works with the Board and partnership to set and deliver the strategic direction for the firm. Under Michelle’s leadership, Maddocks has continued to grow and lead the way on issues such as gender equality and diversity. During her time as CEO, Maddocks has been recognised as an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality by the Workplace Gender Equity Agency. Michelle was named one of the Australian Financial Review’s 100 Women of Influence in 2015. In 2016, Michelle was awarded the Victorian Award for Excellence in Women’s Leadership. In this podcast Michelle discusses why she took on the CEO role, what authentic leadership means to her and what her favourite 80’s song is.

Tony Johnson was appointed EY’s Oceania Managing Partner and CEO in January 2015. He is responsible for setting the strategy for the firm across the Oceania region and is focused on building a culture that supports EY’s values and delivers exceptional service to their clients. Tony is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia and the Financial Services Institute of Australasia (Finsia). He is a member of the Institute of Company Directors and holds a Bachelor of Economics, Graduate Diploma of Applied Finance and a MBA (Executive). Take some time to listen to Tony's interview about authentic leadership and what this means to him both professionally and personally.

In this episode, Gabrielle interviews Georgia Samuel, the founder of famish'd - Salads n Stuff. This Melbourne CBD Salad House has caught the corporate world by storm. The store commenced trading in June 2010 and has seen rapid growth ever since. Prior to opening famish'd, Georgia was a corporate litigation lawyer. She grappled with the idea of starting her own business before finally taking the plunge because she was tired of looking for healthy, filling lunch options. Take a listen to her stories, insights and experiences around authentic leadership.

Georgie Harman is currently the CEO of mental health not for profit beyondblue which tackles stigma and discrimination, and provides support and information on anxiety, depression and suicide. She was previously the Deputy CEO of the National Mental Health Commission and has had a long and successful career in the public service, community and the Not-For-Profit sectors. Take a listen to Georgie as she explores what authentic leadership means to her.

Michael Ebeid has 30 years’ experience in senior management, executive and CEO roles in the technology, telecommunications and media industries across the Asia Pacific region. He has a successful track record in leading organisational transformations and is passionate about workplace culture and leadership. Currently, Michael is the CEO & Managing Director of SBS and was appointed in June 2011. Take a listen to his thoughts, stories and ideas about authentic leadership that he shares with Gabrielle.

Janine Garner is one of Australia’s most thoughtful experts on leadership, belief and collaboration. An author, speaker and motivator, Janine is passionate about the return to open and transparent corporate relationships, the power of commercial collaboration in future proofing careers and businesses and the opportunity that exists when we network to build transformational connections that will drive influence, personal positioning and impact. Join Gabrielle as she interviews Janine Garner about authentic leadership.