In the bulging record books of Australasian entrepreneurship, Julio De Laffitte is a name that stands out for his pioneering approach to financial education and wealth creation. With a track record of innovative ventures, De Laffitte is charting new territory with his work at the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and healthcare. His latest endeavour […]
Back in 1993, Peter Vile and Mitchell Pham founded software development service provider, Augen Software Group, which was built on the basis of connecting the best in local expertise with offshore development scale via their ‘one team in two markets’ run across New Zealand and Vietnam. Over that time, Augen has worked with many New […]
In a disrupted world of media where millions of pieces of content are being created every minute, there’s a lot to be said for slow information. Knowledge that has been compiled over years of research and experience and test against the ebbs and flows of trends and fads and some of the best vessels for […]
[podcastfooter] For so many of us, the first COVID lockdown was a real stifler of our productivity and motivation, and a really scary time for small business owners who faced the threat of losing their livelihoods. However, some of us were able to find ways to create, innovate and make a big difference in helping […]
[podcastfooter] If you were to make a list of guaranteed, instant money-making industries, I’m not sure how far down you’d have to go before you reached the umbrella industry, but I’d imagine it wouldn’t be near the top. It’s in an industry, that in order to really succeed, you’d have to come up with […]
[podcastfooter] While riding the dizzying highs and lows of short-term stock trading often draws most of the interest from the younger generation, commercial property investment still stands as one of the safest bets on the investment market. However, the problem of the day is that young people don’t have the knowledge to get themselves […]
[podcastfooter] We might not think of it as a big deal when compared with more urgent diseases or medical conditions, but asthma has become a concerningly significant presence in Kiwis lungs. How has this happened? Well, Asthma NZ CEO Katheren Leitner broke down the causes, effects and what we need to do to turn […]
Since starting out with a few friends and family clients in 2007, boutique fund management company Pie Funds now works with over 2,000 clients and has generated over $640 million of wealth for them along the way. Core to this has been the simple philosophy of outperforming the markets by investing in growth companies and […]
One of New Zealand’s top hair stylists, Tāne Tomoana, tends to the hair of the Prime Minister for the occasional international magazine shoot, is the lead creative at Dry & Tea New Zealand and Australia, is a mentor for TVNZ’s Glow Up. We talk to Tāne about his journey to international recognition, the importance of […]
He is of course a comedic legend who has gone Hollywood but Rhys Darby can still appreciate the simple things in life, including the magic that comes from a good book and some imagination. We talk to Rhys about his latest children’s book, the 3rd in his amazing Buttons series – The Top Secret Intergalactic […]
When talking about the opening of a new luxury boutique hotel in 2020, it is hard not to start off with what has now become the cliché of talking about the context of an unprecedented year. While there are of course challenges that come from the state of the international tourist market, there are also […]
Andrew Flavell joined Plexure from Nike where he held roles including Privacy Distinguished Engineer, VP of Architecture and VP of Nike+ and Brand. In these roles he was responsible for defining and driving global solutions for privacy, overall architecture and direction of modern APIs and micro-services and delivery of mobile applications and services for Nike’s […]
A former street kid, Sir Ray Avery went on to become an internationally recognised scientist and entrepreneur and Knight of the Realm. He’s founding member of the Auckland University School of Medicine, Department of Clinical Pharmacology and former Technical Director of Douglas Pharmaceuticals who, over the past thirty years, has made a major contribution in […]
As General Manager of UpSol NZ, Kristin Harper is helping NZ companies get into the future faster by utilising Digital Technologies and Advanced Change Management processes. But Kristin’s drive isn’t just in digitising things but also to make digitisation more humanised so that digital transformation becomes more accessible – helping more businesses save money or […]
While young entrepreneurs these days might be focused on the next big app or software solution, Israel Whitley has created a success out of old school hard work and human talent with his company, Auckland Labour Hire which supplies contractors to the building and construction industry. With the backing of investors like Rob Fyfe and […]
