The High Flyers Podcast with Vidit Agarwal Archiv
286 Episoden
1 Stunde 9 Minuten
We're joined by Holly Kramer in a very rare public interview appearance. Holly is an experienced non-executive Director and Chief Executive. She is on the boards of leading companies such as Woolworths, ANZ, Fonterra and more. Holly is the former CEO of Best & Less and has more than 25 years’ experience in general management, marketing and sales, including roles at the Ford Motor Company (in the US and Australia), Telstra Corporation and Pacific Brands. She was born in Billings, Montana in the US and currently lives in the southern highlands, just outside Sydney in Australia.
***
Learn about Holly’s sunrise in Billings, Montana with a deep connection to nature, and the influences of her parents -- her dad a doctor and mum having scholarships to Ivy League schools but giving that up to be a stay at home mum to Holly and her brother.
In this candid conversation, we cover Holly’s relationship with money growing up, the fascinating story behind her move to Australia post university and the link with the Ford Motor Company, how she met her husband, Transition from the car industry at Ford to telecommunications at Telstra as marketing director (+ working for previous guest Daniel Petre in between those roles).
Particular areas that stand out include:
Learnings from a former prominent public company CEO and recollecting fascinating stories of dealing with conflict
How Holly learnt the importance of understanding people, building relationships, having open communication.
Leaving Telstra to join Best & Less when it was struggling, and why she wanted to manage a P&L and a business end to end, rather than just a function
The incredible role numerous mentors have played in opening doors for her career moves, often in sectors that she is new to
Reflecting back on 2012 and setting up foundations for a successful board career since which has included AMP, Australia Post, Woolworths, ANZ, and more
The desire to build a family
Rare inside view of how boards operate — aspects that a lot of you may not know about
Whether she has built more courage as she has become more senior in her career.
And why the most challenging experience she had was my time on the AMP board.
And her current focus on helping companies with their climate and sustainability strategy and why that’s important.
It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!
***
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Get in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly here
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve!
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show!
***
The High Flyers Podcast re-imagines the traditional notion of a "high flyer" and is a premier product of the Curiosity Center. The podcast showcases the journeys of relatable role models from their sunrise (childhood) to today. Listeners love the unique and direct inside access to these relatable role models, companies and industries in every walk of life to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.
150+ guests have joined Vidit Agarwal on the show from around the world including Heads of state, Olympians, Business and cultural leaders, Social Advocates, Investors, Entrepreneurs and more.
The Curiosity Center is widely recognised as a leading on-demand intelligence network for founders, investors, executives and students with an audience of over 200,000 across this podcast + Association Series Newsletter and 7-Star Events. Find out more at www.curiositycenter.xyz
***
***
Learn about Holly’s sunrise in Billings, Montana with a deep connection to nature, and the influences of her parents -- her dad a doctor and mum having scholarships to Ivy League schools but giving that up to be a stay at home mum to Holly and her brother.
In this candid conversation, we cover Holly’s relationship with money growing up, the fascinating story behind her move to Australia post university and the link with the Ford Motor Company, how she met her husband, Transition from the car industry at Ford to telecommunications at Telstra as marketing director (+ working for previous guest Daniel Petre in between those roles).
Particular areas that stand out include:
Learnings from a former prominent public company CEO and recollecting fascinating stories of dealing with conflict
How Holly learnt the importance of understanding people, building relationships, having open communication.
Leaving Telstra to join Best & Less when it was struggling, and why she wanted to manage a P&L and a business end to end, rather than just a function
The incredible role numerous mentors have played in opening doors for her career moves, often in sectors that she is new to
Reflecting back on 2012 and setting up foundations for a successful board career since which has included AMP, Australia Post, Woolworths, ANZ, and more
The desire to build a family
Rare inside view of how boards operate — aspects that a lot of you may not know about
Whether she has built more courage as she has become more senior in her career.
And why the most challenging experience she had was my time on the AMP board.
And her current focus on helping companies with their climate and sustainability strategy and why that’s important.
It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!
***
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Get in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly here
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve!
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show!
***
The High Flyers Podcast re-imagines the traditional notion of a "high flyer" and is a premier product of the Curiosity Center. The podcast showcases the journeys of relatable role models from their sunrise (childhood) to today. Listeners love the unique and direct inside access to these relatable role models, companies and industries in every walk of life to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.
150+ guests have joined Vidit Agarwal on the show from around the world including Heads of state, Olympians, Business and cultural leaders, Social Advocates, Investors, Entrepreneurs and more.
The Curiosity Center is widely recognised as a leading on-demand intelligence network for founders, investors, executives and students with an audience of over 200,000 across this podcast + Association Series Newsletter and 7-Star Events. Find out more at www.curiositycenter.xyz
***
![[Replay] Anil Sabharwal: Multicultural roots to leading THREE of Google's nine BILLION active user products!](https://cdn.podcastcms.de/images/shows/175/2683848/s/638351446/replay-anil-sabharwal-multicultural-roots-to-leading-three-of-googles-nine-billion-active-user-products.png)
1 Stunde 9 Minuten
This is a replay of our very popular episode with Anil Sabharwal (one of his only public interviews to date!). Anil is Vice President of Product Management at Google. The company has nine products that have achieved the coveted Billion active users goal, and Anil has built and led three of them in Google Photos, Google Chrome and Google Drive. He is currently heading up a new product in Fitbit.
****
In this (replay) episode #118 w Anil Sabharwal learn about:
Sunrise in Canada with Indian roots
Reflections on his early influences and leaving home at age 17
Highlights / Learnings from 10-15 year career prior to joining Google
Moving to Australia in 2006
Achieving momentum in early days at Google
Unlocking skills working across new markets, segments and industries in building billion user products and becoming globally recognised product leader
Building Google Photos into a billion user product
Leadership responsibility across product, design and engineering
Promotion to managing Google Chrome, ChromeOS and Communications
Product DNA differences between Photos and Chrome
Transition from Chrome to a blank canvas and prioritising values
Why is the product function king (or queen) at Google?
Key metrics to monitor in your product function
Make a few people very happy vs a lot of people semi happy
Success at 50
It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!
***
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Get in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly here
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve!
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show!
***
The High Flyers Podcast is a global TOP ten ranked show that re-imagines the traditional notion of a "high flyer". The podcast showcases the journeys of relatable role models from their sunrise (childhood) to today. Listeners love the unique and direct inside access to these relatable role models, companies and industries in every walk of life to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.
150+ guests have joined Vidit Agarwal on the show from around the world including Heads of state, Olympians, Business and cultural leaders, Social Advocates, Investors, Entrepreneurs and more.
The Curiosity Center is widely recognised as a leading on-demand intelligence network for founders, investors, executives and students with an audience of over 200,000 across this podcast + Association Series Newsletter and 7-Star Events. Find out more at www.curiositycenter.xyz
***
****
In this (replay) episode #118 w Anil Sabharwal learn about:
Sunrise in Canada with Indian roots
Reflections on his early influences and leaving home at age 17
Highlights / Learnings from 10-15 year career prior to joining Google
Moving to Australia in 2006
Achieving momentum in early days at Google
Unlocking skills working across new markets, segments and industries in building billion user products and becoming globally recognised product leader
Building Google Photos into a billion user product
Leadership responsibility across product, design and engineering
Promotion to managing Google Chrome, ChromeOS and Communications
Product DNA differences between Photos and Chrome
Transition from Chrome to a blank canvas and prioritising values
Why is the product function king (or queen) at Google?
