Arete Podcast With Richard Triggs

If you crack change management then you’ve cracked a key component of business, so it was great to talk to Don McKenzie from the Adizes Institute about their methodology for collaborative leadership and the importance of understanding which part of the lifecycle a business is in. Don is the MD of the Adizes Australia operation and an active member of the global executive team, having previously built up his own businesses to achieve some amazing results. He also knows what it’s like to get stuck with a business at the wrong time of the lifecycle, so he shares some valuable lessons with us about how to do it and how not to do it. If you’re interested in learning about some of the nuances that often get ignored when people talk about leadership and change in business, then listen up on the Arete Podcast here! In this episode you will learn: -The underlying organisational challenges of a global business -The ‘recrimination phase’ explained -The works of Dr Adizes Ichak -How to systemise process and make co

We all need someone like Rex Urwin in our lives. The Managing Director of Mind Matters and an expert of all matters of the mind makes it his business to empower leaders and entrepreneurs to break through their limits and be their best selves. Unlike most business coaches out there, Rex sees beyond the rigid structures of the workplace. This conversation mainly focuses on how we can revolutionise the way we perform by gaining control of our breathing. Who knew that our thoughts are so inextricably linked to the way we breathe? Listen up for 45 minutes of free advice from a man who has already inspired major organisations such as Queensland Rail, Australia Post and Flight Centre. In this episode you will learn: The importance of good breathing Is the human brain an unlimited mechanism? How to smash glass ceilings How to combat limiting beliefs How to perceive obstacles to make them less harmful The link between breathing and anxiety The difference between breathing and ‘being breathed’ How to get out of th

What an incredible conversation I had with Paul Fairweather, an esteemed creative who gives masterclasses on how we can succeed in business by discovering our creative side. Paul has been a painter, architect, standup comedian, property developer... you name it, he’s done it! The common theme in Paul’s career is his confidence to get ideas out there. He quickly understood how to lose the fear that disempowers people in business every day. This episode of the Arete Podcast is basically our own private masterclass from Paul. By the end of it, you’ll have some great tips on how to lose that fear, and as Paul says, ‘how to show up in your own reality’. In this episode you will learn: -The sliding scale of pragmatism and creativity -The difference between creativity and artistry -How rejection in childhood eventually empowered Paul -The definition of ‘frisson’ -How self-awareness can be disempowering as we get older -How Paul took the bold move to change careers -How you might be creative but not know about it -

Alice Evans is a great example of an executive who knows how to broaden their horizons and innovate in whichever environment she finds herself in. Although her varied career has seen her move from physiotherapy to HR management and now to her present role as CEO of True Relationships and Reproductive Health, her life in senior management has been defined by her ability to grow with an organisation. It was great to pick her brains about the incredible strides True Relationships and Reproductive Health has made, bridging the public sector with the private sector to raise awareness and improve sexual health in areas that are traditionally conservative. She also gave some great insight about how she is using emerging technologies to empower vulnerable people, and how she has harnessed the power of networking and peer groups to make her into the executive she is today. In this episode you will learn: -How Alice’s executive team pivoted to create effective online content during lockdown -Ground Probe’s revolution

Ross has had an extraordinary journey getting here, having worked in 15 different countries around the world! He’s been in the information technology space for 30 years, working as a consultant for various big hitters such as IBM, Vodafone and Chevron, so he is certainly qualified to comment on the current state of the tech recruitment marketplace. We talked about all kinds of things, from the social issues relating to automation all the way through to the current state of the Australian marketplace. Could we be in prime position to capitalise on the shifting sands of the world economy? In this episode you will learn: - Why Ross was excited to come into the recruitment space - What it’s like to play international cricket in Belgium - Launching Three - How to answer candidate queries about the state of the market - How the Australian market is bouncing back post-COVID - The key trends in the market for the next 12 months - How cyber security and AI will be major growth areas - If zero-point singularity is a

