Alex MacPhail Podcast

Franz Smit is a pilot and founder of PilotInsure, a leading loss of licence insurance company based in South Africa. Franz grew up in the small town of Tarkastad, in the Eastern Cape. As a young boy, he regularly watched airliners fly overhead en-route to Johannesburg. This captivated his imagination and drove him to pursue a career in flying. Along the way Franz became a financial advisor and used his knowledge of aviation and insurance to dig deep into the world of “loss-of-license” co...

Andre Viljoen studies Accounting in Johannesburg, but shortly after finishing articles, he headed East to explore life and the world of Finance. After spending many years in emerging markets banking, Andre made his way back to South Africa in Cape Town. He was looking for a new business challenge and that is when he began Woodstock Brewery, amidst the craft beer revolution hitting the Mother City at the time.Andre is a smart and interesting guy who says it like it is. Having been through vari...

Jon is back on the podcast today! As the Dean and Director of Henley Business School, Africa, Jon has been leading the growth and transformation of the institution for over 12 years, with the vision "To build the people, who build the businesses, that build Africa."Jon is also a passionate advocate for ethical and sustainable business practices, as you will hear during the conversation. He is also passionate about creativity and innovation. He is also a regular columnist with the Daily M...

Annabel has been flying Since 1999. She earned her Air Force Wings before learning to drive a car. Throughout her career, Annabel has been challenged to jump extra hurdles.President Nelson Mandela, knew not only her name, but also her parents names. Annabel has that effect on people. Her sparkling personality is warm, friendly and inviting, but don’t her charm confuse you. She is diligent hard-working and capable. Annabel was a Training Captain at the VIP, 21 Squadron of the SA Air Force. She...

Noah Lieberman was excited by flight from his first experience flying on a DC3 around Mexico as an 8 year old. Affectionately known as the Gooney Bird, the DC3 has found a warm spot in a lot of our hearts. Noah was keen to become an aerospace engineer. He also wanted to learn how to fly. Shortly after beginning his pilot training as a teenager, he ran out of funds. He later went to university and continued his career in the tech industry, repairing hardware and later delved into software...

Marc Priestley is the author of The Mechanic, an insider look at life on the formula one circuit. Marc joined the McLaren Formula 1 team in 1999 while Mika Hakkinen was reigning world champion and later defended his title with McLaren, making it a back to back championship. McLaren we’re on the upswing and about to revolutionise the sport for the next several years.Marc later work with big names in the sport, such as: David Coulthard, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton, who wo...

Calvin is the Founder and CEO of Melon Mobile, South Africa’s newest Mobile Network. While the service is recent on the scene, the team have been building the product for the past two years. Calvin has more than two decades experience combining entrepreneurship, internet service provider and providing efficient simple solutions to everyday life.Calvin was born into a family of farmers, originally resident in Zimbabwe. During his school years his family moved to South Africa and continued farm...

In this episode I talk to Ricky de Agrela, the first man to ever travel to all the continents in the World using only a Microlight. He speaks about the great memories, of the adventure and also the tragedy that struck during his trip, when his close friend Allan, lost his life to the cause. We follow Ricky's story to see where he is now years after his big adventure. Ricky still travels the World and helps young adventurers find their way in travelling responsibly. Let me know what you think?...

In this episode I chat with Erika Armstrong. She is currently flying in the Business Aviation sector, and through her influence in the Aviation industry is inspiring and training new recruits. Listen as we talk about the passion needed to be in the Aviation industry and take some tips for yourself.Let me know what you think? Do you have any listeners questions? Reach out to me using the details below. Get in touch with Alex: [email protected]://twitter.com/AlexMacPhail1https:/...

In this episode I chat with Ron Rutland. An average guy who decided to brave the challenge of cycling from Cape To Cairo and his life has never been the same. Rob now officially delivers the Rugby World Cup Game Whistle by hand and gets there on his Bicycle. Listen as Rob inspires us to take a renewed look at life and shares some of his experiences being out on the road.Let me know what you think? Do you have any listeners questions? Reach out to me using the details below. Get in touch with ...