Wayne Gerard wears a number of hats. By day, he is the Co-Founder & CEO of RedEye and the current Queensland Chief Entrepreneur. He lives on a working farm outside of Brisbane, is a trail runner and is deeply passionate about innovation, entrepreneurship, the climate, helping others and making a difference with the time we have! 



Wayne spent 10 years in the ARMY straight out of school, first as a tactical communications officer and later with a key role to build the ARMY’s first drone. This opportunity led to a job offer with Boeing, then a Queensland tech company (Lincom) before starting his own consultancy company. Following a devastating flood that affected his property in 2011, Wayne reevaluated his position, wanting to move away from being the product of his business. 



During a trip to the US, Wayne came up with an idea for a SaaS business - a single instance multi tenant cloud as a solution for engineering companies. RedEye was born with BHP the very first customer. Fast forward 10 years and Wayne has taken up position as Queensland Chief Entrepreneur - a position he will hold until the end of 2022. 



His key focus priorities in this role include: 


To help the existing industry to be as sustainable and successful as possible by partnering with QLD innovators, entrepreneurs and researchers 
To build the next emerging industry and new economy
To focus on regional - entrepreneurship and innovation can happen anywhere, from Longreach to Gladstone or Cairns 
To unlock partnerships with the Brisbane 2032 Olympics



During their chat, Ian and Wayne cover a range of topics, all highlighting Wayne’s desire to make a difference and help others - particularly those in the innovation and entrepreneurship space. One of the key takeaways: Resilience is learnt as you go on your journey. Know you’re not alone. It’s hard work but keep going. What you’re doing is going to make a difference! 



QUICKFIRE ROUND 
Book: Lifespan by Dr David Sinclair 
Podcast: Rich Roll, The A16Z Podcast 
News Source: tries not to focus on the news - prefers to focus on customers 
App: Garmin, Strava - for trail running 
Fav Tech CEO: Elon Musk 
Productivity Tool: Redeye 
TV Show: The Terminal List 
Ted Talk Topic: Building resilient economies for innovation

Wayne Gerard wears a number of hats. By day, he is the Co-Founder &amp; CEO of RedEye and the current Queensland Chief Entrepreneur. He lives on a working farm outside of Brisbane, is a trail runner and is deeply passionate about innovation, entrepreneurship, the climate, helping others and making a difference with the time we have! 
 
Wayne spent 10 years in the ARMY straight out of school, first as a tactical communications officer and later with a key role to build the ARMY’s first drone. This opportunity led to a job offer with Boeing, then a Queensland tech company (Lincom) before starting his own consultancy company. Following a devastating flood that affected his property in 2011, Wayne reevaluated his position, wanting to move away from being the product of his business. 
 
During a trip to the US, Wayne came up with an idea for a SaaS business - a single instance multi tenant cloud as a solution for engineering companies. RedEye was born with BHP the very first customer. Fast forward 10 years and Wayne has taken up position as Queensland Chief Entrepreneur - a position he will hold until the end of 2022. 
 
His key focus priorities in this role include: 
 
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">To help the existing industry to be as sustainable and successful as possible by partnering with QLD innovators, entrepreneurs and researchers </li>
<li aria-level="1">To build the next emerging industry and new economy</li>
<li aria-level="1">To focus on regional - entrepreneurship and innovation can happen anywhere, from Longreach to Gladstone or Cairns </li>
<li aria-level="1">To unlock partnerships with the Brisbane 2032 Olympics</li>
</ul>
 
During their chat, Ian and Wayne cover a range of topics, all highlighting Wayne’s desire to make a difference and help others - particularly those in the innovation and entrepreneurship space. One of the key takeaways: Resilience is learnt as you go on your journey. Know you’re not alone. It’s hard work but keep going. What you’re doing is going to make a difference! 
 
QUICKFIRE ROUND 
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Book: Lifespan by Dr David Sinclair </li>
<li aria-level="1">Podcast: Rich Roll, The A16Z Podcast </li>
<li aria-level="1">News Source: tries not to focus on the news - prefers to focus on customers </li>
<li aria-level="1">App: Garmin, Strava - for trail running </li>
<li aria-level="1">Fav Tech CEO: Elon Musk </li>
<li aria-level="1">Productivity Tool: Redeye </li>
<li aria-level="1">TV Show: The Terminal List </li>
<li aria-level="1">Ted Talk Topic: Building resilient economies for innovation</li>
</ul>

There is a lot of activity in the Australian startup ecosystem. Ideas, talent, and money are all flowing into this sector at an unprecedented rate. 

This weekly podcast brings in-depth interviews with the best people making the biggest difference.

It's brought to you by Ian Gardiner and Phaedon Stough, technology entrepreneurs helping to grow the startup sector in Australia and New Zealand. Ian and Phaedon co-founded Innovation Bay with a clear mission to help technology entrepreneurs succeed.

A weekly deep dive into Australia's tech and startup ecosystem. Brought to you by Innovation Bay

Open the Pod Bay Doors

The Australian and New Zealand startup ecosystem is burgeoning, exciting and filled with some of the most fascinating minds on the planet, all driven by a passion to make a positive and lasting impact. Open The Pod Bay Doors invites some of the brightest minds in the industry for deep conversations and awe-inspiring insights from their captivating journeys. Lend us your ears to gain some fresh knowledge and broaden your insights. Brought to you weekly by Innovation Bay. 

The Australian and New Zealand startup ecosystem is burgeoning, exciting and filled with some of the most fascinating minds on the planet, all driven by a passion to make a positive and lasting impact. Open The Pod Bay Doors invites some of the brightest minds in the industry for deep conversations and awe-inspiring insights from their captivating journeys. Lend us your ears to gain some fresh knowledge and broaden your insights. Brought to you weekly by Innovation Bay.

Advertisement