In this special episode I interview my dear friend Colin Clerke. I was a coaching client of Colin’s before and started referring clients to him. A few years ago, we ran what was originally called Breakfast of Champions, and even prior to that called In Good Company. Colin has a very interesting personal and work history. In this episode, Colin shares his philosophies and wisdom about the world, how our subconscious affects us and how to manage it to allow us to reach our preferred reality. If you listen and take away and start to implement these in your lives the transformations that are possible will literally seem unbelievable. I am delighted to share this podcast episode with you. My first meeting and previous experiences with Colin. Colin’s history. "Loss is the only discovery of gain." "If you pin your life on your circumstances, you'll be in trouble. You rise with the good times. You'll fall with the bad times." "You are the creator of your life rather than a victim of circumstances." "Whatever you'r

In this episode, we have an interesting discussion with Rob Ashdown. He is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Clean Energy Transfer Fund (CETF), a company with the focus on realising the competitive advantage of renewable and clean energy in the energy mix within Australia. They concentrate on the National Electricity Market, taking a position on wind and battery energy storage projects. Rob shares his personal and professional journey into climate change markets and marketing that led him to start CETF, the strategies they use in the company, some hedge fund technicalities, and fun personal stories. Rob is also a member of my Champions’ Forum and shared his experiences with the group on this episode. What are Rob's current professional responsibilities? Rob runs a hedge fund called Clean Energy Transfer Fund "The anchor bias that a lot of people have is that renewables are expensive. Renewables are uncertain, renewables come with a lot of uncertainty and therefore cannot form a majority of the ele

In this episode, I interview Brad Shaw. He is currently the Director of InterFinancial Corporate Finance Limited, an independent corporate finance and growth consulting firm, specialising in the mid-market sector. Brad shares how their company is helping businesses find where their value creation is and deliver strategies to reach those goals and opportunities. We also get to know Brad’s passion in working with business, his career and experiences over the years, and his love for learning. Brad is also a member of my Champion’s Forum and shared his experiences with the group on this episode. Brad shares his professional responsibilities and more about his work as the Director of InterFinancial Corporate Finance Limited. The company mainly specialises in mergers and acquisitions, and some corporate advisory work for entrepreneurial businesses across Australia. Brad shares with us his personal background, specifically where he came from, his first failure early in his university days, his first job as a cadet

In this episode, I interview Paul Avey, the Chief Executive Officer of Concept Environmental Services, a provider of fluid process solutions to the resources, biogas, utilities and agricultural industries. Paul shares to us how he came to be passionate about leading people from his young formative years, to joining the Royal New Zealand Air Force, and his corporate journey that led to him becoming CEO of Concept. Paul is also a member of my Champion’s Forum and shared his experiences with the group on this episode. He also gave us a glimpse of how his organisation adapted to the challenges of the Coronavirus, and their strategic initiatives and process. Paul’s current professional responsibilities CEO of Concept Environmental Services for roughly 1 year now. His main responsibility is to solidify the business with what they've got now and take their core technology called Concept Tank and develop markets outside the coal and gas industry. "We've got a fantastic company, really good people, really stable f

In this episode, I interview Anthony and Melanie Baker, a husband and wife team who owns and manages Premier Building & Construction. This episode though is not entirely about their construction business. Anthony and Mel share with us their new business venture, the Essence of Harrogate, in detail. Essence of Harrogate is a gin production business they affectionately refer to as the cousin of the Spirit of Harrogate, producers ofSlingsby Gin. Anthony and Mel share how they came to start the business, their experiences with the product, their business strategies, and more interesting facts. What are Anthony and Melanie up to professionally in terms of their normal day jobs? Premier Building & Construction, the company owned and managed by the husband and wife team of Anthony and Melanie has been operating for 13 years. The company is licensed up and down the East Coast, from Queensland through to Victoria. Predominantly, the company undertakes commercial work like schools, healthcare, retail and industria

