The Company Road Podcast

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"AI is a little bit like fine wine in that everybody knows the name. Everybody thinks it looks great, but most people still really don't understand it."

Simon Kriss

This month’s theme

This month we explore the latest trends reshaping various sectors in Australia, from technological innovations driving business growth to market disruptors demanding strategic adaptation for survival. 

Key topics include leveraging cutting-edge technologies to spur growth as well as formulating agile strategies to respond effectively to industry disruptions.

In this episode you’ll hear about

• How to educate CEOs and leaders about AI and its potential impact.

• How CEOs and C-suite leaders need to communicate their position on AI to alleviate fears and build a safe environment for experimentation.

• How to use AI to explore new boundaries and create new products.

• How to identify pain points in the organisation and prioritise AI use cases 

• Where to start your AI journey today.

Key links

Simon's website: https://simonkriss.ai

Simon's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonkriss/ (Simon mentioned he will send a free PDF of his book to anyone who connects with him after listening to this podcast episode)

Simon's book on Amazon: "The AI-Empowered Customer Experience" by Simon Kriss https://www.amazon.com.au/Empowered-Customer-Experience-practitioners-possibilities-ebook/dp/B0C9YCPT4J

CSIRO's Data61: https://data61.csiro.au/

Australian Government AI Ethics Principles: https://www.industry.gov.au/data-and-publications/building-australias-artificial-intelligence-capability/ai-ethics-framework/ai-ethics-principles

OpenAI: https://www.openai.com/

Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com/

Hugging Face: https://huggingface.co/

Canva: https://www.canva.com/

Beautify: https://beautifycloud.com/

Allmybraindecor: https://allmybrain.com/

Katonic: https://katonic.ai/

Brainfish: https://brainfish.ai/

About our guest

Simon Kriss, Chief AI Officer at simonkriss.ai is a sought-after keynote speaker and consultant. He is author of “The AI Empowered Customer Experience”, hosts podcasts on CX and AI, and was named in the 2024 CX Top 50 Global Influencers to follow. 

Based in Melbourne Australia, Simon is a CX and AI futurologist who presents to audiences around the world and works with company boards and C-suite executives to help them better understand where the AI opportunities lie for their businesses.

About our host

Our host, Chris Hudson is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of Company Road, helping businesses and leaders find meaning, impact and positivity.

Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally. 

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For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

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“If it's a bigger organisation, you find out who's doing the financial you'll probably notice it will be coming around reports from someone, you can build a relationship with that person”

Chris Mitchell


This month…

We're pushing into the theme of innovation and trends and drivers of growth, both for organisations and intrapreneurs as leaders on a more personal level. 

In this episode you’ll hear about…

• How Canstar steered its transformation from a small B2B research business into a huge digital marketplace as one of Australia's biggest financial comparison sites, turning it into a brand that over 10 million Australians use every year.

• Revolutionising digital business: Driving scale and growth by empowering consumers to save time and money

• Matching Consumers desires into seamless Digital Solutions

• Maximising finance potential amidst commercial leadership constraints

• Aligning personal passion with your business goals 

• The need to adapt to trends: navigating the process within your team

• Fostering innovation by facilitating collaboration within your organisation 

Key links

Canstar 

Chris Mitchell on Linkedin 

Canstar on Linkedin

JD Power

About our guest

Chris Mitchell is the CFO of Canstar, Australia’s biggest financial comparison site. Chris has been with Canstar since 2007 and has co-piloted its transformation from a small B2B research business into a B2B2C digital marketplace.

Canstar is Australia’s biggest financial comparison site, comparing over 300 brands in banking, insurance and superannuation. We’ve grown the business from a specialist research company into a mainstream Australian brand used by over 10m Australians each year. Canstar Blue was launched in 2010 to compare telco, energy and other consumer products. Deloitte Fast 50. AFR Fast 100. Great place to work 5th in Australia 2021.

Prior to Canstar, Chris held senior financial and commercial roles in advertising in London and hospitality in Canada. With over 25 years’ experience, Chris started his career in audit in North

Queensland, having grown up in the bush and completed his Bachelor of Commerce degree at James Cook University in Townsville. Chris has been a CA since 2000 and has completed the AICD company directors course (2013).