Real estate might well be up there with politics and religion when it comes to divisive dinner party conversations, but of course it’s something most of us have a relationship with, whether you be a tenant, landlord or homeowner or all of the above. Few people have had as much experience in the industry as […]
The perception has been over the years that our attention spans have been reduced to sub 1 minute road rage videos and click bait headlines but the rise of long form podcasts have not only shattered that but they’ve also given hope to the concept that we can learn and evolve our thinking from others […]
He might have the voice of a Norse God, but Travis Willingham is such a versatile actor that over the last two decades he has played many of the characters that have shaped current popular culture. His work features in over 150 different video games and animation titles and ranges from Superman in Lego Batman, […]
At just 32, Tom Abercrombie is like a seasoned veteran of the world of basketball. After his success at Westlake Boys High School saw him selected as the NZ Academy of Sport High Performance Player two years running, he moved to the USA to Washington State University in 2006. Tom then moved back to New […]
Mixed Martial Arts and the world of UFC has become a big deal over the years and there must be something in the water at City Kickboxing in Auckland because it helping to produce New Zealand fighters that are kicking arse and taking names, figuratively and literally, on the global stage. One fighter on the […]
Talented actor, writer and producer Cameron Jones might make his craft look effortless, but behind his credits which include, Shortland Street, The Hobbit and an NBC/Warner Bros TV film/pilot ‘Christmas of Many Colors’, a story about Dolly Partons’ childhood, is an unfathomable amount of hard work and resilience. Even Cameron’s one man theatre show High […]
As we start to put a bit more of a spotlight on local manufacturing and supply chains, Ben Kepes and his company Cactus Outdoor is proof that it is possible to manufacture great products here. While it might have been better for profit to move manufacturing overseas, Ben has other metrics for business beyond the […]
Foundation North holds in trust for the Auckland and Northland communities an endowment of $1.4 billion. That endowment, held in perpetuity for the region, allows them to make around 40 million dollars in grants each year to not-for-profit groups in Auckland and Northland. The Foundation has often been the first major funder to come on […]
Some people like to describe us as a collective, as all being in the same boat in this Covid-19 world, but the reality is that some sectors are facing it tougher than others and for hospitality this time has been particularly brutal. In her role as the CEO of Hospitality New Zealand, Julie White represents […]
Storytelling is a fundamental human instinct and in a lot of ways we define ourselves by the universal truths explored in the many forms of these stories. But storytelling isn’t just a bit of old magic mixed in with some ideas and then a red carpet, it is a craft and something unfortunately that requires […]
The multi-award winning New Zealand spirits company Scapegrace obviously know a few things about how to create and market great products from New Zealand to the rest of the world. We talk to two of the co-founders, Mark Neal and Daniel McLaughlin, about Vodka, Pavlova (well sort of) and what we can leverage in New […]
Over the last quarter century, Wither Hills has built up a strong reputation for well crafted wines here and globally. Of course, there are a whole lot of factors that go into this track record and, indeed, each bottle of Wither Hills wine. The Marlborough region and the iconic Wither Hills vineyards, Rarangi, Taylor River […]
Mark Eltom’s career has really been defined by an intersection of science, business, innovation and the power of these things to make a positive impact for the communities that they are based in. From working as a scientific advisor to Rwanda’s agricultural sector, to helping open export pipelines out of the Pacific, to working with […]
Steve Pirie has been a part of the creation of some of New Zealand and Australia’s most iconic travel and wellness events including, Unleashed Travel (the company was named by BRW as one of Australia’s 100 fastest growing startup businesses in 2011 and 2012), Nurture Change, Nurture Her and UnpluggedFiji. Steve has fused his passion […]
Lani Fogelberg left her role at one of New Zealand’s pre-eminent commercial finance brokerage firms to take a step back from the corporate world and seek greater balance in life. Using her expertise in complex problem-solving, strategy and growth initiatives she launched her own consulting firm. In the current New Zealand business environment, Lani helps […]