In this episode, I interview Nathan Psaila - National Sales Manager for RDO Equipment, agents for agricultural, construction and forestry equipment. He has been with the company for over 18 months now and is helping build a unique culture for himself, his sales team, and their clients, as well as ensuring he is leading them towards their goals, their vision, and the core values of the business. He shares in this episode his thoughts on self-reflection as an employee for the team and personal growth. He also shares his love for working with people and with the company. What are Nathan's current professional responsibilities? He works mainly to increase market share and increase overall turnover for the John Deere product line in their construction space. What's RDO Equipment's relationship with John Deere? RDO Equipment as a business is a US company. RDO Equipment Australia is a wholly owned subsidiary. The US entity invested in Australia 7-8 years ago into a company called Vanderfield which is synonymous w

In this episode, I interview Jo Boyce - CEO of Crookwell/Taralga Aged Care. Crookwell/Taralga Aged Care is a merger of 2 organisations responsible for 3 aged care facilities. Jo shares her experiences as the CEO of the company, about the facilities they handle, the communities where the facilities are, the company being an integral part of the communities, and her plans after exiting the company. Jo’s current professional responsibilities She is the current CEO of Crookwell/Taralga Aged Care Ltd, responsible for 3 care facilities: Viewhaven Lounge, Sunset Lodge, and Upper Lachlan Community Care The company merged from 2 organisations,Crockwell and Taralga, 12 years ago. "For a community, by the community" CTAC have been operating for about 45 years in Taralga and nearly 40 years in Crockwell. Her educational background is in business and studied in QUT's Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies (ACPNS) She’s been the CEO for 7 years and is exiting the role for personal reasons "Some roles yo

For the past 2 years I’ve been running the Arete Breakfast of Champions, small in-person breakfast meetings of executives from non-compete fields for peer-based support and exchange. These have been very successful and provided participants with great insights, support and opportunities. In light of the coronavirus situation (this episode was recorded at the end of March 2020) the need for such groups is greater than ever so, to keep the program going and as our way of supporting executives at this time, we’re now launching an online version that we’re calling the Arete Champions’ Forum. The idea for the Arete Champions’ Forum was inspired by one of the Breakfast of Champions participants who attributes more than $200 million in capital investment to connections he made through the group. He valued the peer support and wanted us to find an online format to continue it in, especially as he is now based in Perth. In this episode, Brett Jarman (Founder of Experts On Air, the producers of this podcast) and

This is one of a series of special episodes we’ve put together to assist executives while the coronavirus/Covid-19 situation is upon us. I asked Brett Jarman, executive producer at Experts On Air, the producers of our podcast, to jump on with me and drill down on the subject of executive recruitment. While many might think that the recruitment market has dried up at the moment (late March 2020 as we recorded the episode) we’re finding that the opposite is the case and that there’s actually a war for talent going on. We discuss the background to this and what we are doing to help organisations win that war. Most job companies are cutting back on frontline staff rather than executives The demand to recruit for senior roles is still continuing Companies and organisations still have mission-critical roles, even in times of crisis CEOs and HR heads are looking beyond the current logistical challenges and taking a longer-term view of the situation and what the needs of the company will be Times of uncertainty in

In this episode, I interview Vinod Muthanna - CEO and President of DBM Vircon. DBM Vircon is a merger of 3 companies and he leads the integration and the creation of a global practice with nine offices in 8 countries over four continents. He also shares his experiences throughout his career, past and present, and shares his thoughts on being a CEO and a servant leader to his team and business. DBM Vircon is a steel-detailing and building information modelling company DBM Vircon is a merger of three businesses - BDs Vircon, PDC Group, and Candraft VSI, and headquartered in Brisbane What type of work DBM Vircon does around the world. The company does projects with industrial and commercial strain, and high rises. It boasts 55 years of iconic projects around the world. How did the company come to acquire and work for these iconic projects? How the business stood out in North America versus the local competitors Vinod talks about his life in India. He migrated to Australia in 1988 for his MBA What attracted