About our host

Our host, Chris Hudson is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of Company Road, helping businesses and leaders find meaning, impact and positivity.

Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally. 

Support the show

For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us Fan Mail

“Young people will do things or do behaviours that perhaps, you know, aren't in line with their core values and their belief systems. But it's because what they see other people doing that they think they need to do those things in order to fit in.”

Joel Hines

In this episode you’ll hear about

• How the world of work needs to change to enable more gender diversity, safety, and positive environments
• How role models play a crucial role in shaping behaviour, particularly in the teenage years
• Authenticity and self-discovery and their importance in the workplace
• How to create a safe and open environment for conversations about emotions and personal experiences
• How taking time for reflection and considering alternative perspectives can lead to more creative and effective solutions
• How personal criticism should be approached with curiosity and a willingness to understand one's own reactions

Key links

Being Human: https://www.beinghuman.net.au/about  

Joel’s book ‘Holding Space’: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0CM9LQBKL?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860 

Joel’s TEDx Talk: https://youtu.be/-QpGJNtuYZo?si=rHYdEqgxD3Izg5l5 

Rites of Passage Institute:  https://ritesofpassageinstitute.org/

Man Cave Global: https://themancave.life/

KAOSPILOT: https://www.kaospilot.dk/  

About our guest

Throughout a career spanning over 25 years working in Mental Health, IT, Training, Educational Leadership and Group Facilitation, there has been a common theme of guiding others to explore the shared experience of being human.

With his finely honed skills of empathy and compassion, Joel is at his absolute best when he is holding space for others. He naturally adapts to the situation at hand and exercises deep listening and presence with a calm and considered energy.

Exemplifying integrity and authenticity, Joel motivates and enables leaders to cultivate engagement, foster collaboration and empower others.Joel's natural gift for storytelling, combined with his calm and approachable demeanour, fuels his passion for enriching workplace connections and fostering the growth offacilitation skills and confidence.

Simultaneously, he diligently addresses the essential human needs of belonging and purpose. He firmly subscribes to the notion that collaboration, agency and empowerment stand as pivotal factors in allowing individuals to not only survive but truly thrive.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-hines-22a1121b/

About our host

Our host, Chris Hudson is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of Company Road, helping businesses and leaders find meaning, impact and positivity.

Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally. 

Support the show

For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

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"I love the advancements of technology, but when it comes to connection, I'm very conflicted about it."

In this episode you’ll hear about:

• Balancing radical candor and ruinous empathy
• Connections, networks and the role they play in your success
• Feedback and how to use it for professional growth
• Observation and listening to identify areas for improvement
• Timing of feedback to ensure it is well-received
• Taking a genuine interest in people's lives to form deeper connections

Key links

Design Outlook
Xero
Web Directions Summit
Ladies that UX Melbourne
NAB
Belong
Kim Scott’s TED Talk on Radical Candour 
Shasta Nelson
The Year of Living Danishly
Tim Duggan - Work Backwards
Gallop Clifton Strengths test

About our guest

Berlin Liew is an aspiring design leader, who is deeply passionate and driven to activate ideas, create meaningful relationships, and question how we do things to see if there’s a better way (spoiler alert: there always is).

After graduating with a degree in linguistics and spending 6 years working in media, she career-changed into the world of design and dived headfirst into large product organisations, such as NAB, Belong, and Xero. She’s currently a Senior Product Designer, and despite the job title, she believes you don’t have to wait to be ‘at the top’ in order to drive change and impact for your customers, the business, and for those who work with you.

Outside of work, Berlin is an active contributor to her local design community, having emceed Design Outlook 2023, co-curated Web Directions Summit 2023, led Ladies that UX Melbourne, and spoken at various design meetups.

About our host

Our host, Chris Hudson is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of Company Road, helping businesses and leaders find impact and positivity.

Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He con

Support the show

For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us Fan Mail

‘’Over the years I've built toolkits, ways of processing…sure I still get nervous like anybody else when something unexpected gets thrown at me,  but I've come to realise that it'll be okay. I've always managed to come out the other side with either success or just a small handful of bruises.’’

- Amir Ansari

In this episode you’ll hear about:

• The unpredictable moments in Amir’s career, his path and the twists and turns along the way. ‘’life's full of ambiguity and I need to be comfortable with it’’
• How to cope with decisions made out of your control and how to regain control of the situation.
• The positive impact of being able to manage change as leaders in organisation: Being a conduit, remaining unified and connected in the face of change.
• Asking questions to build mental models: assessing the situation and the circumstance to understand the outcome needing to be fulfilled.
• Building situations out by looking at as much core information as possible: assessing who you can go to for advice and mentoring for stories, questions and historical insights.
• Navigating strategic trends in business: going back to first principles, patience and prioritisation.  
• Letting go of your pride and reputation: accepting that in certain situations, you might not know all the answers and will need to search for guidance and mentorship.

Key links

Amir Ansari 

Academy Xi

Edward de Bono's Six Thinking Hats

About our guest

Amir is the Chief Experience Officer and Head of Applied AI at Academy Xi - an Australian-owned education company with a mission to transform the world through education. 

He has been in the field of product design and user experience for over 25 years as a practitioner and leader, building and scaling design capability and teams with companies and agencies, and delivering award-winning digital products. With a passion for human-centred design, he is well-versed in building functions, processes, and operations to fast-track and grow design maturity for companies of all sizes and operating models. 

He is passionate about inclusion and digital accessibility and democratising the craft of design - doing it with a smile and a hug.

About our host

Our host, Chris Hudson is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of Company Road, helping businesses and leaders find impact and positivity.

Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally. 

Support the show

For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us Fan Mail

‘’What matters to me is helping businesses realise their full potential to be a force for good in the world. Because I truly believe that this is the untapped potential of business.’’-    Carolyn Butler-Madden
In this episode you’ll hear about:
-   Carolyn's career journey: Carolyn delves into the roots of her beliefs and lets us into the key experiences that inspired her to champion purpose driven approaches in business.
 -   The missing role of love in business: An opportunity for untapped potential, to connect things you love and enjoy into your world of work.
-   Transitioning from marketing to purpose-driven strategy: Recognising the power that businesses and brands have to solve society's biggest challenges and in turn attract people that want to support them.
-   How to start these bigger conversations: Turning passion and strategy into action by taking the first step.
-   Connecting to the why: Identifying your unique identity, looking beyond short-term marketing strategies into building a long-term authentic purpose strategy.
 Key links;   Carolyn’s book, For Love and Money https://www.amazon.com.au/Love-Money-profit-purpose-business-ebook/dp/B09JK9JM52
South by Southwest https://www.sxsw.com/
Danielle Owen Whitford https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-owen-whitford/?originalSubdomain=au
Pioneera https://pioneera.com/
Melanie Greblo https://www.linkedin.com/in/melaniegreblo/?originalSubdomain=au
Scriibed https://scriibed.com/
Dr. Kyle Turner https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-turner1111/?originalSubdomain=au
Pearlii https://www.pearlii.com/about
Bea Boccalandro on Job Purposing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqzkhdmkod0
Carolyn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynbm/?originalSubdomain=au) believes in a world where business is a force for good and brands drive profit through purpose.
An inspiring speaker, award-winning author, podcast host, and a contributor to media publications including Forbes Australia, CEO Magazine, CEO World Magazine, CMO, Marketing, B&T, Smart Company, Women’s Agenda, Retail World and Inside FMCG; Carolyn’s mission is to make meaningful purpose vital in business.
Her second book “For Love & Money” was awarded best Social Responsibility book in the 2022 Australian Business Book of the Year Awards. Her first book, Amazon bestseller, Path-To-Purpose, was Australia’s first on Cause Marketing.
Carolyn walks the talk. Through her B Corp Certified Consultancy, “The Cause Effect”, she helps businesses of all types and sizes navigate their path to purpose and unlock the full potential of their people, organisation and brand.
Our host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co)

Support the show

For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us Fan Mail

"Follow the process, follow the methods, and then you're not going to fail in your project. You're going to fail throughout your project. Small constant failure is part of what it is.”

