Our first episode of Career Journeys and Aspirations. 

I am delighted share with you, one of the most authentic and genuine leaders in their discipline, in Lewis Olcot.  

In terms of his profession, Lewis is a Talent Acquisition specialist with a passion for recruitment processes, team leadership, candidate mentorship, project management and strategy.
 
 A career built on forging sustainable partnerships with a wide range of stakeholders and onboarding candidates by guiding them on a journey to success. 

Lewis prides himself on living his values and has a service to others ethos. This is one of reasons, I did seek Lewis out to be my guest as this character value, resonates with me and many others in the world we all work in.

Lewis is a very intuitive leader and I reflected on his management style after we spoke and have adapted some of his practices that have earned him the respect a well as the growth in his team.

Thank you to Technology People Group for supporting our podcast.

Please enjoy my interview with Lewis Olcot. 

 Andrew was the Bank of Queensland’s Head of Technology since BOQ acquired ME Bank in 2021. He was previously ME Bank’s Head of Technology prior to the acquirement. Andrew has over 10+ years of experience as a leader and has worked across a range of disciplines and industries.

 
Andrew is an experienced IT merger specialist who has experience in consolidation of company solutions into single platforms for all aspects of technology with specific experience with Banking, Health Insurance and Contact centre solution consolidation.

 Some of Andrew’s achievements include but of course are not limited to;

·         Being award the 2019 MOZO Excellent Bank App award for Bank Australia’s banking app which resulted in saving $1M over 3 years

·         And he uplifted the Cyber Security Maturity by 1.5 points in six months through the development and implementation of both a Cyber Security governance framework

 Like all great leaders, Andrew has a high level of emotional intelligence and along with his technical knowledge and business acumen, it is of little wonder why he has been so successful in his career.

Andrew is now looking at various career and business options to pursue that ensures he continues his passion for innovation, leadership and delivering business prosperity. 

Thank you to our sponsor, Technology People. Each day, each week the team are Transforming Technology Teams through the recruitment of talent in IT & Digital.

Please enjoy my interview with Andrew Bell.

Laura Jones is Chief People Officer for dnata catering - Australia.  Part of the Emirates Group, dnata catering is Australia’s most admired catering and retail partner specialising in inflight catering, buy-on-board catering programs, travel retail technology solutions, and airport lounge operation and management.

Laura leads People, Culture, Safety, Wellbeing and Internal Communications; areas which have been critical as the aviation sector and it’s dedicated staff have navigated the post-pandemic world of work. 

An experienced HR professional, Laura is passionate about giving everyone the opportunity to thrive and boasts an impressive portfolio. Prior to her role at dnata catering, Laura lead people and culture initiatives at both UnitingCare Queensland and Virgin Australia. As part of her role at UnitingCare Queensland, Laura provided advice and support to leaders in a rapidly changing sector with a workforce of 25,000 people, including volunteers. 

Holding a number of senior roles at Virgin Australia including general manager roles, Laura was responsible for business partnering, leadership, talent and development. Leading large transformation change programs, Laura rolled out performance frameworks and embedded diversity and inclusion programs.  

A strong and accomplished HR professional, outside of work Laura is mum to a firecracker 11 year old daughter and loves ocean swimming.

Thank you to our sponsor, Technology People. Each day, each week the team are Transforming Technology Teams through the provision of providing talent in IT & Digital.
 
Finally, a big thank you to Laura for giving up some of her time to share her journey and her aspirations. A most enjoyable and illuminating interview of which I am sure you will enjoy as much as I have.

Please enjoy my interview with Laura Jones.

Alexis is the CIO of Brisbane Grammar School. One of the leading schools in Australia for boys where continuous investment is made in creating an environment where boys are able to pursue their talents and realise their potential.

By way of background, Alexis is a passionate senior executive with over 13 years’ experience in commercial and government industries. She has a passion for leading people, driving technological and organisational change in complex organisations. Alexis is committed to delivering continuous improvement and seamless service delivery.

There are many elements to Alexis’s career that I admire and find fascinating. One key factor is her ability to manage a multitude of internal and outside stakeholders all with various objectives and harmonise outcomes satisfactory for all.

A natural with people, it was a real treat for me to explore Alexis’s background and learn what inspires her and hear of her aspirations.