This episode was recorded at the end of March 2020, just as severe restrictions were taking hold due to the Coronavirus/Covid-19 threat. While you might expect that job prospects are difficult for everyone at this time, the executive job market, especially for mission-critical roles is surprisingly vibrant at the moment. In this episode I chat with Brett Jarman, Executive Producer of the Experts On Air Podcast Network (and producer of the Arete Podcast) about the current situation and the prospects and opportunities for executives looking for a new role. We also get into the details of my successful Executive Career Coaching Program and why now is the perfect time for executives in the job market to use it. What is career coaching and advocacy? Who it is suitable for? Executives looking for a new role because they need one Executives looking for a new role because they are ready for a change Executives expecting to look for a new role in the next 6-12 months Suitable candidates for non-executive board r

In this episode of the Arete Podcast, Richard interviews Grant Moyle - the CEO of XLM Systems. XLM Systems helps mining businesses switch from mechanical solutions to IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) solutions for their operations. He shares his personal background, his career over the past years, his mindset on business investing and acquisitions, to employee recruitment and team handling, his current role as the CEO, his career and business aspirations, and more. Episode Highlights: What is IoT? XLM has been in existence in its current form for 2 years The business has just purchased a software development business, doubling in size to 12 currently on staff XLM is owned by Mitchell Group, a family-based investment firm established over 50 years ago Grant's portfolio before being XLM Systems's CEO - from his earlier experiences, to working in the field, working for Compaq, moving to London and starting as a data entry professional and moving up to an MD role, moving to Calcutta, India and starting a

In this episode, I’m chatting with Bill Petch, CEO of the Leukaemia Foundation of Australia, about his first CEO role and how he’s managing such an important sector during a time of exciting change. The charity is the only national charity dedicated to helping those with leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma and related blood disorders. Bill was first appointed CEO of the Queensland branch in 2012 and led an agency-wide program to improve organisational efficiency and effectiveness with a focus on impact and sustainability. Under his watch, the organisation released the very first ‘State of the Nation’ report on blood cancer in Australia and has put together the very first national task force that will improve equity of access to current treatments and new emerging therapies to improve survivability. Episode highlights: Who Bill is and his current professional responsibilities Big moments for the foundation recently - released first ‘State of the Nation’ report on blood cancer and put together the first nati

In this episode I chat to Mark Denning, owner and managing director of Fallon Solutions about risks he’s taken over the years, investing in training for staff and networking throughout Australia and across the pond in the US. Brisbane-based Fallon Solutions provides B2C and B2B trade services to customers in South East Queensland, including electrical, plumbing, air conditioning, carpentry and all that comes with it. The company employs more than 170 permanent staff, has 100 service vehicles and a pool of talent ready to jump in to help continue its reputation of being the most responsive business in their field. Since buying the business in 2005, Mark, who has run businesses of $40m through to $150m, has made changes to the business structure that has resulted in an impressive 1500% increase in revenue. Episode Highlights: Mark’s professional responsibilities - owner and MD of Fallon Solutions, providing trade services in B2C and B2B sectors How Mark came to be a business owner The scope of Fallon S

In this episode I chat to David Carter, CEO Suncorp Banking & Wealth about some of the issues facing the banking industry and the challenge of restoring confidence for customers and employees. Suncorp is the largest of the Queensland-listed public companies, with more than 1.1 million customers. David, who has a team of around 650+, is publicly thought of as the person who runs the bank, but his duties don’t stop there. He’s also a board member of Queensland Ballet and Deputy Chair of Australian Banking Association with a strong background in financial services, including banking, wealth management and life insurance. Episode highlights: David’s current range of responsibilities - CEO of Banking and Wealth at Suncorp, board member of Queensland Ballet and Deputy Chair of Australian Bankers’ Association A look at Queensland Ballet, what they do well and how David got on the board David’s views on being on a not-for-profit board - understanding the different nature and dynamics of a not-for-profit board