Podcasts

From MD of Emirates hospitality arm to growing a successful hospitality consultancy we meet Adam Summerville

About this episode

Ever wondered how to transition from CWO 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.

Run time:

25.14

Series

Journey to the C-Suite

Episode

13

Guests

Adam Summerville

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Transitioning from 'profit' to 'purpose' with the Executive Director of The Australian Ballet, Libby Christie AM

About this episode

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.

Run time:

39.43

Series

Journey to the C-Suite

Episode

12

Guests

Libby Christie AM

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From bootstrapping to an $855m exit we meet EatNow founder Matthew Dyer

About this episode

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.

Run time:

31.59

Series

Journey to the C-Suite

Episode

11

Guests

Matthew Dyer

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How the CEO of PropTech scale-up Kolmeo transformed his career and life through education, grit and saying yes! We meet Scott Bateman

About this episode

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.

Run time:

37.33

Series

Journey to the C-Suite

Episode

10

Guests

Scott Bateman

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Why failing in his first CEO role was the making of BWX Group's Dave Fenlon

About this episode

In Episode 9 we meet the Group CEO and MD of ASX market darling, Dave Fenlon. We explore his journey to the 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.

Run time:

47.00

Series

Journey to the C-Suite

Episode

9

Guests

Dave Fenlon

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From making profit in the school yard to making Vodafone profitable, we meet Chief Commercial Officer Ben McIntosh

About this 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 if 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.

Run time:

37.30

Series

Journey to the C-Suite

Episode

8

Guests

Ben McIntosh

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From History teacher to Managing Director of Bunnings Group we meet Michael Schneider

About this episode

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.

Run time:

33.24

Series

Journey to the C-Suite

Episode

7

Guests

Michael Schneider

Listen on Spotify

Advocating brand Australia's trajectory into the global marketplace with guest Luke Dillon

About this episode

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!

Run time:

33.57

Series

Journey to the C-Suite

Episode

6

Guests

Luke Dillon

Listen on Spotify
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September 11, 2023

Quick Fire Partner check in with Dom Cara

In this month’s quick-fire Partner check in, we sit down with the man who steers our Emu ship and keeps us on track and accountable every day. Dom Cara. Dom is one of our Managing Partners and COO, and with over 25 years’ experience in the Search industry, he knows a thing or two about people, executive search and how to find that perfect business/individual match when hiring. Dom knows how to stay cool, calm and collected and is always the first to check in to see how you are going. He also doesn’t mind a dress up, which we love.

August 22, 2023

Top 3 reasons every executive search will benefit from investing in Research and Talent Mapping

Will Kinkead may have only just joined the Emu team, but he is already bringing his passion and knowledge on executive research and Talent Intelligence, and opening doors for innovation and growth. He gives us his top three reasons every executive search will benefit from investing in a research and talent mapping.

February 11, 2022

Executive Search - A customer first approach

Establishing a successful customer-first strategy is not as easy as you may think.  Many organisations purport to be focused on the customer journey and customer outcomes, while more often than not it's more of an after-thought.

February 11, 2022

Leadership Agility for the new world of work

We’re currently experiencing a seismic shift in the way we work. Leaders now have an extraordinary opportunity to reconsider, redefine and reinvent how teams work, how they engage with them and how businesses operate.

February 11, 2022

Software as a Service in 2021 - what can we expect?

Throughout last year, we saw a number of significant growth industries across the tech sector, particularly around companies developing new business models and revenue streams as a direct response to the challenges of COVID-19.

February 11, 2022

Why cognitive diversity is the new competitive advantage

There are many companies that regard Diversity & Inclusion as a source of competitive advantage, a way to expand beyond the narrow realms and perspectives the company has operated, create untapped market potential by embracing new ideas and change.

February 11, 2022

Time to appoint your first Chief Customer Officer

It’s been well documented that the role of the CMO and even the term ‘marketing’ might not encompass all that is expected of a Marketing executive in the digital age. In just one recent example of the evolution of Marketing, we see ex-Uber CMO Steve Brennen switch to Fintech disruptors Zip Co in a newly created role of CCO (Chief Customer Officer).