I would like to thank Technology People Group for their continuous investment in our podcast. I am a very fortunate host to have such a strong Executive and Team supporting my passion! Remember, if you are seeking to recruit IT Talent- get in touch with the team.

Please enjoy my interview with Alexis Hill.

Simon has had an impressive career holding a number of senior leadership roles.

Simon navigates the intersection between strategy and technology in the digital world in order to improve lived experiences. He has a passion for building and creating products and services, learning from experience and helping others to reach their full potential. 

Simon has had an extended career in consulting where he creates incredible digital products, services and experiences whilst helping businesses to achieve technology powered growth, efficiency and cyber safety. He recently had an 8 year tenure with PEXA as it scaled to a $3.2B IPO. 

Simon more recently is investing his time and knowledge into inspiring and helping others to create product and businesses through working with the Australian technology and innovation community. He aims to help established organisations with their digital and technological challenges. 

I enjoyed Simon’s very inspirational and practical perspectives on innovation from concept to application. A real business leader with a skill set not common from where I sit. 

Thank you to our sponsor, Technology People. Each day, each week the team are Transforming Technology Teams  providing talent in IT & Digital.

Please enjoy my interview with Simon Bray.

 My Guest today is Janice Carey. 

Janice is a leader in data, analytics and digital and was named number 3 in the IAPA Top 25 Leaders Awards in 2022. In 2021 and 2022, she led initiatives that won Tealium Digital Velocity Awards for paving the way in digital customer experience innovation. 

Janice was also nominated for the 2014 Telstra Business Women’s Awards for her leadership in delivering new technologies for impact. She is enthusiastic about sharing her knowledge and expertise and so is also a regular speaker at industry events and conferences. 

She is recognised as a thought leader who is brave, innovative, and practical in ensuring outcomes deliver ‘value add’ to the needs of businesses. 

During my interview with Janice, I was scribbling madly. The amount of learnings and thought bubbles I had was incredible. I am imploring you, my wonderful audience to listen to our interview several times and learn something new each time.

Thank you to our sponsor, Technology People Group. Each day, each week the team are Transforming Technology Teams through the provision of sourcing talent in IT & Digital.

Please enjoy my interview with Janice Carey.

Max has had an exceptional career, achieving over 40 years’ as an experienced Barrister and over 30 years as a Mediator. 

Max began his career as a Barrister after having completed is postgraduate studies abroad. He was appointed Senior Counsel in 1999, after having focused the first 20 years of his professional work on the resolution of workplace issues through litigation, conciliation, arbitration, private negotiation and mediation. Max’s expertise has since grown to include commercial and administrative law matters, inquiries and workplace investigations. He also developed his interest in mediation and other ADR processes during this time.

Max regularly presents at mediation forums and is involved in mentoring new mediators. 

I have known Max for some years and was honoured when he asked me to present at a communication conference he organised a few years ago, where he preceded to secure over 250 attendees across various industry, deciphering best practice in the art of communication.

Every moment I spend with Max, I am that bit wiser. I am proud to call him a mentor and friend and I hope you too, can gain some insights into managing communication whether that be in your professional or personal life.  

Max is committed to the prevention and early resolution of conflict, with a particular focus on promoting better communication and listening skills and on the identification of common interests. 

Max is also Founder of the Max Kimber Communication who deliver mediation and an array of other business services. 

Thank you to our sponsor, Technology People. Each day, each week the team are Transforming Technology Teams through providing talent in IT & Digital.

Please enjoy my interview with Max Kimber.

My Guest today is Andrew Dennis who is the CIO for JBS Australia / New Zealand.

Andrew has had an extensive career across a range of senior leadership roles here in Australia as well as overseas.

Andrew is a results driven Senior Executive with an impressive track-record of over 20 years’ experience in IT strategic planning, business process re-engineering, and project and portfolio management. 

Andrew has a proven ability to lead diverse teams here in Australia / New Zealand as well as globally to exceeding levels of success in a range of challenging projects.

In our interview,  Andrew shared some incredible challenges that were facing his team particularly in recent times. Cyber attacks, COVID and a constantly shifting market place dynamics were all significant and potentially crippling blockages to business continuity. His approach in managing during such times, provided much insight to what exceptional leaders when faced with potential disaster. 

