Leaders Getting Coffee with Bruce Cotterill

In Leaders Getting Coffee episode 18, our guest is the CEO of the NZ Olympic Committee, Nicki Nicol

 Nicki spent almost 20 years with global giant BP where she worked around the world in a wide range of executive roles.

 She returned to New Zealand and took up the role of Chief Financial Officer at NZ Rugby, where among other achievements, she led the Respect & Responsibility Review.

 She subsequently became the Deputy CEO of NZ Rugby, until a new challenge arrived and she was appointed as the CEO of the NZ Olympic Committee two years ago – at a time when the Commonwealth Games and Winter Olympics of 2022 were both less than three months away.

 Nicki is surprisingly forthright on the state of sports in New Zealand and the opportunities that sport provides across the board, from a showcase of the country, to a learning ground for our school age children.

 She talks to Bruce about the challenges of sports funding and having to raise money from sponsorship and philanthropy in order to get a team of almost 400 people to the Games.

 She also discusses a resurgence in New Zealand’s track & field athletes and our emerging crop of top swimmers. And then there is the ongoing battle with the drugs cheats, and in a troubled world the concerns and resultant plans, regarding athlete safety.

 Finally, we even get a preview on where she thinks New Zealand might be in the medal hunt.

 Episode 18 of Leaders Getting Coffee provides another great story about a New Zealand woman who learned her trade in one of the world’s biggest companies, and who brought those skills home to add to our already remarkable sporting pedigree.

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Bruce Cotterill: Leaders Getting Coffee – Episode 17 – With Mike Bush

In Leaders Getting Coffee episode 17, our guest is former Police Commissioner, Mike Bush.

Mike Bush joined the Police at the age of 18 and stayed for 42 years. He spent six years in the top job before retiring in 2020.

Over recent years we’ve seen crime on the increase, particularly that perpetuated by younger people. Mike talks with Bruce about the growing crime problems in New Zealand, the challenges of dealing with imported crime that comes with immigration, and the war on drugs and gangs.

He offers an interesting perspective on the challenges in dealing with young offenders, and how so called “boot camp” policies can be amended in order to become more effective for the young people who have much to gain from such programmes.

There is also an interesting discussion about the much maligned Oranga Tamariki, and the challenges faced by the young people who come into contact with that organisation as well as those whose job is to try to help them.

And we learn about policing as a career, one which Mike Bush would highly recommend to any young person thinking about an alternative to a university education or a trade.

Episode 17 of Leaders Getting Coffee provides another unique leadership story. A story about a young man from Rotorua, who wanted to be a cop.

Download it here.

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In Leaders Getting Coffee episode 16, our guest is Webster, the CEO of Tourism Holdings Limited.

Grant was named CEO of the Year at the 2023 Deloitte Top 200 business awards last year and his leadership story is both impressive and inspiring.

Of course the tourism industry has taken a hammering in the wake of the COVID 19 enforced lockdowns and Grant gives us a unique perspective on the status of our recovery and the future outlook for the sector.

The discussion covers the role of the government in enhancing our tourism offer, the customer experience we deliver for tourists, and the age old argument about the benefits of high value short term tourists versus long term low value visitors.

And we learn how to continue to grow the tourism pie, including the opportunity to embrace the stuff that is uniquely New Zealand, namely our cultural identify and our authenticity as we seek to attract increasing tourist numbers to our shores. 

And with tourism businesses operating around the world, you might be surprised to hear about Grant Webster’s favourite camper van trip.

Yet again, Leaders Getting Coffee unveils a unique and fascinating leadership story with one of our longest serving CEO’s.

Download it here.

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In Leaders Getting Coffee episode 15, our guest is Tim O’Connor, the 11th Headmaster of Auckland Grammar School.

Tim’s career in education has taken him through some of New Zealand’s best known schools for boys including Nelson College and Palmerston North Boys High, before joining Grammar in 2012.

It’s a rare opportunity to speak to a leader in a sector that is so important for the future of the country, while at the same time having grave concerns for the current state of that sector. O’Connor confirms that our fears are well founded, but the good news is that he has a prescription for what the future needs to look like.

As a result, the discussion covers topics like the suitability of NCEA, the current curriculum and whether teacher training is fit for purpose. There’s also the needs of the primary school sector that feeds our colleges, and what they need to do to be better.

And then there are the unique aspects of life at Auckland Grammar School where "old school" values reign supreme, and where respect and discipline are to the fore.

Yet again, Leaders Getting Coffee unveils a unique and fascinating leadership story, one that will, at some time, affect most of us, and our children.

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In Leaders Getting Coffee episode 14, our guest is Tenby Powell, who founded Kiwi K.A.R.E. (Kiwi Aid & Refugee Evacuation) which was established in response to the humanitarian and medical crisis unfolding in war-torn Ukraine.