Key metrics to monitor in your product function
Make a few people very happy vs a lot of people semi happy
Success at 50
It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!
***
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Get in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly here
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve!
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show!
***
The High Flyers Podcast is a global TOP ten ranked show that re-imagines the traditional notion of a "high flyer". The podcast showcases the journeys of relatable role models from their sunrise (childhood) to today. Listeners love the unique and direct inside access to these relatable role models, companies and industries in every walk of life to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.
150+ guests have joined Vidit Agarwal on the show from around the world including Heads of state, Olympians, Business and cultural leaders, Social Advocates, Investors, Entrepreneurs and more.
The Curiosity Center is widely recognised as a leading on-demand intelligence network for founders, investors, executives and students with an audience of over 200,000 across this podcast + Association Series Newsletter and 7-Star Events. Find out more at www.curiositycenter.xyz
***
1 Stunde 10 Minuten
We're joined by Sam Sicilia in a very rare public interview appearance. Sam is the Chief Investment Officer for the multi-billion dollar superannuation Fund (Retirement savings) Hostplus, often referred to as a 'giant' in the industry with around 1.7 million members and over $100b funds under management.
***
Learn about Sam’s sunrise in Melbourne, Australia and the influences of his parents, who migrated from Sicily to Melbourne in the 1950s. Learnings from his Father who worked in heavy metal forging for aircrafts, heavy trucks, shaping hot steel and Mother was a seamstress. Sam refers to his childhood as “Economically poor but culturally rich”
In this candid conversation, we cover his goals at age 18 to become an astronomer but then pursuing academia and a Phd in Theoretical physics. Sam shared his transition from academia to investment consulting thanks to a phone call from someone who saw him teach and supporting him to succeed. Our host Vidit asked him about his unique views on Balancing people/relationships with diligence/theory in the investment world.
Particular areas that stand out are:
Reflecting on 2008 GFC and Sam starting in CIO role at Hostplus (when they lost a Billion dollars in assets, going from 7.6B to 6.4B!)
Why he believes in Venture Capital and the ability to tolerate illiquidity in private equity
If he had to redesign the VC model structure today on a white sheet of paper, how would he do it?
Portfolio construction within private equity: buyout vs VC?
Fee structures with VC funds when interacting with super fund money
Specialised vs focused funds
And be sure to listen in on the non work related moments in Sam’s story including his life changing learning from doing a 42 days walk in Spain with his wife in 2019, his biggest area of learning over the next 6 months and the person who inspires him the most today.
It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!
***
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Get in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly here
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve!
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show!
***
The High Flyers Podcast re-imagines the traditional notion of a "high flyer" and is a premier product of the Curiosity Center. The podcast showcases the journeys of relatable role models from their sunrise (childhood) to today. Listeners love the unique and direct inside access to these relatable role models, companies and industries in every walk of life to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.
150+ guests have joined Vidit Agarwal on the show from around the world including Heads of state, Olympians, Business and cultural leaders, Social Advocates, Investors, Entrepreneurs and more.
The Curiosity Center is widely recognised as a leading on-demand intelligence network for founders, investors, executives and students with an audience of over 200,000 across this podcast + Association Series Newsletter and 7-Star Events. Find out more at www.curiositycenter.xyz
***
***
Learn about Sam’s sunrise in Melbourne, Australia and the influences of his parents, who migrated from Sicily to Melbourne in the 1950s. Learnings from his Father who worked in heavy metal forging for aircrafts, heavy trucks, shaping hot steel and Mother was a seamstress. Sam refers to his childhood as “Economically poor but culturally rich”
In this candid conversation, we cover his goals at age 18 to become an astronomer but then pursuing academia and a Phd in Theoretical physics. Sam shared his transition from academia to investment consulting thanks to a phone call from someone who saw him teach and supporting him to succeed. Our host Vidit asked him about his unique views on Balancing people/relationships with diligence/theory in the investment world.
Particular areas that stand out are:
Reflecting on 2008 GFC and Sam starting in CIO role at Hostplus (when they lost a Billion dollars in assets, going from 7.6B to 6.4B!)
Why he believes in Venture Capital and the ability to tolerate illiquidity in private equity
If he had to redesign the VC model structure today on a white sheet of paper, how would he do it?
Portfolio construction within private equity: buyout vs VC?
Fee structures with VC funds when interacting with super fund money
Specialised vs focused funds
And be sure to listen in on the non work related moments in Sam’s story including his life changing learning from doing a 42 days walk in Spain with his wife in 2019, his biggest area of learning over the next 6 months and the person who inspires him the most today.
It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!
***
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Get in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly here
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve!
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show!
***
The High Flyers Podcast re-imagines the traditional notion of a "high flyer" and is a premier product of the Curiosity Center. The podcast showcases the journeys of relatable role models from their sunrise (childhood) to today. Listeners love the unique and direct inside access to these relatable role models, companies and industries in every walk of life to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.
150+ guests have joined Vidit Agarwal on the show from around the world including Heads of state, Olympians, Business and cultural leaders, Social Advocates, Investors, Entrepreneurs and more.
The Curiosity Center is widely recognised as a leading on-demand intelligence network for founders, investors, executives and students with an audience of over 200,000 across this podcast + Association Series Newsletter and 7-Star Events. Find out more at www.curiositycenter.xyz
***
1 Stunde 7 Minuten
To celebrate this milestone episode 150, we're joined by Simon Holmes à Court in a very rare public interview appearance, and we believe his first about his own story!
Simon has stood at the intersection of community, climate action and politics since May 2007 when he began chairing the community cooperative that set out to build Australia’s first community-owned wind farm. Fifteen years later to the month, at the May 2022 national federal election, one of this former Silicon Valley dot com engineer’s startups, Climate 200, harnessed community, climate awareness and politics to play a major role in shaking up Australia’s tired old political order. He is an energy analyst, clean-tech investor, climate philanthropist, director of the Smart Energy Council, The Superpower Institute and more.
***
Episode guiding points:
This conversation is truly wide ranging and covers a lot of ground. We discuss his upbringing in Perth, Australia with 3 siblings and his parents being on the road a lot, and his father’s South African heritage. Simon reflects on his boarding school experience in Geelong, near Melbourne and how that was physically and emotionally character building.
Hear about his aspirations at age 18: set up a computer parts company with a friend to upgrade memory in people’s computers, Studying law but then loved the student organisation AIESEC and going down a different path. Our host, Vidit also was involved with AIESEC during my university studies and couldn’t speak more highly of the training it gave me.
Particular aspects of this conversation that stood out to us include:
Simon and his wife left the US on sept 10th 2001 with their first child and moving back to Australia, and living in Melbourne (cautious after his boarding school scars)
Simon’s discovery of renewable energy during his 14 years scaling a company called Observant: Building remote monitoring technical solutions, and precision water management for farmers and their family cattle stations in the Northern Territory
How leadership of the Hepburn Community Farm Project gave Simon exposure to everything from The capital raising, the media, the politics, the engineering side, the commercials of building environmental, on ground engagement
The fascinating story of The kids off naru project, the Sydney opera house and a horse race and Simon learning the power of Twitter through this
Learning clarity of communication and present information in a way that makes people engaged and willing to listen and not switch off?
