Authentic Leadership Podcast

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

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 G

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 authentic

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 opport

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

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.