Thank you to our sponsor, Technology People. Each day, each week the team are Transforming Technology Teams through  providing talent in IT & Digital.

Please enjoy my interview with Andrew Dennis.

Welcome to series 2 of Career Journeys and Aspirations!

My Guest today is Daryl Kirkhope.

Daryl has had an incredible career ranging from the military through to holding senior corporate roles.

Daryl helps organisations to understand tomorrow’s problems through bespoke operational project and program improvement opportunities facilitated to deliver end to end business optimisation. He is a leader who listens to the customers situation. 

Daryl is a Chartered Project Professional, Certified Practicing Portfolio Executive and holds an Executive Masters in Complex Program Leadership. 

I wanted to ensure when interviewing Daryl, that his philosophy, values and intentions were shared with my audience. An amazing career to date, that proves how the extraordinary can be achieved with courage, conviction and action. 

Thank you to our sponsor, Technology People Group. Each day, each week the team are Transforming Technology Teams through the provision of providing talent in IT & Digital.

Please enjoy my interview with Daryl Kirkhope.

 Ben is the General Manager, IT at Icon Group.

 Ben is an experienced leader in the technology industry with a focus on delivering innovative and cost-effective solutions for complex business problems. He has extensive experience in mentoring geographically technical teams and has designed and executed large scale and highly flexible solutions during organisations’ significant growth periods. A number of these initiatives have been recognised as market leading. 

Ben’s experience spans across Australia, Asia and Europe where he has led a number of key integration project for systems, processes and technical teams. 

I very much enjoyed learning about Ben who is very deliberate and considered in his choice of career and how he shares his incredible story.

Thank you to our sponsor, Technology People. Each day, each week the team are Transforming Technology Teams through the provision of providing talent in IT & Digital.

 Please enjoy my interview with Ben Swindale.

Jo is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Multicap.  Amongst many roles and responsibilities in her career, she was previously a Director of Brisbane South PHN and currently Director of Bris Housing and Ability First Australia.

Jo has held a number of senior management roles within the healthcare services industry across Australia, New Zealand and England.  This experience is demonstrated through a number of additional Director roles for organisations promoting healthcare, including Checkup Australia and Inala Primary Care. 

Jo was also nominated and a finalist for a number of awards including the 2014 Queensland Telstra Business Women of the Year Awards. She has a passion for providing high quality human services delivery outcomes as well as improving opportunities for vulnerable people, such as those with disabilities. 

What was so evident to me during our interview of how strong her convictions are on making a difference. In listening to her story, Jo knew early on in her career what she was destined to do. There is a real sense of confidence and self-belief which I found quite inspiring and reminded me of how important it is for us all to back oneself!

Thank you to our sponsor, Technology People. Each day, each week the team are Transforming Technology Teams through the provision of providing talent in IT & Digital.

Please enjoy my interview with Jo Jessop.

Nathan is the Chief Technology Officer at Collection House.

He has over 25 years experience in the Information Technology industry with a particular passion for programming. Nathan’s career has been diverse, and he has gained an abundance of experience in the industry. 

Throughout his career, Nathan has worked for a range of companies of varying sizes, from start-ups with less than 30 employees, to large fortune 100 corporations with tens of thousands of employees and consulting companies across Australia and overseas. 

Delivering work with professionalism and pride, great analytic and problem solving skills, the ability to adapt and going above and beyond, are all characteristics of Nathan’s that have contributed to his success.

One of the most insightful observations I will share about Nathan, is his insights on how people work. A strong sense of empathy and care which is evident when we start to unpack his career to date and his aspirations. I came away from our interview and asked myself – would I work for Nathan – you bet I would!

Thank you to our sponsor, Technology People. Each day, each week the team are Transforming Technology Teams through the provision of providing talent in IT & Digital.

Please enjoy my interview with Nathan Johnston.

Michael recently retired from MOQdigital as the General Manager of Business Services. 

He has accumulated an impressive 20 years of demonstrated success in developing and executing strategies for clients as an accomplished executive manager.  

Michael has a focus on promoting innovation and growth through the optimization and utilisation of smart technologies within organisations. He is passionate about working with clients to help them realise how technology can be used to communicate globally and interactively, wherever and whenever. 

