Category: Leadership Q&A

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

1. On the job Darwin Symphony Orchestra is a fairly large not-for-profit – we turn over more than a million dollars a year. There are four paid staff and the rest of us are ‘freebies’. There are about 70-100 volunteers. The board sets all of the governance, we look at the finances and figure out […]

Jo Cavanagh is CEO of not-for-profit Family Life, the same organisation that helped her when she was a teenager experiencing difficulties of her own. Named one of the most influential women in Australia in 2014, Cavanagh is a passionate supporter of children’s rights. By Jacqueline Blondell, Photography by Damien Pleming Family Life CEO Jo Cavanagh […]

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 […]

By Susan Muldowney, Photography by Richard Whitfield Leadership Matters sat down with Chintan Gandhi, to find out the secret to his success as a young leader. 1. On the job I head up a team of account managers and marketing executives. In the past two years we’ve acquired three companies and I played a key role […]