Two concepts that we haven’t stopped thinking about since this conversation is one: First The trim Tab from Buckminster Fuller (listen in to hear this context, small things like a trim tab can drive large scale changes), and second the Henry David Thoreau quote “There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root.”
So be a trim tab and a root striker.
Thank you for your support of the 150 episodes to date, this has been the most impactful and enjoyable work our host Vidit Agarwal has done in his life, and is excited for what’s ahead. As always, his details are in the show notes and he loves hearing from you.
It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy
***
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Get in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly here
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve!
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show!
***
The High Flyers Podcast re-imagines the traditional notion of a "high flyer" and is a premier product of the Curiosity Center. The podcast showcases the journeys of relatable role models from their sunrise (childhood) to today. Listeners love the unique and direct inside access to these relatable role models, companies and industries in every walk of life to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.
150+ guests have joined Vidit Agarwal on the show from around the world including Heads of state, Olympians, Business and cultural leaders, Social Advocates, Investors, Entrepreneurs and more.
The Curiosity Center is widely recognised as a leading on-demand intelligence network for founders, investors, executives and students with an audience of over 200,000 across this podcast + Association Series Newsletter and 7-Star Events. Find out more at www.curiositycenter.xyz
***
Simon has stood at the intersection of community, climate action and politics since May 2007 when he began chairing the community cooperative that set out to build Australia’s first community-owned wind farm. Fifteen years later to the month, at the May 2022 national federal election, one of this former Silicon Valley dot com engineer’s startups, Climate 200, harnessed community, climate awareness and politics to play a major role in shaking up Australia’s tired old political order. He is an energy analyst, clean-tech investor, climate philanthropist, director of the Smart Energy Council, The Superpower Institute and more.
***
Episode guiding points:
This conversation is truly wide ranging and covers a lot of ground. We discuss his upbringing in Perth, Australia with 3 siblings and his parents being on the road a lot, and his father’s South African heritage. Simon reflects on his boarding school experience in Geelong, near Melbourne and how that was physically and emotionally character building.
Hear about his aspirations at age 18: set up a computer parts company with a friend to upgrade memory in people’s computers, Studying law but then loved the student organisation AIESEC and going down a different path. Our host, Vidit also was involved with AIESEC during my university studies and couldn’t speak more highly of the training it gave me.
Particular aspects of this conversation that stood out to us include:
Simon and his wife left the US on sept 10th 2001 with their first child and moving back to Australia, and living in Melbourne (cautious after his boarding school scars)
Simon’s discovery of renewable energy during his 14 years scaling a company called Observant: Building remote monitoring technical solutions, and precision water management for farmers and their family cattle stations in the Northern Territory
How leadership of the Hepburn Community Farm Project gave Simon exposure to everything from The capital raising, the media, the politics, the engineering side, the commercials of building environmental, on ground engagement
The fascinating story of The kids off naru project, the Sydney opera house and a horse race and Simon learning the power of Twitter through this
Learning clarity of communication and present information in a way that makes people engaged and willing to listen and not switch off?
Two concepts that we haven’t stopped thinking about since this conversation is one: First The trim Tab from Buckminster Fuller (listen in to hear this context, small things like a trim tab can drive large scale changes), and second the Henry David Thoreau quote “There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root.”
So be a trim tab and a root striker.
Thank you for your support of the 150 episodes to date, this has been the most impactful and enjoyable work our host Vidit Agarwal has done in his life, and is excited for what’s ahead. As always, his details are in the show notes and he loves hearing from you.
It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy
***
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Get in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly here
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve!
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show!
***
The High Flyers Podcast re-imagines the traditional notion of a "high flyer" and is a premier product of the Curiosity Center. The podcast showcases the journeys of relatable role models from their sunrise (childhood) to today. Listeners love the unique and direct inside access to these relatable role models, companies and industries in every walk of life to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.
150+ guests have joined Vidit Agarwal on the show from around the world including Heads of state, Olympians, Business and cultural leaders, Social Advocates, Investors, Entrepreneurs and more.
The Curiosity Center is widely recognised as a leading on-demand intelligence network for founders, investors, executives and students with an audience of over 200,000 across this podcast + Association Series Newsletter and 7-Star Events. Find out more at www.curiositycenter.xyz
***
55 Minuten
We're joined by Barnaby Marshall, Partner at Icehouse Ventures and Vignesh Kumar, Co-Managing Partner at GD1 in this special "round table musings" demystifying the fast growing New Zealand tech ecosystem.
***
Episode guiding points:
Think of this conversation as a balcony view of the state of play in the tech ecosystem in NZ and a round table of musings. We deep dive into various aspects including Barnaby and Vignesh’s varied and interesting entry points into Venture Capital and how their prior experiences in different domains helped; Unpacking the historical and current state of play of the NZ Venture ecosystem (Generation 3 as Barnaby refers to it) and examples of the success stories to date such as TradeMe, PushPay, Xero, LanzaTech, Rocketlab etc. We dive into the thesis and fund construction of GD1 and Icehouse, their Investment Committee decision making process (this one is particularly relevant for founders looking to raise capital from VC’s like Icehouse and GD1).
We review the cultural change starting to happen in NZ and What would Barnaby and Vignesh change if they had a magic wand.
And you may find their areas of learning for the next 6 months intriguing, our host Vidit for one have exactly those points on his list.
It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!
***
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Get in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly here
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve!
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show!
***
The High Flyers Podcast re-imagines the traditional notion of a "high flyer" and is a premier product of the Curiosity Center. The podcast showcases the journeys of relatable role models from their sunrise (childhood) to today. Listeners love the unique and direct inside access to these relatable role models, companies and industries in every walk of life to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.
145+ guests have joined Vidit Agarwal on the show from around the world including Heads of state, Olympians, Business and cultural leaders, social Advocates, Investors, Entrepreneurs and more.
The Curiosity Center is widely recognised as a leading on-demand intelligence network for founders, investors, executives and students with an audience of over 200,000 across this podcast + Association Series Newsletter and 7-Star Events. Find out more at www.curiositycenter.xyz
***
***
Episode guiding points:
Think of this conversation as a balcony view of the state of play in the tech ecosystem in NZ and a round table of musings. We deep dive into various aspects including Barnaby and Vignesh’s varied and interesting entry points into Venture Capital and how their prior experiences in different domains helped; Unpacking the historical and current state of play of the NZ Venture ecosystem (Generation 3 as Barnaby refers to it) and examples of the success stories to date such as TradeMe, PushPay, Xero, LanzaTech, Rocketlab etc. We dive into the thesis and fund construction of GD1 and Icehouse, their Investment Committee decision making process (this one is particularly relevant for founders looking to raise capital from VC’s like Icehouse and GD1).
We review the cultural change starting to happen in NZ and What would Barnaby and Vignesh change if they had a magic wand.
And you may find their areas of learning for the next 6 months intriguing, our host Vidit for one have exactly those points on his list.
It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!
***
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Get in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly here
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve!
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show!
***
The High Flyers Podcast re-imagines the traditional notion of a "high flyer" and is a premier product of the Curiosity Center. The podcast showcases the journeys of relatable role models from their sunrise (childhood) to today. Listeners love the unique and direct inside access to these relatable role models, companies and industries in every walk of life to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.
145+ guests have joined Vidit Agarwal on the show from around the world including Heads of state, Olympians, Business and cultural leaders, social Advocates, Investors, Entrepreneurs and more.