I believe you will be fascinated by the career change made by Michael and the decision making process he undertook at the time. 

Thank you to our sponsor, Technology People. Each day, each week the team are Transforming Technology Teams through the provision of providing talent in IT & Digital.

Please enjoy my interview with Michael Power.

Brendan is the Executive General Manager Information & Communications Technology at Endeavour Foundation.

He is a qualified technology executive with Board, Leadership and Technical Experience developed over 25 years in various industries including mining, manufacturing, systems integration, education, aged care and community services.
 
Recognised as a respected leader by peers and direct reports, Brendan’s his credibility and integrity enable him to develop and coach highly performing technology teams consistently delivered positive business outcomes in areas ranging from strategic planning through delivery and ongoing operations. 

I remarked to Brendan that his career and ‘way of doing things’ seem to come from a very considered disposition. The lesson for all of us to take time to gain perspective when making major decisions in work and life in general.

Thank you to our sponsor, Technology People. Each day, each week the team are Transforming Technology Teams through the provision of providing talent in IT & Digital.

Please enjoy my interview with Brendan Klasen. 

Nick is currently the HR Lead for Dragonfly Shipping.

Nick is an experienced, dedicated people professional who believes that HR as a function can provide added value to all aspects of a business. 

A true HR generalist, with expertise in employee engagement, cultural development, industrial and employment relations, training and development, recruitment and selection and workforce planning. 

Nick’s career has been across a range of Industries including Aged Care/Property Development, FMCG (hospitality) and Financial Services.
 
I thoroughly enjoyed my interview with Nick whom I consider a deep thinker in the sense of much consideration is given to all his shared perspectives. I guess, I am saying that Nick was very thought provoking, and I am sure you will find the same.

Thank you to our sponsor, Technology People. Transforming Technology Teams is what they do so please reach out if you are looking to build your IT & Digital teams or you are a candidate looking for a role of choice.

Please enjoy my interview with Nick Underhill.

My guest today is Chris Dougherty.

Chris is the Chief Executive Officer of Epilepsy Queensland Inc.

Chris is an executive leader with 15 years’ experience in both commercial and non-government / NFP organisations. Chris has been successful in leading transformation,  operational excellence programs and breathing new life and energy into team across industries and sectors. 
 
 Currently leading the wonderful work of Epilepsy Queensland in providing psycho-social supports to the 30,000 people living with epilepsy in Queensland right now, and the 3,000 people that will be diagnosed this year, and the next, and the next.

Chris has enjoyed a very interesting career to date here in Australia as well as overseas and I really appreciated his perspectives in leading a new team and the lessons from the past gained by being curious and somewhat adventurous!

Our Podcast is brought to you by Technology People. No one does it better in IT and Digital Recruitment. Thank you Guys! 

Please enjoy my interview with Chris Dougherty.
 

I invited Dundee to be a guest of mine as I have long been fascinated with his career path that is filled with much success in corporate, boxing, fitness and philanthropy.

A truly remarkable man on a mission to transform as many people as he can on a journey to better health with a set of values we admire in all our community heroes!

I should mention, he is my Boxing and fitness trainer and with all his genuine humility and grace, accepts he will not be producing a world champion in the shape of Mike Roddy any time soon!

I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about Dundee and hope you do as well.

Thank you to Technology People for your continued support of Career Journeys and Aspirations.

Please enjoy my interview with Dundee Kim. 

Linda is the Head of People & Culture at Affinity Education Group.

By way of background, Linda has a diverse career to date working across a variety of Industries including Education, Consulting, Property, Telecommunications and Recruitment. Highly proficient in HR Consulting, Coaching, Workplace Safety, and Learning Outcomes. 

Acknowledged as one of the leading HR Professionals in Australia today with one of the most recent accolades being awarded the 'HR Director of the Year' by the Australian Human Resources Institute.

I was delighted that Linda accepted my invitation to be a guest on Career Journeys and Aspirations. It has been a fascinating career to watch with many achievements professionally and personally along the way.

Thank you to our sponsor, Technology People for your ongoing support. The best IT & Digital Recruitment team in Australia!

Please enjoy my interview with Linda Carroll

My guest today is Bec Munn.