In 2013, Aidan co-founded entertainment website EMGN.com. Within its first year, it was a global, multi-million dollar business. Following the successful exit in 2017, Aidan started mentoring local founders voluntarily as a way to occupy his time. What started as a desire to give back and to challenge opinions in the start-up world, has now evolved […]
Ash Parmar has been in the liquor business for over 14 years and over those years, Ash and his family have built up a high performing retail business. The road hasn’t been easy though, hours have been long and there have even been armed robberies along the way. The journey though has been accompanied by […]
For many New Zealand Startups, or even established businesses developing their digital resiliency as many have recently been forced to do over the last couple of months, the investment need for technology development can be a major hurdle. Virtual Capital has set out to disrupt this part of the process for other budding disrupters in […]
Much has been written about Rob Campbell’s business journey; a former trade unionist who rose to become one of New Zealand’s leading professional directors, and his current work as chairman of the board for NZX-listed companies SKYCITY, Tourism Holdings, Summerset Group and Wel Networks. You can also add to that his years of experience in […]
Will Fleming is on a journey to expand our thinking through deep conversations that reveal ways to think about life that help us push through the limitations of our mindset. He is on track to interview 1,000 people in long form conversations with perspectives from all walks of live. “With this podcast I am aiming […]
Author, entrepreneur and ex-children’s entertainer pirate, Ken Williams, thinks that we are too afraid of failure and that we should embrace it as part of the journey. “There shouldn’t be any fear in failure,” says Williams, “because it promotes a strength of character and confidence. Failure is under-valued in society. It’s not the big, bad […]
Catherine van der Meulen was born and raised in Sydney until recently, moving to rural New Zealand with her children to embark on a greener, more purpose-led lifestyle, after being disenfranchised by the pace that living a life wearing multiple hats required. Last year, Catherine launched Entrepreneurial Women with Purpose – a community designed to […]
Many discoveries about ourselves, our economy and the way we work have come out of our Covid-19 experience. Some good and bad, but maybe one of the most important for our future was how many of us in business still have a long way to go in terms of our digital resiliency. This is obviously […]
Cory Richards is one of the world’s most recognised adventure and mountaineering photographers, and the National Geographic Adventurer of the Year in 2012. His mission: to capture not only the soul of adventure and exploration, but also the beauty inherent in our modern society. His photography has taken him across the world – from the […]
Ever wanted to run your own VC fund but thought that was another world away? Well, Rob Vickery wants to not only connect a new level of VC focus to New Zealand innovation and help us go global, but also to encourage budding VCs here as well. His newly formed Hillfarrance Venture Capital fund has […]
According to Christian Pistauer, Workplace Strategy Director of Meta5 Group in New Zealand, COVID-19 will dramatically change the commercial real estate sector in New Zealand for many years to come. The proclaimed ‘death’ of hotdesking or activity-based-working might be premature. Economic pressure, demand for flexibility and digitisation will push things into a different direction. The […]
As a nation, we are renowned globally for innovation but equally renowned for lacking in sales fundamentals and operational rigor. This leads to companies either failing early or never reaching their true potential. This has led to Alex McNaughten’s mission to address the Sales Capability Gap in New Zealand. His company, Sales Leaders, works with […]
Pulotu Selio Solomon has a history of leadership with a focus on inspiring and motivating communities to achieve at a high level – a strategic thinker and strong decision-maker. He holds qualifications in education and business administration and broad experience in the education sector and development. He is currently running initiatives in the health sector […]
After 25 years in the corporate world, Gavin Oliver arrived in New Zealand in 2008 with a young family and a visa that gave him 24-months to establish a business or get unceremoniously sent home. With no experience of tourism and little knowledge of New Zealand, plus a vow to never wear a suit and […]
Auckland City Motors Managing Director, Ian Gibson, has defined his life and career around a love of cars. It’s also been a career that has seen him go from a very modest and frugal upbringing to becoming a co-owner of one of New Zealand’s most iconic car dealerships, Auckland City BMW, and its associated operations […]