Fabio Oliveira

In this episode you’ll hear about:

• Defining innovation in 2024: Breaking down the definition of innovation and its associated expectations and misconceptions and understanding how innovation fits differently into the contexts of large and small organisations
• Managing innovation and idea generation: Methods for accelerating employee engagement, investment and idea generation while maintaining order and process in receiving and processing innovation ideas
• Conducting research in innovation: How to gather the necessary information for innovation, keep focus on relevant subject matter and shape project briefs effectively to ensure targeted research efforts
• Physical and digital integration: Exploring innovative experimentation blending physical and digital elements and what we can expect from the future of in-store/retail technology 
• Maintaining a wholesight organisation view: The importance of staying connected to your organisation's strategic direction and challenges through innovation and keeping perspective within your role to ensure effective and meaningful work that aligns to business goals and addresses relevant problems

Key links

Kmart Australia https://www.kmart.com.au/

Amazon Walkout Tech https://aws.amazon.com/just-walk-out/

RFID https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/high-tech-gadgets/rfid.htm

Dr Tim Baker framework https://www.mindtools.com/a7em9zg/the-five-conversations-framework

Basecamp’s Shape Up Methodology https://basecamp.com/shapeup

Designful Company by Marty Neumeier https://www.martyneumeier.com/the-designful-company

About our guest

Fabio Oliveira (https://au.linkedin.com/in/fabiosoliveira) is an innovation leader specialising in establishing innovation practices within large companies. Known for his ability to build multidisciplinary teams from the ground up, he has successfully cemented innovation strategies at prominent Australian brands – notably Kmart and WorkSafe Victoria – delivering significant outcomes.

Currently the Head of Innovation and Service Design at Kmart, Fabio is leading several initiatives that are building the future of store operations and customer experience.

About our host

Our host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co).

Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally. 

Support the show

For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us Fan Mail

“We are all young wounded children in adult bodies, walking around, bumping into each other and then blaming each other when our wounds get touched on or when our traumas get activated.”

Lael Stone

In this episode you’ll hear about:

Parenting and leader parallels: Drawing parallels between effective leadership and conscious parenting, highlighting the similarities in communication strategies and nurturing supportive environments in how we lead as parents and in business

Understanding human behaviour in the workplace: Exploring the deeper motivations behind people's actions and behaviours, emphasising the importance of curiosity and empathy in engaging with co-workers

How your childhood affects your working style: The way in which unresolved childhood traumas, emotional wounds and even just the parenting styles in our childhood homes can influence adult behaviours and interactions in the workplace.

Fostering authenticity and vulnerability: Recognizing the value of being authentic and vulnerable in expressing needs and concerns and how to cultivate a work culture that enables such expression

The role of conscious leadership: How to grow in conscious leadership and see transformation in fostering work environments where individuals feel valued, empowered, and able to thrive personally and professionally

Key links

Lael’s TedX Talk https://www.ted.com/talks/lael_stone_how_to_raise_emotionally_intelligent_children

Lael Stone https://laelstone.com.au/

Woodline Primary School https://woodlineprimary.com.au/

The Resilience Project https://theresilienceproject.com.au/

Raising Resilient and Compassion Children https://www.amazon.com.au/Raising-Resilient-Compassionate-Children-Understanding/dp/0645551562/

About our guest

Lael Stone (https://www.linkedin.com/in/laelstone) is an educator, TEDx speaker, author, mother, and parenting counsellor who has worked with families for over 20 years. Her work as a birth educator, postnatal trauma counsellor, and parenting educator has seen her work with thousands of families consulting about newborns all the way to the teen years. She spent over 5 yrs in secondary schools working with teens around sexuality, well-being, and relationships and her great aim is to empower parents to create connections and stronger relationships with their children.

