When Kate Vale was appointed Google Australia’s first employee, she didn’t have an office or a mobile phone. She found herself answering her home landline to do business! 

From humble beginnings she used her HR background to quickly build a team, and grew Google Australia to record revenues and eventually to IPO. 

Ever the digital pioneer since her days managing a dot com company before the crash, Kate Vale then headed up Spotify in Australia. 

Eventually she moved to California, the epicentre of start-up and digital culture. She’s now running a venture capital fund called Aliavia that’s focussed on supporting female founders who are often overlooked for investment. 

She takes you inside the famous Google hiring process and gives her take on what it takes to thrive while leading digital companies. 

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Leaders reveal their darkest moments and share tips on how the deal with those things you just can’t see coming. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want more from your leadership journey? To get more wisdom and life lessons from top leaders delivered to you directly, sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter!  

Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com

This was episode was produced and edited by Liam Riordan with sound design by Krissy Miltiadou. 

The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 



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When Kate Vale was appointed Google Australia’s first employee, she didn’t have an office or a mobile phone. She found herself answering her home landline to do business! From humble beginnings she used her HR background to quickly build a team, and grew Google Australia to record revenues and eventually to IPO. Ever the digital pioneer since her days managing a dot com company before the crash, Kate Vale then headed up Spotify in Australia. Eventually she moved to California, the epicentre of start-up and digital culture. She’s now running a venture capital fund called Aliavia that’s focussed on supporting female founders who are often overlooked for investment. She takes you inside the famous Google hiring process and gives her take on what it takes to thrive while leading digital companies. +++ Curveball is a production of <a href="https://www.deadsetstudios.com/">Deadset Studios</a>. Leaders reveal their darkest moments and share tips on how the deal with those things you just can’t see coming. Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on <a href="https://twitter.com/_deadsetstudios">Twitter</a> and @deadsetstudios on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/deadsetstudios/">instagram</a>.  Want more from your leadership journey? To get more wisdom and life lessons from top leaders delivered to you directly, sign up to <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/curveball-6745938675223425024/">Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter</a>!  Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by visiting <a href="http://www.curveballshow.com/">www.curveballshow.com</a>   This was episode was produced and edited by Liam Riordan with sound design by Krissy Miltiadou. The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>

The human experience is all about adapting. Whether it’s a CEO trying to ride out an international travel crisis, a surfer struggling against a monster wave while his floatation vest fails, or a media star whose whole life changes in an instant, rarely do you get to glimpse what’s really going on during a someone's darkest hour.

In these revealing, personal conversations with a range of successful people, Curveball host Kellie Riordan gets the lowdown on how people grow in extraordinary times. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios.com on Twitter and @deadsetsetstudios on Instagram. Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by going to www.curveballshow.com

Curveball is also now a LinkedIn newsletter! It's a weekly top-up of the best advice our guests have to help set you on the right path. Subscribing is totally free.

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Kate Vale takes you inside the famous Google hiring process and gives her take on what it takes to thrive leading digital companies.

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