Journey to the C-Suite

On episode 1 of the Find Extraordinary podcast, we meet the Founder & CEO of The Agile 11 Eduardo Nofuentes. We explore how The Agile 11 are helping organisations leverage the power of agile and lean principles to harness trust, speed and engagement through organisational and development agility. For more information on the The Agile 11 and how they transform cultures go to www.theagileeleven.com.au

In Episode 2, we meet serial entrepreneur turned corporate innovator Warrick Cramer. We explore his rise to success and the journey from the son of immigrant parents in Melbourne to the Head of Global Strategy & Innovation within Vodafone Europe's $50bn supply chain. How did he get there, what did he learn and what motivates Warrick to tackle his next career challenge? Find out in an engaging conversation with Luke Marshall Partner at Emu Search.

#Ep 3: Claire Lauber was often the only female in the room but didn't see gender as a barrier. Instead she used her youth and competitive spirit as just the motivation she needed to go from part-time checkout worker to Managing Director of Australia's most loved juice brand Boost Juice!

#Ep 4: Chris Sheldon was born in Melbourne and dreamed of travelling across the world to experience the best that hospitality had to offer. That dream took him to London where after a slow start he finally got some momentum and his career took off. We explore the high, lows and how he came to be one of Curtis Stone's best friends and now business partner!

On episode #5 we were joined by Leah Lambart, career and interview coach and founder of Re-Launch Me a leading career consultancy that helps you find the career you were meant to do. We cover Leah's own professional journey, how she found career purpose and her expert top tips for navigating your own career during and post Covid-19.

In episode #6, we are joined by Luke Dillon who has thrived throughout his 20yr global career with brands like EY, M&S, Swisse Wellness and Wesfarmers across 3 continents. An energetic leader with deep financial and operational experience, in this podcast Luke demonstrates high drive and impact. He provides insights on building successful high-performance cultures and leading through disruption along with how to manage the subtlety of difference cultures. He is authentic, adaptable and accountable and it feels like he is just getting started!

In Episode 7 we meet the person at the helm of Australia's most loved retailer, the person leading Australia's most trusted brand through a significant digital transformation in the midst of a global pandemic. Sounds tricky? Try adding 45,000 team members, $12bn in revenue and being responsible for creating over 10,000 new jobs during his tenure, into the mix and you start to appreciate the scale and enormity of Michael Schneider's role and seemingly endless capability. But how did he get there? Where did it all begin? And how has managed to keep the business growing through such turbulent and volatile times, we explore all these questions and more in this not to be missed episode.

Ben McIntosh knew exactly what profit was even during school as he sold lollies to his mates with a small mark up. The knack for retail started young and never left him. From dropping out of University he joined the Harvey Norman franchise and made a name for himself saying yes to the opportunities others would say no to. This has taken Ben around the world, to countries like Slovenia, Singapore and all over Australia. We explore the learnings from a whirlwind career that led him to help turnaround Vodafone Australia, successfully navigating into a merger with TPG.

In Episode #9 we meet the Group CEO and MD of ASX market darling BWX, Dave Fenlon. We explore his journey to the c-suite from a management trainee scheme at Safeway in the UK, to leading Blackmores Group through incredible growth alongside Christine Holgate. But it wasn't that straight forward, there were many bumps in the road including a high profile failing in his first CEO role at Red Group Retail. Dave didn't allow it to define him, he learned a number of hard but valuable lessons and brought him back right to the start in some early lessons on the front line at Tesco. Dave shares his incredible journey in this candid and insightful discussion.

Dropping out of school at 15 and becoming a chef is hardly the career path you associate with leading a venture backed technology scale up but for Scott Bateman it was the journey he would never replace. It taught him so much and particularly the key lesson later in life that going back to education could provide him with so much. Scott the youngest CEO I've had on the show and is driven by his obsession with learning and challenging himself and his team to create a global success story with Kolmeo, a revolutionary SaaS platform for the real estate industry connecting tenants, landlords and agents. If you're an aspiring CEO of a technology business, this is one not to be missed.

In Episode #11 we meet the entrepreneur behind EatNow one of the first movers in food delivery and a tech success story that still has huge relevance and lessons today. We take a look at Matt's lead up to founding the business, what inspired him to start and where the idea came from. Matt takes us on the rollercoaster journey the twists and turns and how he became etched in Aussie tech history by being part of one of the largest private. This is his Journey to the C-suite.

Ever wondered how to combine your passion with an executive career? How to jump out of that corporate gig into the arts, culture or sport? Well that's exactly what the Executive Director of The Australian Ballet managed to do after leaving her corporate career behind at Monster.com and Telstra following her love of the arts and realising almost by accident that her commercial skill set was much needed in a world she knew little about. Libby Christie a recently awarded Order of Australia takes us on her incredible journey to the c-suite in this incredible episode. If you have ambition to follow your passion then this is a must listen.

Ever wondered how to transition from CEO to consultant and have the luxury of creating a life on your terms? Well that's exactly what Adam Summerville has achieved in as little as 2 years since leaving the big gig. In Episode 13 we explore how he did it, from cleaning ash trays to leading one of the most incredible hospitality turnaround stories and thriving as the Managing Director of the revered Emirates brand. If you are considering taking the opportunity of Covid-19 to transition your executive career then this is not to be missed.

In Episode 14 we meet Cameron McIntyre the Managing Director and CEO of Aussie tech superstar Carsales.com. We explore his journey from manufacturing to technology via FMCG and digital advertising. Cameron had some golden nuggets of truth and strong views on the power of Data to drive decision making and growth. We looked under the hood of what makes a highly successful tech company tick and how Cameron has risen to lead one of the greatest tech stories in Australian history. It was a pleasure to capture Cameron's journey to the c-suite, I hope you enjoy it.

On Episode #15 we meet the Managing Director of Accenture's Retail & Consumer practice, Nhung Mason where we explore what it takes to be trusted by a CEO in today's volatile and uncertain world. We take a trip down memory lane as Nhung shares her heroic journey as a refugee fleeing Vietnam and arriving safely to Australia with her 10 siblings! If that's not enough she also advocates for women in leadership and shares her views on finding balance in a lop sided world. Gender is one thing but diversity is so much more argues Nhung...and I tend to agree. This one is not to be missed.

Retail director of Nike outlets in the US by the age of 30, CEO of Jeanswest and Co-founder of his own retail conglomerate which includes 60 licensed Nike stores and now Samsung. We explore Steve Younane’s incredible career and what a year operating a retail business through Covid was really like! Sit back, relax and listen as this episode is full of takeouts and lessons from a long career at the top.

On this Episode we meet Ed McManus, CEO of food and grocery delivery giant Deliveroo but unlike many tech CEOs his career started in an unlikely place. Having graduated with a PhD in Biochemistry, Ed went onto to work in executive roles at GSK, became a researcher for Melbourne University and to lead Australia's greenest energy retailer Powershop. In this wide ranging interview Ed shares his incredible career journey, views on climate change, advice on building diverse teams and there's of course a bit of Irish / English banter along the way. One not to miss!

On this episode we sit down with Uber's GM for Rides, Dom Taylor and discuss how they've navigated through a pandemic which put the brakes on nearly 70% of their business. With over 15 million cars on the road it's hard to see the future looking any different but Dom shares his own perspective from inside the tent on the future of car ownership and large bets Uber are making on a big, bold future. Dom has a Masters from Oxford and has enjoyed a meteoric rise in one of the worlds most talked about companies, we go under the hood of how he's made it all work and thrive as a leader in a global technology Unicorn.

Bringing energy and passion to the C-Suite with Flybuys CEO Anna Lee