The Curiosity Center is widely recognised as a leading on-demand intelligence network for founders, investors, executives and students with an audience of over 200,000 across this podcast + Association Series Newsletter and 7-Star Events. Find out more at www.curiositycenter.xyz
***
1 Stunde 3 Minuten
Martijn Wilder is the Founder & CEO of Pollination, a global climate change advisory and investment firm. He is also the chair of the $15B National Reconstruction Fund set up by the Australian Government and was previously Head of Baker & McKenzie’s global climate law and finance practice for twenty years working with governments and bodies to accelerate the global net zero transition.
***
Episode guiding points:
Learn about Martijn’s sunrise in Sydney, Australia being of British and dutch heritage with his parents having immigrated to Aus in their early 20’s and a strong family history of working in the book publishing industry, and influences of his 2 younger sisters. You may be surprised to learn that Martijn wanted to be a vet at age 18, and fell into law and business.
Questions our host, Vidit exploring with Martijn include: His Honours thesis at university in economics focused on antarctic legal issues, What made him join and then work at the law firm, Baker Mackenzie for 20 years, How he rose up to partner and his learnings on backing people, climate solutions projects he worked on around the world including buying and selling UN sanctioned carbon credits in 2004, Helping FIJI host the COP, attended by heads of countries, meeting indigenous leaders for regenerative agriculture projects and more. Our host, Vidit was particularly fascinated by how some of these projects actually originate and the realities behind the scenes. We cover Martijn’s journey to being on and chairing various non for profit and government boards including the clean energy finance corporation, the australian renewable agency and most recently being appointed to chair $15B National Reconstruction Fund set up by the Australian Government.
Important aspects of his story that are intriguing include the role his wife Jane has played in his life, and of course how and why he decided to set up Pollination nearly 4 years ago now, their thesis, the first 12 months of setting it up with COVID hitting, Raising capital and learn about Martijn’s systems and habits to manage his time and his most recommended newsletter he religiously reads.
It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!
***
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Get in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly here
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve!
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show!
***
The High Flyers Podcast re-imagines the traditional notion of a "high flyer" and is a premier product of the Curiosity Center. The podcast showcases the journeys of relatable role models from their sunrise (childhood) to today. Listeners love the unique and direct inside access to these relatable role models, companies and industries in every walk of life to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.
145+ guests have joined Vidit Agarwal on the show from around the world including Heads of state, Olympians, Business and cultural leaders, social Advocates, Investors, Entrepreneurs and more.
The Curiosity Center is widely recognised as a leading on-demand intelligence network for founders, investors, executives and students with an audience of over 200,000 across this podcast + Association Series Newsletter and 7-Star Events. Find out more at www.curiositycenter.xyz
***
***
Episode guiding points:
Learn about Martijn’s sunrise in Sydney, Australia being of British and dutch heritage with his parents having immigrated to Aus in their early 20’s and a strong family history of working in the book publishing industry, and influences of his 2 younger sisters. You may be surprised to learn that Martijn wanted to be a vet at age 18, and fell into law and business.
Questions our host, Vidit exploring with Martijn include: His Honours thesis at university in economics focused on antarctic legal issues, What made him join and then work at the law firm, Baker Mackenzie for 20 years, How he rose up to partner and his learnings on backing people, climate solutions projects he worked on around the world including buying and selling UN sanctioned carbon credits in 2004, Helping FIJI host the COP, attended by heads of countries, meeting indigenous leaders for regenerative agriculture projects and more. Our host, Vidit was particularly fascinated by how some of these projects actually originate and the realities behind the scenes. We cover Martijn’s journey to being on and chairing various non for profit and government boards including the clean energy finance corporation, the australian renewable agency and most recently being appointed to chair $15B National Reconstruction Fund set up by the Australian Government.
Important aspects of his story that are intriguing include the role his wife Jane has played in his life, and of course how and why he decided to set up Pollination nearly 4 years ago now, their thesis, the first 12 months of setting it up with COVID hitting, Raising capital and learn about Martijn’s systems and habits to manage his time and his most recommended newsletter he religiously reads.
It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!
***
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Get in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly here
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve!
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show!
***
The High Flyers Podcast re-imagines the traditional notion of a "high flyer" and is a premier product of the Curiosity Center. The podcast showcases the journeys of relatable role models from their sunrise (childhood) to today. Listeners love the unique and direct inside access to these relatable role models, companies and industries in every walk of life to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.
145+ guests have joined Vidit Agarwal on the show from around the world including Heads of state, Olympians, Business and cultural leaders, social Advocates, Investors, Entrepreneurs and more.
The Curiosity Center is widely recognised as a leading on-demand intelligence network for founders, investors, executives and students with an audience of over 200,000 across this podcast + Association Series Newsletter and 7-Star Events. Find out more at www.curiositycenter.xyz
***
50 Minuten
Sarah Hamilton is the co-founder of Bellabox, Asia Pacific’s market leading beauty box that she co-founded with her twin sister, and raised investment from leading investors including SquarePeg. Sarah is now an investor, and advisor to many of the leading companies and CEOs in the consumer and beauty industry, and a graduate of the Wade Institute VC catalyst program!
***
Episode guiding points:
Learn about Sarah’s sunrise in Geelong, just outside Melbourne, Australia being one of 4 kids and the influences of her dad, who ran a carpet and furniture store and mum who worked in the business and loved the commerce and numbers.
Questions our host, Vidit enjoyed exploring with Sarah include: The role of growing up in an entrepreneurial household and how that led to her start in a career in finance roles in the magazine and advertising industry in Australia, and then London and New York, the business model of that industry and key differences between the UK and US markets, how and why she decided to come back to Melbourne and start Bella Box with her twin sister, how they outlived 11 competitors in the beauty subscription category, early days of social media and low customer acquisition cost and learnings from raising venture capital investment.
We cover her journey to becoming an angel investor and the role the VC catalyst program from Wade Institute played in providing practical learnings, and the ins and outs of investing + Vidit was fascinated by Sarah’s reflections on what she thinks differentiates venture capital and private equity, her transition from founder to an advisory and measuring times per month rather than times per week. Listen in for the full context on this one!
It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!
***
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve!
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show!
***
The High Flyers Podcast re-imagines the traditional notion of a "high flyer" and is a premier product of the Curiosity Center. The podcast showcases the journeys of relatable role models from their sunrise (childhood) to today. Listeners love the unique and direct inside access to these relatable role models, companies and industries in every walk of life to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.
145+ guests have joined Vidit Agarwal on the show from around the world including Heads of state, Olympians, Business and cultural leaders, social Advocates, Investors, Entrepreneurs and more.
The Curiosity Center is widely recognised as a leading on-demand intelligence network for founders, investors, executives and students with an audience of over 200,000 across this podcast + Association Series Newsletter and 7-Star Events. Find out more at www.curiositycenter.xyz
The Wade Institute is a leading centre for entrepreneurial training based at Ormond College, the University of Melbourne and they deliver education programs to accelerate learning, creation and connection, with facilitators being many of previous guests on this very podcast!
***
***
Episode guiding points:
Learn about Sarah’s sunrise in Geelong, just outside Melbourne, Australia being one of 4 kids and the influences of her dad, who ran a carpet and furniture store and mum who worked in the business and loved the commerce and numbers.
