This episode of Culture Capital is proudly supported by BlackCard — 60,000 years of history and knowledge, alive in the present.

BlackCard is a 100% Aboriginal-owned cultural capability consultancy, co-founded by Mundanara Bayles and Dr Lilla Watson, and grounded in Elder knowledge. Their eLearning platform makes culturally grounded learning accessible to individuals and organisations across Australia.

Culture Capital listeners get an exclusive discount on BlackCard's eLearning — use promo code AICD26 at theblackcard.com.au

What does it actually take to govern something you can't see?

In this episode of Culture Capital, hosts Prabha Nandagopal and Mandanara Bayles sit down with Mark Rigotti — Managing Director and CEO of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD), and former Global CEO of Herbert Smith Freehills — for a conversation that is equal parts honest, challenging, and deeply practical.

Mark doesn't come with a glossy playbook. He comes with hard-won lessons from leading across 25 countries, navigating cultural complexity in real time, and sitting inside some of Australia's most influential boardrooms. And what he's learned? Culture isn't a standing agenda item. It's everything.

Together, they unpack the gap between the culture on the wall and the culture in the room — and what boards, CEOs, and leaders at every level can actually do about it.

This is a conversation for anyone who sits on a board, leads a team, or has ever wondered why culture initiatives are always the first thing cut when the numbers get tight — and why that might be the most expensive decision an organisation ever makes.

"Whenever there's been a problem, you can almost always find a thick black line back to a problem with the culture." — Mark Rigotti

FURTHER READING & RESOURCES

About Our Guest 🔗 Mark Rigotti — MD & CEO, AICD: aicd.com.au/about-aicd/authors-speakers/n-t/mark-rigotti.html 🔗 Mark Rigotti on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/markrigotti

About Your Hosts 🔗 Prabha Nandagopal — Founder, Elevate Consulting Partners & SafeSpace@elevate: linkedin.com/in/prabha-nandagopal 🔗 Mundanara Bayles — MD, BlackCard: linkedin.com/in/mundanara-bayles

AICD Programs Mentioned 🔗 AICD Chair's Mentoring Program (now open to First Nations & culturally diverse women): aicd.com.au/courses-and-programs/all-programs/chairs-mentoring-program.html 🔗 AICD First Nations Director Scholarship Program: aicd.com.au/organisational-culture/business-ethics/change/first-nations-director-scholarship-program.html 🔗 AICD Board Diversity resources & Watermark Index: aicd.com.au/about-aicd/governance-and-policy-leadership/board-diversity.html

Legislation & Regulation Referenced 🔗 The Positive Duty — Australian Human Rights Commission: humanrights.gov.au/know-your-rights/rights-of-individuals/workplace-rights/positive-duty-sex-discrimination-act 🔗 Respect@Work — the landmark national inquiry that informed the legislation: humanrights.gov.au/our-work/sex-discrimination/projects/respectwork-sexual-harassment-national-inquiry

If this conversation resonated with you, make sure you follow or subscribe to Culture Capital on your favourite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. Share this podcast with colleagues, leaders, and anyone passionate about building stronger workplace cultures.

Co-host Prabha Nandagopal is the founder of Elevate Consulting Partners, providing expert consulting on workplace culture, positive duty compliance, and human rights. Learn more at elevateconsultingpartners.com.au

Prabha also founded SafeSpace@Elevate, Australia's first trauma informed workplace reporting platform. Learn more at safespaceelevate.com.au

This episode of Culture Capital is brought to you by BlackCard, Australia's leading Aboriginal owned cultural capability training organisation. Learn more at theblackcard.com.au

Culture Capital is produced by the BlakCast Network