Category: Leadership Q&A

Nick Xenophon is one of the most influential people in Australian politics. Once a lawyer with a practice dealing with workers’ compensation and private injury claims, the senator sees himself as a politician of the centre. Certainly his voting record in the Senate has been split between the two major parties. His foray into politics […]

THE COMEDIAN Rachel Berger Comedian, MC and author. We have no control over our politicians, the environment or the deputy commissioner of taxation. Reality is tough. Humour offers a manageable middle ground because it gives us the opportunity to laugh at reality; one Leunig cartoon generally has a more potent message than the entire newspaper. A manager who […]

Dawna Wright is a good person to have on side in a crisis. Her CV details a decade as an expert witness in fraud and litigation cases and 20 years as a forensic accounting specialist delving underneath the accounts for the numbers that count in tricky disputes. I am quite a competitive person generally so […]

Would you pay to see your boss jump out of a plane? Stephanie Lorenzo AIMe is counting on it. As the founder and chief executive of Project Futures, a not-for-profit organisation devoted to ending slavery and human trafficking in Cambodia and Australia, her high-energy approach to fundraising is paying dividends. Around the world, an estimated […]

Motorsport enthusiast Kristen Bailey takes scouts to the circuit to learn about life and leadership. BY SUSAN MULDOWNEY When Lord Baden-Powell founded the Boy Scouts at the beginning of the 20th century, he wouldn’t have expected motorsport to be an activity for adventurous youth – or that girls would also be behind the wheel. Kristen […]

Joining a start-up can be a career gamble, but Kate Vale has hit the jackpot twice. She was the first employee in Australia for both Google in 2002 and the online music streaming service Spotify in 2011. Google is now an online advertising powerhouse, but it was a different story when Vale joined. In 2002 […]

On the job I manage a team of 11. I’m responsible for HR functions, such as recruitment, industrial relations, performance management, plus ICT responsibilities and administration requirements, like insurance, procurement, purchasing and even events managements and fundraising. It can be hard to juggle each responsibility, so excellent time management and organisational skills are essential. Career progression […]

Jessica Barber moved from Canada to BHP Billiton’s Western Australian operations almost seven years ago. A natural leader, she wanted to become a mine manager before the age of 30. She ticked that box and is now a transformation lead at BHP Billiton Iron Ore in the Pilbara. Barber is also WA Manager of the Year and […]

Gold Medal Paralympian Chris Bond has learned a lot about leadership and overcoming adversity since he met AIM CEO David Pich, thenhead of marketing at CanTeen, a charity that supports young people with cancer. At the time, Bond was a 22-year-old member of the board. At 19, Bond became ill with a rare form of […]

1. On the job We’re involved in the preparation for travel. If you’re going on a holiday to Brazil, for example, you’ll require vaccines, perhaps medication to take with you, a travel kit and information to ensure you remain healthy overseas. The challenge is in delivering something that’s clinically appropriate and of great value within […]