Questions our host, Vidit enjoyed exploring with Sarah include: The role of growing up in an entrepreneurial household and how that led to her start in a career in finance roles in the magazine and advertising industry in Australia, and then London and New York, the business model of that industry and key differences between the UK and US markets, how and why she decided to come back to Melbourne and start Bella Box with her twin sister, how they outlived 11 competitors in the beauty subscription category, early days of social media and low customer acquisition cost and learnings from raising venture capital investment.
We cover her journey to becoming an angel investor and the role the VC catalyst program from Wade Institute played in providing practical learnings, and the ins and outs of investing + Vidit was fascinated by Sarah’s reflections on what she thinks differentiates venture capital and private equity, her transition from founder to an advisory and measuring times per month rather than times per week. Listen in for the full context on this one!
It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!
***
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve!
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show!
***
The High Flyers Podcast re-imagines the traditional notion of a "high flyer" and is a premier product of the Curiosity Center. The podcast showcases the journeys of relatable role models from their sunrise (childhood) to today. Listeners love the unique and direct inside access to these relatable role models, companies and industries in every walk of life to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.
145+ guests have joined Vidit Agarwal on the show from around the world including Heads of state, Olympians, Business and cultural leaders, social Advocates, Investors, Entrepreneurs and more.
The Curiosity Center is widely recognised as a leading on-demand intelligence network for founders, investors, executives and students with an audience of over 200,000 across this podcast + Association Series Newsletter and 7-Star Events. Find out more at www.curiositycenter.xyz
The Wade Institute is a leading centre for entrepreneurial training based at Ormond College, the University of Melbourne and they deliver education programs to accelerate learning, creation and connection, with facilitators being many of previous guests on this very podcast!
***
59 Minuten
Toby Hall is an experienced not-for-profit and healthcare executive, having most recently served for 8 years as CEO of St Vincent’s Health Australia, Australia’s second largest healthcare provider, until February 2022. Prior to St Vincent’s, Toby was the CEO of Mission Australia for nearly a decade, and during his time at Mission, Toby oversaw the group’s contribution to the formation of Goodstart Early Learning. Toby maintained involvement with Goodstart through a seat on the Board until 2014.
Prior to Mission Australia, Toby was COO of World Vision Australia and before that, CEO of South Taranaki District Council. Toby is a director of UNICEF Australia, chaired ASX listed Sterihealth prior to delisting and was a director of Working Links the largest welfare to work provider to the U.K government. He is a qualified accountant with an MBA.
***
Episode guiding points:
Learn about Toby’s sunrise in Oxford, England with his father being head of physics at Essex university and mother a music teacher. I was fascinated to hear Toby share his influences including the different role English grammar played in high school and moving to South Africa at age 8, to then working in the music industry and being fascinated by the fashion industry but falling into finance.
Questions our host, Vidit enjoyed exploring with Toby include: What were the key things he took away and had to delete from his time working at the then prominent investment bank, Solomon Brothers, How to create an environment of allowing team members to be vulnerable, the importance of realising that people aren’t just brining themselves to work, they’re bringing their whole life.
Vidit asked Toby about the interview process to get his CEO roles at well known organisations like Mission Australia and St Vincents Health and listen in for his candid views on the transition from operational roles to board and chair roles, and what is the key difference, you might be surprised by the answer.
It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!
***
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve!
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show!
***
The High Flyers Podcast re-imagines the traditional notion of a "high flyer" and is a premier product of the Curiosity Center. The podcast showcases the journeys of relatable role models from their sunrise (childhood) to today. Listeners love the unique and direct inside access to these relatable role models, companies and industries in every walk of life to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.
140+ guests have joined Vidit Agarwal on the show from around the world including Heads of state, Olympians, Business and cultural leaders, social Advocates, Investors, Entrepreneurs and more.
The Curiosity Center is widely recognised as a leading on-demand intelligence network for founders, investors, executives and students with an audience of over 200,000 across this podcast + Association Series Newsletter and 7-Star Events. Find out more at www.curiositycenter.xyz
***
Prior to Mission Australia, Toby was COO of World Vision Australia and before that, CEO of South Taranaki District Council. Toby is a director of UNICEF Australia, chaired ASX listed Sterihealth prior to delisting and was a director of Working Links the largest welfare to work provider to the U.K government. He is a qualified accountant with an MBA.
***
Episode guiding points:
Learn about Toby’s sunrise in Oxford, England with his father being head of physics at Essex university and mother a music teacher. I was fascinated to hear Toby share his influences including the different role English grammar played in high school and moving to South Africa at age 8, to then working in the music industry and being fascinated by the fashion industry but falling into finance.
Questions our host, Vidit enjoyed exploring with Toby include: What were the key things he took away and had to delete from his time working at the then prominent investment bank, Solomon Brothers, How to create an environment of allowing team members to be vulnerable, the importance of realising that people aren’t just brining themselves to work, they’re bringing their whole life.
Vidit asked Toby about the interview process to get his CEO roles at well known organisations like Mission Australia and St Vincents Health and listen in for his candid views on the transition from operational roles to board and chair roles, and what is the key difference, you might be surprised by the answer.
It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!
***
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve!
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show!
***
The High Flyers Podcast re-imagines the traditional notion of a "high flyer" and is a premier product of the Curiosity Center. The podcast showcases the journeys of relatable role models from their sunrise (childhood) to today. Listeners love the unique and direct inside access to these relatable role models, companies and industries in every walk of life to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.
140+ guests have joined Vidit Agarwal on the show from around the world including Heads of state, Olympians, Business and cultural leaders, social Advocates, Investors, Entrepreneurs and more.
The Curiosity Center is widely recognised as a leading on-demand intelligence network for founders, investors, executives and students with an audience of over 200,000 across this podcast + Association Series Newsletter and 7-Star Events. Find out more at www.curiositycenter.xyz
***
1 Stunde 1 Minute
Beezer Clarkson leads Sapphire Partners‘ investments in venture capital funds in the USA and internationally -- and is widely recognised as one of the most prominent LP's (Limited Partners) thanks to her decade plus time in the industry and initiatives such as #OpenLP. Beezer was born in London, UK and now lives in Austin, USA.
***
Episode guiding points:
Learn about Beezer’s sunrise in London and then Boston with her British father, who was a professor and American mother, who was the first in her family to attend college.
Questions our host Vidit asked Beezer for her transparent views on include: Her relationship with money growing up, what made her decide not to pursue an initial career interest in Politics, how Sapphire created their LP arm from the ground up and how to build a brand as a newbie — and we dive into various aspects of the VC ecosystem today including What should be the right size of VC funds, geographical and thematic diversification, investing in emerging managers and key criteria to factor in, value of pre-marketing and relationship building, how many fund ones graduate to fund three and beyond and why that matters.
And as always we cover areas you may not have heard before including 5 hall of fame LP’s Beezer would love to be in a room with to learn from, her personal biggest learning to date and the announcement of Sapphire’s new emerging manager program with CALstrs, the California State teachers retirement fund, one of the biggest pools of retirement savings in the world.
It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!
***
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve!
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show!
***
The High Flyers Podcast re-imagines the traditional notion of a "high flyer" and is a premier product of the Curiosity Center. The podcast showcases the journeys of relatable role models from their sunrise (childhood) to today. Listeners love the unique and direct inside access to these relatable role models, companies and industries in every walk of life to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.
140+ guests have joined Vidit Agarwal on the show from around the world including Heads of state, Olympians, Business and cultural leaders, social Advocates, Investors, Entrepreneurs and more.
