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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
Over the past 5 years Emu Search has had the privilege of working with some truly great CEOs, who’ve distinguished themselves by not just achieving financial targets or managing operations superbly (although this helps…) but by engaging expertly and effectively with their stakeholder groups. This engagement helps align everyone with the company's vision and strategic goals. Here's why it's so important.
A study by Harvard Business Review found that between 50-70% of executives fail within 18 months of their appointment. Further research from the Corporate Executive Board states that “of those, about 3% fail spectacularly, while nearly 50% quietly struggle”. These stats are concerning and should prompt business leaders and Boards to re-evaluate their executive recruitment process. This is particularly important in today’s challenging macroeconomic context where a key executive hire can mean the difference between business success and failure.
Me: “When do you need to hire this person?” Client: “Yesterday!” Sound familiar? Over more than ten years of recruiting across the US and APAC, I've heard the same response 9 times out of 10. The struggle is real! Vacancies at any level can mess up business operations and stress out employees. But when those vacancies are in senior leadership or executive positions, it can seriously disrupt business continuity and achievement of key strategic goals.
In the first of our ‘market analysis’ series, Managing Partner, Luke Marshall, looks at how to better align your hiring process with the evolving expectations of top-tier executives, to ensure you get the hire you want. Don’t leave it to chance, listen, evolve and go the extra mile…
This week we sat down with Ed Michelsberg, Managing Partner and Private Equity Lead at Emu. In this interview he shares his insights into what’s needed for a successful search in the PE industry - from both a client and candidate perspective. We explore the current interest in PE/VC leadership roles, the qualities required to succeed in a leadership role and predictions for the industry over the next 12 months.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
