



Back to basics: Australian of the Year Katherine Bennell-Pegg
This week, we're revisiting our interview with newly minted Australian of the Year Katherine Bennell-Pegg. Bennell-Pegg is Director of Space Technology at the Australian Space Agency, and the first person to train as an astronaut under the Australian flag. Back in 2024. she spoke with Helen McCab…

Summer shortcut: The biggest leadership failures
You shortcut to this season's top leadership advice... Over the summer, we're playing a special series containing season five's most interesting and practical leadership advice. Each episode revolves around a single question. This week it's: tell me about your biggest leadership failure and what …

Summer shortcut: The best career feedback
You shortcut to this season's top leadership advice... Over the summer, we're playing a special series containing season five's most interesting and practical leadership advice. Each episode revolves around a single question. First up: What's the best piece of career feedback you've received? Y…

Georgie Holt on why you need leadership anti-values
How often have you thought about your leadership values? Well, what if you flipped that and started thinking in terms of anti-values? Georgie Holt is the CEO of media start-up Flight Story - the powerhouse behind the Diary of a CEO podcast. She's also spoken a lot recently about AI and her effort…

Paul Roos on what elite sports can teach corporate leaders
What can the corporate world learn about leadership from elite sports teams? All AFL fans will recognise the name Paul Roos. He was a legendary coach and player who is perhaps best known for ending the Sydney Swan's 72 year premiership drought. But his leadership insights extend well beyond the p…

Back to basics: Wendy McCarthy on the politeness trap
This week, we're revisiting one of our favourite FW Leadership Series episodes. Do you ever feel shackled by the expectation to be 'polite'? Wendy McCarthy is one of Australia’s leading feminists, businesswomen, activists, and a best-selling author. In this discussion with Helen McCabe, Wendy sha…

Phoebe Saintilan-Stocks on how to stop people pleasing
Does there come a point where you stop worrying about being likeable? Phoebe Saintilan-Stocks is the founder of media start-up Missing Perspectives. She is also the author of a new book called The Right Hand. In it, she speaks to chiefs of staff to some of the world’s most consequential leaders, …

Justine Cain on what being widowed at 29 taught her about leadership
Is there a trick to pushing through tough times? Justine Cain is the Group CEO of Diabetes Australia. In this episode, she speaks about resilience and how a great loss shaped her leadership philosophy. She also discusses her day-to-day approach to leading - from one-on-ones to org charts and skip m…

Van Tang on how to be a hardworking but lazy leader
Van Tang is engineering giant GHD’s CEO for the Asia Pacific region. She leads a team of over 5600 people, spanning numerous countries and time zones. And yet, despite being incredibly hardworking, she holds onto a “lazy” leadership philosophy. In this episode, Van unpacks what she means by this an…

Mark Rigotti's guide to becoming a board member
What sort of career moves should you be making if you want to join a board? Mark Rigotti was the Global CEO at law firm Herbert Smith Freehills, and today, he is the CEO of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD). In this episode, he talks Helen McCabe about complex power dynamics i…