The Curiosity Center is widely recognised as a leading on-demand intelligence network for founders, investors, executives and students with an audience of over 200,000 across this podcast + Association Series Newsletter and 7-Star Events. Find out more at www.curiositycenter.xyz
***
***
Episode guiding points:
Learn about Beezer’s sunrise in London and then Boston with her British father, who was a professor and American mother, who was the first in her family to attend college.
Questions our host Vidit asked Beezer for her transparent views on include: Her relationship with money growing up, what made her decide not to pursue an initial career interest in Politics, how Sapphire created their LP arm from the ground up and how to build a brand as a newbie — and we dive into various aspects of the VC ecosystem today including What should be the right size of VC funds, geographical and thematic diversification, investing in emerging managers and key criteria to factor in, value of pre-marketing and relationship building, how many fund ones graduate to fund three and beyond and why that matters.
And as always we cover areas you may not have heard before including 5 hall of fame LP’s Beezer would love to be in a room with to learn from, her personal biggest learning to date and the announcement of Sapphire’s new emerging manager program with CALstrs, the California State teachers retirement fund, one of the biggest pools of retirement savings in the world.
It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!
***
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve!
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show!
***
The High Flyers Podcast re-imagines the traditional notion of a "high flyer" and is a premier product of the Curiosity Center. The podcast showcases the journeys of relatable role models from their sunrise (childhood) to today. Listeners love the unique and direct inside access to these relatable role models, companies and industries in every walk of life to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.
140+ guests have joined Vidit Agarwal on the show from around the world including Heads of state, Olympians, Business and cultural leaders, social Advocates, Investors, Entrepreneurs and more.
The Curiosity Center is widely recognised as a leading on-demand intelligence network for founders, investors, executives and students with an audience of over 200,000 across this podcast + Association Series Newsletter and 7-Star Events. Find out more at www.curiositycenter.xyz
***
1 Stunde 10 Minuten
Piruze Sabuncu is a Partner at the Venture Capital firm Squarepeg. She was born in Turkey and currently lives in Singapore. Piruze built and scaled the startup that's now a global juggernaut, Stripe -- in Southeast Asia as employee #1 in the region, following a stint as a founder and working at companies including Dell and Mckinsey.
***
Episode guiding points:
Learn about Piruze’s sunrise in Turkey, the influences of her big family and the beauty of Turkish culture including reflections on stories from her childhood walking her own path and questioning the status quo in a traditional culture. You might be surprised to hear her primary school teacher thought Piruze would become a diplomat!
We cover her move to the US and 10 years living there and how it kickstarted a wild journey of a lifetime both personally and professionally; how and why she started her career in tech in the 2000’s in Austin, Texas of all places! The real benefits of studying an MBA and what gave her the self belief to go found a startup post MBA rather than following her classmates into a global firm.
Questions our host Vidit loved hearing Piruze’s beautiful views and reflections include: The decision to shut down her startup and join Mckinsey, and the role her visa expiry played, first visiting Singapore and South East Asia just as their startup ecosystem was starting to boom in the 2010’s, loosing her dad and of course we dive into her Stripe experience being their first hire in South East Asia and playing a critical role in building out the business there, including the importance of knowing your customer, the importance of hiring, favourite question to spot talent and make sure to listen through for Piruze’s next re-invention to enter the world of Venture Capital and the serendipity with which she joined Square Peg + the one difference and one similarity between south east Asia, Israel and Australia.
It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!
***
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve!
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show!
***
The High Flyers Podcast re-imagines the traditional notion of a "high flyer" and is a premier product of the Curiosity Center. The podcast showcases the journeys of relatable role models from their sunrise (childhood) to today. Listeners love the unique and direct inside access to these relatable role models, companies and industries in every walk of life to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.
140+ guests have joined Vidit Agarwal on the show from around the world including Heads of state, Olympians, Business and cultural leaders, social Advocates, Investors, Entrepreneurs and more.
The Curiosity Center is widely recognised as a leading on-demand intelligence network for founders, investors, executives and students with an audience of over 200,000 across this podcast + Association Series Newsletter and 7-Star Events. Find out more at www.curiositycenter.xyz
***
***
Episode guiding points:
Learn about Piruze’s sunrise in Turkey, the influences of her big family and the beauty of Turkish culture including reflections on stories from her childhood walking her own path and questioning the status quo in a traditional culture. You might be surprised to hear her primary school teacher thought Piruze would become a diplomat!
We cover her move to the US and 10 years living there and how it kickstarted a wild journey of a lifetime both personally and professionally; how and why she started her career in tech in the 2000’s in Austin, Texas of all places! The real benefits of studying an MBA and what gave her the self belief to go found a startup post MBA rather than following her classmates into a global firm.
Questions our host Vidit loved hearing Piruze’s beautiful views and reflections include: The decision to shut down her startup and join Mckinsey, and the role her visa expiry played, first visiting Singapore and South East Asia just as their startup ecosystem was starting to boom in the 2010’s, loosing her dad and of course we dive into her Stripe experience being their first hire in South East Asia and playing a critical role in building out the business there, including the importance of knowing your customer, the importance of hiring, favourite question to spot talent and make sure to listen through for Piruze’s next re-invention to enter the world of Venture Capital and the serendipity with which she joined Square Peg + the one difference and one similarity between south east Asia, Israel and Australia.
It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!
***
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve!
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show!
***
The High Flyers Podcast re-imagines the traditional notion of a "high flyer" and is a premier product of the Curiosity Center. The podcast showcases the journeys of relatable role models from their sunrise (childhood) to today. Listeners love the unique and direct inside access to these relatable role models, companies and industries in every walk of life to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.
140+ guests have joined Vidit Agarwal on the show from around the world including Heads of state, Olympians, Business and cultural leaders, social Advocates, Investors, Entrepreneurs and more.
The Curiosity Center is widely recognised as a leading on-demand intelligence network for founders, investors, executives and students with an audience of over 200,000 across this podcast + Association Series Newsletter and 7-Star Events. Find out more at www.curiositycenter.xyz
***
57 Minuten
Aneetha De Silva is the managing director, government for Aurecon’s Australia and New Zealand business is a leading public infrastructure expert. She is also President of Roads Australia and sits on the boards of Aurecon Group, LaunchVic, the Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation and the North East Link State Tolling Corporation.
***
Episode guiding points:
Learn about Aneetha’s sunrise in Singapore, at a time when wasn’t the city it is today and Aneetha calls it a fight for survival, and the influences of her parents with her dad being a professional cricketer and building the family business.
This conversation is candid and applicable to life and work, whether you’re early in your journey to more established — we cover Aneetha’s adjustment period coming to Australia halfway through her law degree, to then unpacking the behind the scenes of a successful career in infrastructure, roads and government projects and what that work entails including $2B dollar projects (critical to our society), private and public partnerships and more.
Questions I loved hearing Aneetha’s organic reflections include: How to go into a new environment and build relationships whilst learning the area, Connecting with people 1:1 vs in a group setting to build relationships, Spotting and nurturing talent, Balancing working on the bigger picture and getting in the details, Influencing local governments in different cultures and how does one get accepted onto boards, and we cover the importance of family, switching off and more.
It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!
***
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve!
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show!