Bec is the Group Executive – People & Culture for Queensland Rail.

An amazing career to date with extensive national and global experience, operating in complex and large organisations. 

Bec is acknowledged for leading huge change projects, system implementations, large scale recruitment, complex IR and EA negotiations, organisational restructures and worked across a diverse range of industries, including hospitality, government, education, a statutory authority, law enforcement, manufacturing and mining services, including running the Victoria Police Academy and leading a corporate services team.
 
Along with managing significant budgets ($100million plus), projects ($50million plus), infrastructure projects ($25million plus, one can see that Bec has accomplished so much in her career to date.

Today’s podcast has been brought to you by Technology People Group. One of the fastest growing IT & Digital Recruitment organisations in Australia today. Thank you to the team for all your support!

I am genuinely excited to share my interview with Bec. I am sure you will enjoy hearing her story and what she has planned.

Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!

Enjoy.

Mike

Gayle is the Chief People & Property Officer at Auswide Bank.

An incredible career to date ,spanning over 4 decades across all aspects of human resources, recruitment, property portfolio management, branch operations, product development, documentation of policies and procedures, learning and development, regulatory licencing and compliance and management of product partners and service providers.
 
 During our conversation I soon realised the depth of knowledge and wisdom that Gayle brings to her profession. I am a fan and consider Gayle to be a leader who typically manages the balance so well accommodating the challenges of operational and strategic demands in the most complex areas of Finance.

Thank you Technology People for your ongoing support. In the world of IT and Digital Recruitment, no one does it better.

Please enjoy my interview with Gayle Job.

Rhian is the CIO of City Beach. A name most of us will be familiar with as they re one of the most prominent and successful retailers in Australia today .

Rhian is a very successful ICT leader, with over 20 years of experience. Accomplished across a diverse range of technology disciplines  and is regarded as one of the most authoritative specialists in the retail sector.

Rhian has a very relaxed and composed posture and I was keen to exp-lore his Leadership style as well as his take on his career and of course what his plans are.

Thank you to Technology People for your ongoing support for our podcast. It is truly appreciated.

Please enjoy my interview with Rhian Greenway.

Our guest today is Peter Ward. Peter who is the Chief Solutions Officer for MOQ Digital.

I have known Peter for some time and really appreciate his ‘can do and direct style’ which is the approach to his incredible success. Most of our audience will know Peter as ‘Wardy IT’. 

I took a excerpt of how Peter views himself and he states the following when describing his reason for being work wise.... ‘I create and build award winning businesses, taking business ideas that have legs and making them happen, from inception to something tangible that delivers results. I call them ‘red-wine ideas’. I lead teams that are individual experts in their field, all who share the same vision and commitment to success that I do. Patience and perseverance in business has helped me deliver world class projects to clients and take these ‘red-wine ideas’ and see them through to successful businesses.

Peter is a self-confessed cricket tragic, also requiring patience and perseverance! 

I enjoyed my interview with Peter. A great career journey so far and one to watch in terms of achieving his aspirations.

Please enjoy my conversation with Peter Ward. 

Her driving passion and interest is summed up in her own words – ‘It is all about the people, the ideas, the value of education and research being a life changing link to a better world. I am surrounded by opportunities to innovate, create, and solve problems. 

In my field of human resources and organisations, I get to live out among academic peers and their leading approaches about the way they are designed, operate and enable people to do their best work of their careers’.

Every conversation with Kirsty has been a rewarding one for me and I am sure you will feel the same way.

Please enjoy my conversation with Kirsty Dwyer.

I say special because I have been keen to explore existing and future careers in the world of IT and Digital as there is plenty happening in this world of ours. 

I have the pleasure of talking with senior leaders of across Queensland, Australia and overseas on all forms of transformation. Most of us are aware of the presence of Automation, AI, Cyber Security and Data analytics so I, thought it be a good idea to host a podcast with a difference. 

I have invited Dwayne Warman and Ian Wiltshire to join me demystifying some of the jargon we are all bombarded with and share some stories of how Dwayne and Ian have built their careers and crystal ball into the future.

Please enjoy my conversation with Dwayne Warman and Ian Wiltshire.

 In a very relaxed and entertaining chat, please enjoy my interview with Nathan Pilgrim.