Leading Conversations

Matt O’Connell has been in the pipeline industry since 1986. As President of NACAP Australia, he understands all too well that it’s a high-risk industry, for people and the environment.

So, when NACAP was taken over in 2013 by Qanta, it provided an opportunity for the business to not only explore greener operations but to build a stronger sense of culture, as the company took on this new phase under new management.

Matt began wor...

Bringing private sector learnings into a government environment can be advantageous, especially if the person has a career's worth of customer-focused roles. Tash Tobias is just that kind of person, a leader who understands not just what customers need, but how to build teams that work well together, in order to deliver the best customer service.

Tash met challenges at Brisbane City Council, familiar to many businesses - siloed st...

Family businesses can be great places to work, they’re often warm environments, with nice relationships between staff and with external stakeholders. But can ‘nice’ impact progress and performance? Dahlsens’ is a 150-year-old family business, in the building supplies space. But when General Manager, Mark Cooper started in 2018, he found that ‘nice’ wasn’t really cutting the mustard.

So, just prior to the 2019 Victorian bushfires a...

Transforming an organisation at the brink of collapse, to a flourishing resource, is no small feat. Brimming with financial and cultural challenges, Shaun Pearce’s capacity for connection, mentorship and drive saw him take over as CEO of Ironbark Aboriginal Corporation. Since then, he’s built an organisation that supports communities across the Northern Territory and provides a diverse range of work opportunities within the busines...

For Rebecca Ackland, People & Culture Officer at Southern Cross Austereo, defining the core purpose of the business has been a game changer for the Australian media giant. It’s altered how staff communicate, the onboarding process, and how to motivate for high performance. Within five years at SCA, Rebecca has created a seat at the Executive table, ensuring that People and Culture answer directly to the CEO. Leading Teams Facil...

Head Coach, John Longmire has been pivotal to the evolution of AFL team, the Sydney Swans. From the beginning he understood the importance of player empowerment and honest conversations. He also knew that a framework or roadmap was required, not just to achieve success on the field, but as a guide back from failure and loss.

The Swans’ story is one that acknowledges the club’s heritage, that allows not only the players but club st...

Welcome to Season 3 of the Leading Conversations podcast!

Eight brand new business leaders; from an accounting firm in country Victoria, to one of Australia's largest media organisations, to an international eco contractor, they're all in discussion with their personal Leading Teams Facilitators, who over many years, have become almost part of the team.

Together they've helped shape business culture and leadership, all of which h...

Di Marchment was told by one of her first employers that she’d never make it. In 2023 Di is celebrating 30 years as owner of Dianne Marchment & Associates, an accounting firm based in country Victoria. Not only has Di made it in the industry, she’s excelled. It’s this determination that’s driven her success and helped develop skills and leadership for herself and her staff.

Di’s in conversation with her long-time Leading Teams...

Season 3 of the Leading Conversations podcast is launching on Wednesday 26 April! 

Eight brand new business leaders; from an accounting firm in country Victoria, to one of Australia's largest media organisations, to an international eco contractor, they're all in discussion with their personal Leading Teams Facilitators, who over many years, have become almost part of the team.

Together they've helped shape business culture and l...

When the patriarch of the family business passes unexpectedly, the impact can lead the business to fold.  In the case of RD Jones Group, that’s what many looking in from the outside expected. But for Danielle and Luke Donaldson, the daughter and son in law of Richard Jones, the impact was seismic, in fact you can still hear it in Danielle’s voice, 6 years since Richard’s accident. But they’re made of tough stuff, they’re resilient ...

Chris Fagan is an AFL senior coach with the Midas touch. Throughout his coaching career, he’s been involved in the success of the Melbourne Football Club and the string of consecutive Grand Final wins at Hawthorn. So why in 2016, go from the extraordinary wave of success at the Hawks to build back a battered club, at the Brisbane Lions? Well build back he did, and Chris explains to his long-time Leading Teams Facilitator, Simon Fle...

It’s often through the fresh eyes of a new team member or after some time away from the office that the state of workplace culture can truly be seen. Steph Alekna is the Regional Construction Manager QLD/PNG for Keller Group, and it was after six months on maternity leave, that she was able to identify what was really going on within the business. Steph is in conversation with Marine Harkin, Leading Team Facilitator for Keller, ove...

Running a business is hard and running a family business can bring its own issues. Add mental health challenges to the mix and that’s when Tom Caesar,  CEO and Founder of Nodifi, a cloud-based, asset finance solutions business, reached out for help. Tom speaks to Daniel Healy, the Leading Teams Facilitator he’s been working with for the last six years, about how they navigated a path through the tough times and celebrate where he a...

When the goal is to stretch your team's performance by just one or two per cent, what does that roadmap look like, particularly in the more conservative legal profession?

Carroll & O’Dea Lawyers, General Manager, John Willey and Human Resources Manager, Kim Turnbull, discuss the journey towards incremental improvement and cultural change, with Kurt Wrigley, the firm's Leading Teams Facilitator for the last four years.

Lead...

For years Kristen Buik was trying to please others by being who she thought they wanted her to be. It didn't work, for her or her colleagues. Kristen found herself working within a male-dominated industry, as the Director and Co-Owner of business consulting firm, Altitude Advisory.

Having experienced some personal trauma of her own, Kristen was used to facing challenges head-on.  And so, she began working with Daniel Healy, a Lead...

In the best of circumstances, an educator’s role is a challenge. Throw in a pandemic, and the successful transformation of Staughton College is nothing short of remarkable. Thanks largely to Principal, David Lord and Vice Principal, Kristy Herridge. Both are talking to their Leading Teams Facilitator, Brendan Maher, who for the last seven years has helped guide them to strengthen communication amongst staff, parents and children an...

With 20 years at Flight Centre under his belt, Brent Novak, now Head of Sales, Operations and Network, still loves it. His passion is palpable, and it’s driven him to seek peak performance at work, with his team and in his personal life. Brent talks to Jake Bridges, his Leading Teams Facilitator for the last few years, about his approach to cultural change, the difference it’s made to the business and how one of the big...

Welcome to Season 2 of the Leading Conversations podcast, another golden opportunity to hear from senior executives, across Australia, discuss challenges they’ve faced in their professional and personal lives, which have led to extraordinary cultural change within their workplace. This season they're talking directly to their Leading Teams Facilitators, so the conversations are open, frank and familiar. If like many people, y...

This final episode takes a slightly different approach, Mary Campbell, CEO of TAFE Queensland reflects on her 30 years at TAFE, sharing her insights into leadership and cultural development, as she talks with host Lisa Alexander AM.  There are no shortcuts to achieving a strong culture and high performing teams, it’s about the long game. Leaders must believe in the work they do, be driven to achieve goals and passionate ...