***
The High Flyers Podcast re-imagines the traditional notion of a "high flyer" and is a premier product of the Curiosity Center. The podcast showcases the journeys of relatable role models from their sunrise (childhood) to today. Listeners love the unique and direct inside access to these relatable role models, companies and industries in every walk of life to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.
140+ guests have joined Vidit Agarwal on the show from around the world including Heads of state, Olympians, Business and cultural leaders, social Advocates, Investors, Entrepreneurs and more.
***
***
Episode guiding points:
Learn about Aneetha’s sunrise in Singapore, at a time when wasn’t the city it is today and Aneetha calls it a fight for survival, and the influences of her parents with her dad being a professional cricketer and building the family business.
This conversation is candid and applicable to life and work, whether you’re early in your journey to more established — we cover Aneetha’s adjustment period coming to Australia halfway through her law degree, to then unpacking the behind the scenes of a successful career in infrastructure, roads and government projects and what that work entails including $2B dollar projects (critical to our society), private and public partnerships and more.
Questions I loved hearing Aneetha’s organic reflections include: How to go into a new environment and build relationships whilst learning the area, Connecting with people 1:1 vs in a group setting to build relationships, Spotting and nurturing talent, Balancing working on the bigger picture and getting in the details, Influencing local governments in different cultures and how does one get accepted onto boards, and we cover the importance of family, switching off and more.
It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!
***
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve!
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show!
***
The High Flyers Podcast re-imagines the traditional notion of a "high flyer" and is a premier product of the Curiosity Center. The podcast showcases the journeys of relatable role models from their sunrise (childhood) to today. Listeners love the unique and direct inside access to these relatable role models, companies and industries in every walk of life to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.
140+ guests have joined Vidit Agarwal on the show from around the world including Heads of state, Olympians, Business and cultural leaders, social Advocates, Investors, Entrepreneurs and more.
***
41 Minuten
Carol is recognised as one of most dynamic business and community leaders with a diverse career across property, the arts, finance, investment, entrepreneurship, government and health. Her roles include being Board Member of the RBA, Founding Chair of the Women's Leadership Institute, Director of the Trawalla Group, Chair of the Climate Council and more.
***
Episode guiding points:
Learn about Carol’s sunrise in Melbourne, Australia in what she describes as a large, present and loving family with deep entrepreneurial roots and immigrating from Europe. She talks about her 3 siblings and influence of her parents who were married for over 70 years.
Topics we cover include: How subjects should be taught in high school to set up both boys and girls for success, her desire at age 18 to be an international lawyer with a focus solely on her career and how that thinking evolved when she met her husband, Allan in law school. A key theme you will notice through this conversation is Carol’s deep passion for empowering women in a range of industries and I asked Carol about how she became the first female president of the Property Council, being influenced by the feminists of the 70s, changing the time and venues of board meetings and learning the importance of patience when her kids were born.
I loved the stories Carol shares including why she created the Women’s Leadership Institute and how it provided a platform for her to speak up and get people to listen, activism on twitter posting pictures of all men board rooms and tagging journalists to drive action, and how Carol and her husband Alan created the framework for their family office and foundation Trawalla to focus on art, ideas, innovation and scholarship. And don’t miss Carol’s tactical reflections on how to balance time, and being persuasive whilst building meaningful relationships.
It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!
***
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve!
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show!
***
The High Flyers Podcast re-imagines the traditional notion of a "high flyer" and is a premier product of the Curiosity Center. The podcast showcases the journeys of relatable role models from their sunrise (childhood) to today. Listeners love the unique and direct inside access to these relatable role models, companies and industries in every walk of life to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.
140+ guests have joined Vidit Agarwal on the show from around the world including Heads of state, Olympians, Business and cultural leaders, social Advocates, Investors, Entrepreneurs and more.
***
***
Episode guiding points:
Learn about Carol’s sunrise in Melbourne, Australia in what she describes as a large, present and loving family with deep entrepreneurial roots and immigrating from Europe. She talks about her 3 siblings and influence of her parents who were married for over 70 years.
Topics we cover include: How subjects should be taught in high school to set up both boys and girls for success, her desire at age 18 to be an international lawyer with a focus solely on her career and how that thinking evolved when she met her husband, Allan in law school. A key theme you will notice through this conversation is Carol’s deep passion for empowering women in a range of industries and I asked Carol about how she became the first female president of the Property Council, being influenced by the feminists of the 70s, changing the time and venues of board meetings and learning the importance of patience when her kids were born.
I loved the stories Carol shares including why she created the Women’s Leadership Institute and how it provided a platform for her to speak up and get people to listen, activism on twitter posting pictures of all men board rooms and tagging journalists to drive action, and how Carol and her husband Alan created the framework for their family office and foundation Trawalla to focus on art, ideas, innovation and scholarship. And don’t miss Carol’s tactical reflections on how to balance time, and being persuasive whilst building meaningful relationships.
It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!
***
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve!
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show!
***
The High Flyers Podcast re-imagines the traditional notion of a "high flyer" and is a premier product of the Curiosity Center. The podcast showcases the journeys of relatable role models from their sunrise (childhood) to today. Listeners love the unique and direct inside access to these relatable role models, companies and industries in every walk of life to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.
140+ guests have joined Vidit Agarwal on the show from around the world including Heads of state, Olympians, Business and cultural leaders, social Advocates, Investors, Entrepreneurs and more.
***
1 Stunde 1 Minute
Leigh Jasper is a leading entrepreneur, investor and business executive. Leigh previously co-founded Aconex, the world’s most widely used cloud collaboration platform for managing construction projects. As CEO, he led Aconex through multiple capital raisings, to an Initial Public Offering (IPO) in 2014 and company sale to Oracle Ltd for $1.6 billion in 2018.
Leigh is a founder of SecondQuarter Ventures + Saniel Ventures, and is a director of SEEK Ltd, Salta Properties, the Burnet Institute, Buildxact Pty Ltd, Zuuse, Matrak and the Jasper Foundation. He is also the Chair of LaunchVic.
***
Episode guiding points:
Learn about Leigh’s sunrise in Rutherglen in country Victoria growing up around the family business, a car dealership — with his dad also being a member of parliament and mum’s influence raising Leigh and his sister.
We cover a lot in this conversation so strap in — importance of loyalty, meeting his Aconex founder Rob Philpott during boarding school, and how they first decided to start a business together and why it became Aconex. It was fascinating to learn that Aconex was started during a time when the concept of SaaS (software as a service) was quite new with no AWS and no real concept of customer pricing models. Some of the areas of the Aconex journey we dive into include: The importance of doing sales as a founder, their first expansion out of Australia, optimism bias and narrowing focus and Leigh’s most painful learning.
Find out about Leigh’s transition following the Aconex sale to Oracle, learning to say no, tracking his time, setting up a foundation with his life, his advice to founders on selling some equity to be more risk on with a financial safety net and more.
It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!
***
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve!
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show!
***
This episode is brought to you by Fullstack Advisory, Australia's top tech accounting firm, designed specifically for innovative tech founders and investors. They provide founder-friendly support across Accounting & Tax, R&D Tax Incentives, Bookkeeping, and CFO Advisory -- so you can focus on what you do best, innovating and growing your business. Get in touch with Stuart and the team today!
***
Leigh is a founder of SecondQuarter Ventures + Saniel Ventures, and is a director of SEEK Ltd, Salta Properties, the Burnet Institute, Buildxact Pty Ltd, Zuuse, Matrak and the Jasper Foundation. He is also the Chair of LaunchVic.