She is the co-creator of Woodline Primary School, an innovative new school based on emotional well-being and connection. Lael was the co-host of The Aware Parenting Podcast and a sought-after public speaker who talks candidly about her experiences and her great passion for creating wellness in adults through connection and communication.

About our host

Our host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co).

Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord)

Support the show

For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us Fan Mail

“Design's not in its infancy anymore but we can still find it hard to communicate our value.”

Kris Washusen

In this episode you’ll hear about:

• Adopting a Lean-UX approach: Why you should value rapid prototyping over extensive upfront discovery and what you can do to implement quick and experimental change cycles.
• The stickiness of design work: Addressing the challenges in implementing and achieving longevity in design work… and how to avoid design projects going nowhere.
• Impact of the ‘pandemic tools’: The way tools and technologies developed during the pandemic have continued to accelerate and impact design processes, enabling faster synthesis of data and more efficient collaboration among design teams.
• Role of stakeholder engagement: How to ensure the successful implementation of design recommendations and strategies through ongoing stakeholder engagement and consultation.
• Balancing creativity and methodology: Exploring the tension between structured design methodologies like the double diamond approach and the need and value in creative spontaneity and quick decision-making in design processes.

Key links

Gareth Rydon interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMp6qbgTtu4

Dovetail AI https://dovetail.com/launch/magic/

Otter AI https://otter.ai/

NAB https://www.nab.com.au/

FigJam https://www.figma.com/figjam/

Swaggle https://swaggle.com.au/

About our guest

Kris Washusen (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kris-washusen/) is a Strategic Designer and Design & Product Practitioner based in Melbourne, Australia. Along with his UX, CX, product and strategic design roles, Kris's career in advertising and as an entrepreneur building, running and exiting successful businesses has allowed him to develop a unique problem-solving skill set.

From research, strategy and transformational change design for both the private and public sectors through to product strategy and design for tech and startups, Kris has helped some of Australia's most respected organisations navigate some choppy seas.

Kris's passion lies in implementing human-centred and Lean-UX principles to navigate ambiguity, explore the behaviours and motivations of the users of products or services and create delightful, intuitive, and accessible experiences that solve complex organisational problems.

About our host

Our host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co)

Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally. 

Support the show

For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us Fan Mail

“We need to consciously become aware of our patterns and our behaviours before we change them  and understand how they’re serving us in the first place.”

Celine Waters

In this episode you’ll hear about:

• The practice of somatic design: How to create deeper connections between our mind, body and spirit and experience the transformative benefits of somatics
• Harnessing inner resilience: What it means to cultivate inner resilience through recognising your own capacity to adapt, bounce back from setbacks and find strength in adversity 
• Understanding the impacts of trauma:  Unpacking the somatic experience of trauma, and how historic trauma can become stored in the body and have deep physical consequences
• Create safe spaces for emotional expression: How to set up safe spaces for vulnerability and expression within the workplace and more broadly to enable personal growth, healing and emotional wellbeing
• Transformative leadership: How to drive positive organisational change and foster a culture of resilience and collaboration through prioritising emotional wellbeing, growth and collective transformation
  
  

Key links

Immunity to Change by Robert Kegan https://www.mindtools.com/a4l75hx/immunity-to-change

Strozzi Institute https://strozziinstitute.com/

Eduardo Galeano https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/apr/15/eduardo-galeano

Sapiens book https://www.amazon.com.au/Sapiens-Humankind-Yuval-Noah-Harari/dp/0062316095

Tall Poppy Syndrome https://harpersbazaar.com.au/tall-poppy-syndrome-wellbeing-mental-health/

Amy Cuddy TED talk https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_may_shape_who_you_are?language=en

About our guest

Celine Waters is a human-centred designer and somatic coach committed to individual and collective transformation. She started out in biochemistry and following a post-grad in computer science, moved into business consulting in Australia and Ireland, working across big organisations.

Her current focus is in the research of the intersection of design and somatics, bringing body intelligence into her work. She studies body psychotherapy and somatic coaching for social justice.

About our host

Our host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co).

Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally. 

Support the show

For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/