One of the original shareholders of Fisher Funds before it was sold, Frank Jasper has had a 14 year tenure at the company and is now their Chief Investment Officer. He has a history of analysing value in the markets over many cycles, so as people are scrambling to find clarity in a time of […]
Over the last 20 years Ajit Balasingham has helped numerous businesses turn around failing business units, supported shareholders to exit their businesses, as well as overseeing management buy outs. He is the current Chair of Northland Rugby Union and observer on the Board for the Auckland Blues franchise (having recently also held the role of […]
Win Charlesbois is the co-founder of The Diamond Shop which specialises in handcrafted diamond engagement rings. At one point he was a Navy pilot, landing on and taking off from aircraft carriers, before settling for a slightly slower form of transport in the form of a hand-built sailboat. In 1974, Win and his wife Linda […]
Called Rutherford, out of respect for one of New Zealand’s greatest thinkers, Lord Ernest Rutherford, is a company that is built on helping New Zealand prepare for the new world. While COVID-19 has seen them adapt to produce fascinating insights into what New Zealanders are thinking and feeling right now, they are also working on […]
Jemma Whiten is the Marketing and Digital Director and driver of sustainability projects at ecostore, the leading environmental and sustainable brand in New Zealand. Jemma is passionate about driving business and brands as a force for good and is using her 19 years of experience working across the globe to help ecostore to do just […]
In times like this there is the very real chance that many of us will have to start again. But starting again or failing is not the end of the game and often we will come back stronger. Nikki Connors is testament to this. After having it all and then losing it and ending up […]
Few people have had the breadth of experience in the SME and startup space like Andy Hamilton has over the last couple of decades. As the former CEO of The Icehouse (now a Director of its investment arm, Icehouse Ventures), Andy Hamilton’s work has helped a vast number of New Zealand businesses survive, adapt and […]
After studying Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering at Massey University, Jasnish worked in the gas, petroleum, pipelines and project estimation industries and even had a stint at a goldmine in Papua New Guinea. But the property bug kept getting bigger and bigger for Jasnish and so after years of buying andf holding property he leaped […]
After spending a number of years in the financial services industry, Dean realised that investment options needed to improve in order to put Kiwis back in control of their financial future. Taking a fresh approach to the investment sector, he created Kernel – a fully digital index fund manager and investment platform. On the back […]
Dr. Hannah Wells juggles life as a medical researcher in the field of biotech engineering and a champion triathlete. Hannah shares with us her lockdown routine, how she juggles both lives and her tips for staying focused and disciplined in any situation. Watch More Videos
Stew Darling is a former British army official who led covert operations in deadly wars around the world for 15 years without losing a single soldier/army staff on his watch. He went onto beat a 30 year alcohol addiction and embark on entrepreneurship to coach leaders, with clients including but not limited to Bank of […]
Mark Collins has competed as part of the NZ Cooking Team at the Hotel Olympia in London and has run several multi-million dollar food service, hospitality and food manufacturing businesses; the largest of which turned over $20m a year and employed over 230 staff. Not only now is he a business process consultant, but he […]
Dan Heyworth is co-founder and director at Box, a combined registered architectural practice and registered master builder that is not only changing the approach to building and design, but the focus in terms of creating homes, that people are going to love living in, as opposed to prioritizing industry awards. It’s this customer-first approach that […]
Theresa Gattung needs no introduction, but for the sake of consistency we will mention a few of her many achievements. Theresa first hit the public spotlight in a big way when she became CEO of Telecom in 1999, making her the first female CEO of a large public company in New Zealand. Since then she […]
John Cleghorn is a Founding Partner of Prime Strategies Group. Prime focuses on business excellence in the Small to Medium (SME) business market. Their ethos is to help SME owners make their respective businesses operate better, become successful and put their lives back on track. Getting good advice and some outside perspective is important, even […]