***
Episode guiding points:
Learn about Leigh’s sunrise in Rutherglen in country Victoria growing up around the family business, a car dealership — with his dad also being a member of parliament and mum’s influence raising Leigh and his sister.
We cover a lot in this conversation so strap in — importance of loyalty, meeting his Aconex founder Rob Philpott during boarding school, and how they first decided to start a business together and why it became Aconex. It was fascinating to learn that Aconex was started during a time when the concept of SaaS (software as a service) was quite new with no AWS and no real concept of customer pricing models. Some of the areas of the Aconex journey we dive into include: The importance of doing sales as a founder, their first expansion out of Australia, optimism bias and narrowing focus and Leigh’s most painful learning.
Find out about Leigh’s transition following the Aconex sale to Oracle, learning to say no, tracking his time, setting up a foundation with his life, his advice to founders on selling some equity to be more risk on with a financial safety net and more.
It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!
***
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve!
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show!
***
This episode is brought to you by Fullstack Advisory, Australia's top tech accounting firm, designed specifically for innovative tech founders and investors. They provide founder-friendly support across Accounting & Tax, R&D Tax Incentives, Bookkeeping, and CFO Advisory -- so you can focus on what you do best, innovating and growing your business. Get in touch with Stuart and the team today!
***
52 Minuten
Ben Grabiner is a Partner at Side Stage Ventures, a newly formed Venture Capital firm in Australia. Previously he co-founded Platoon which was acquired by Apple. Platoon was created during Ben's time working at Local Globe, as an early employee at the firm. (Local Globe is now recognised as a leading seed stage VC fund in Europe).
It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!
(Timestamps below)
***
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve!
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show!
***
This episode is brought to you by Fullstack Advisory, Australia's top tech accounting firm, designed specifically for innovative tech founders and investors. They provide founder-friendly support across Accounting & Tax, R&D Tax Incentives, Bookkeeping, and CFO Advisory -- so you can focus on what you do best, innovating and growing your business. Get in touch with Stuart and the team today!
***
00:55 - Where were you born and live now?
02:06 - What was your first job and now?
02:39 - High Flyer in Ben’s life
03:28 - Big family with 3 siblings
07:08 - Independently minded
08:50 - Career aspirations at age 18
11:25 - First date with media and tech
14:00 - Leaving corporate to found his first startup
16:45 - Struggling to raise capital
18:36 - UK startup ecosystem in 2014
20:14 - Joining Local Globe as a VC investor
24:00 - The problem that led to creating Platoon
28:25 - Business model with music labels
30:35 - Reflections on differences between the two startups he’s built
32:09 - How did the sale to Apple happen
34:55 - Balancing family and career
37:30 - Moving from the UK to Australia
40:50 - Building a network from scratch
42:54 - Origin story of Side Stage Ventures
45:09 - Applying a founder mindset to building a VC
47:17 - Uncovering unique founders early on
48:55 - Growing Side Stage with co-founder in Markus
50:17 - Rapid fire final sprint
***
It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!
(Timestamps below)
***
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve!
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show!
***
This episode is brought to you by Fullstack Advisory, Australia's top tech accounting firm, designed specifically for innovative tech founders and investors. They provide founder-friendly support across Accounting & Tax, R&D Tax Incentives, Bookkeeping, and CFO Advisory -- so you can focus on what you do best, innovating and growing your business. Get in touch with Stuart and the team today!
***
00:55 - Where were you born and live now?
02:06 - What was your first job and now?
02:39 - High Flyer in Ben’s life
03:28 - Big family with 3 siblings
07:08 - Independently minded
08:50 - Career aspirations at age 18
11:25 - First date with media and tech
14:00 - Leaving corporate to found his first startup
16:45 - Struggling to raise capital
18:36 - UK startup ecosystem in 2014
20:14 - Joining Local Globe as a VC investor
24:00 - The problem that led to creating Platoon
28:25 - Business model with music labels
30:35 - Reflections on differences between the two startups he’s built
32:09 - How did the sale to Apple happen
34:55 - Balancing family and career
37:30 - Moving from the UK to Australia
40:50 - Building a network from scratch
42:54 - Origin story of Side Stage Ventures
45:09 - Applying a founder mindset to building a VC
47:17 - Uncovering unique founders early on
48:55 - Growing Side Stage with co-founder in Markus
50:17 - Rapid fire final sprint
***
49 Minuten
In this very special and rare episode, we're joined by Amy Waite and Sheetal Cicutto, the private equity managers for two of Australia’s premier superannuation funds in Telstra Super and Australian Super respectively, to discuss how super funds are powering your retirement growth through venture capital and driving innovation for the world.
Please note: This podcast is general in nature and any general advice has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making a decision in relation to any Telstra Super or AustralianSuper product, please assess your own financial situation and needs and consider the relevant Product Disclosure Statement and Target Market Determination available on their respective websites, www.telstrasuper.com.au and www.australiansuper.com. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.
It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!
(Timestamps below)
***
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve!
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show!
***
This episode is brought to you by Fullstack Advisory, Australia's top tech accounting firm, designed specifically for innovative tech founders and investors. They provide founder-friendly support across Accounting & Tax, R&D Tax Incentives, Bookkeeping, and CFO Advisory -- so you can focus on what you do best, innovating and growing your business. Get in touch with Stuart and the team today!
***
03:50 - Context on Sheetal and Amy
10:12 - Introducing Australian Super + Telstra Super, how they operate and their impact on Innovation in Australia
15:07 - Relationship between Limited Partners, Venture Capitalists and Startup Founders?
17:20 - Flow of capital from a super fund member’s account to the next Google and Facebook
19:50 - Fund sizes and time frames
22:37 - What startup founders should know about taking capital directly from a super fund
29:00 - Ways of working on a co-investment and examples
36:10 - Learnings and reflections from investing in Venture Capital
41:30 - core and growth funds
42:32- Behind the scenes on reporting expectations
44:30 - Returning capital to LP’s
46:40 - Clarity of communication
***
Please note: This podcast is general in nature and any general advice has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making a decision in relation to any Telstra Super or AustralianSuper product, please assess your own financial situation and needs and consider the relevant Product Disclosure Statement and Target Market Determination available on their respective websites, www.telstrasuper.com.au and www.australiansuper.com. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.
It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!
(Timestamps below)
***
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve!
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show!
***
This episode is brought to you by Fullstack Advisory, Australia's top tech accounting firm, designed specifically for innovative tech founders and investors. They provide founder-friendly support across Accounting & Tax, R&D Tax Incentives, Bookkeeping, and CFO Advisory -- so you can focus on what you do best, innovating and growing your business. Get in touch with Stuart and the team today!
***
03:50 - Context on Sheetal and Amy
10:12 - Introducing Australian Super + Telstra Super, how they operate and their impact on Innovation in Australia
15:07 - Relationship between Limited Partners, Venture Capitalists and Startup Founders?
17:20 - Flow of capital from a super fund member’s account to the next Google and Facebook
19:50 - Fund sizes and time frames
22:37 - What startup founders should know about taking capital directly from a super fund
29:00 - Ways of working on a co-investment and examples
36:10 - Learnings and reflections from investing in Venture Capital
41:30 - core and growth funds
42:32- Behind the scenes on reporting expectations
44:30 - Returning capital to LP’s
46:40 - Clarity of communication
***