A Retired Colonel in the NZ Army, he’s also a former CEO and investor who, dissatisfied with the lack of progress in his hometown of Tauranga, successfully ran for the Mayoralty in 2019.

Tenby talks with passion about the role of the military in our lives, how the army can help youth offenders programmes, and the need to provide for those young people once such programmes are completed.

The discussion covers the transitions from military man to corporate leader and the process that saw entrenched positions in Tauranga resolved within a few short months of his appointment as Mayor.

Finally, we learn about what is going on, on the ground in Ukraine, and how Kiwis are making a big difference to the people they touch.

And as always, we wrap up the podcast by asking Tenby what he would do if he was Prime Minister for a day? His answer sounds like a lot of fun.

Tenby Powell is another impressive leader with a fascinating leadership story. Tune in to Leaders Getting Coffee, episode 14, with Bruce Cotterill and Tenby Powell.

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This week on Leaders Getting Coffee, our guest is Theresa Gattung. Former CEO of Telecom NZ, co-founder of My Food Bag, and Chair of Global Women.

Theresa’s story is unique. A chance meeting led to her joining Telecom, where at the age of just 37, she became that company’s youngest ever CEO and the first woman to lead a NZX listed company.

She talks about the importance of a strong leadership team, what she looks for in building a team, and the decision to sell one of Telecom’s biggest assets.

It might seem difficult to follow a corporate career like that, but Theresa became an entrepreneur and alongside Nadia Lim and Cecilia Robinson, she was one of the drivers behind the launch and rapid success of My Food Bag. She talks openly about managing in that high paced environment and has plenty of great lessons for young people with big aspirations.

Theresa speaks with refreshing honesty about the highs and lows of her career, and the things that drove her to become a passionate advocate for women and a lifelong supporter of women in the workplace.

And as always, we wrap up the podcast by asking Theresa what she would do if she was Prime Minister for a day?

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This week, Bruce's guest is, Jason Paris, the CEO of One NZ, formerly Vodafone.

Jason has worked across New Zealand’s corporate tech sector, with leadership roles at Nokia, TVNZ, and Spark, before joining Vodafone as their CEO five years ago.

He speaks in detail about the rebranding of Vodafone to One NZ. The reasons for the name change, how they came up with the new name, and of course, the reaction from key stakeholders. And he gets into his great passion – the customer experience – explaining why he gives his email address out to every One NZ customer.

With rugby league’s NRL season about to get under way, who better to speak to about the Warriors chances, than the CEO of their main sponsor. The Vodafone / One NZ sponsorship arrangement is one of the longest in the NRL. And this CEO is a life long league fan. His view from the changing room demonstrates the commitment of the company to the club and vice versa.

As always, we wrap up the podcast by asking Jason what he would do if he was Prime Minister for a day? His answer is one of our best yet.

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This week, Bruce's guest is, Mike Bennetts, the former CEO of Z Energy and a previous winner of the Deloitte Top 200 CEO of the year. 

Bruce talks to him about his corporate career, one that started off in sales and continued working around the world to the corner office, and discuss the importance of culture and good conversations, fuel prices, and Mike's new book. 

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Bruce's guest is Dion Nash, former New Zealand cricket captain and the founder of grooming business Triumph & Disaster.

They talk cricket, cover the transition from being a professional athlete to owner/operator of a business, and explore the influence of Rudyard Kipling's poem If.

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Bruce's guest is award-winning entrepreneur Carmen Vicelich. She's behind multiple data-driven, industry-leading businesses including Valocity and Data Insight. 

Vicelich is a regular global speaker, sharing her story of innovation, and serves on boards including the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund.

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Bruce's guest is Peter Thompson, Managing Director of Barfoot & Thompson. The real estate group is a family company which recently celebrated one hundred years of operation. Bruce and Peter discuss the property market and the expectations of the new government’s likely impact.

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This week Bruce is joined by former National Party minister turned Joyce Advisory founder, Steven Joyce. The two discuss the state of politics and Joyce's career in and out of the Beehive.  

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Bruce chats to Dr Nina Hood, founder of The Education Hub. Nina is an outstanding educator, with genuine concerns and innovative solutions for the New Zealand education system. She is passionate about improving educational outcomes and shares constructive advice for politicians, teachers and even parents.

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For his next chat, Bruce is joined by Zuru Toys cofounder Nick Mowbray. They discuss how he and his siblings took their toy company to the world and even cracked China, and what motivates their approach to business. Plus, with the election campaign underway, they dig into all things politics. 

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This week, Bruce is joined by Simplicity CEO and founder Sam Stubbs to talk how his corporate career gave way to running a not for profit Kiwisaver scheme. 

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In our third edition of the Leaders Getting Coffee podcast, our guest is Cecilia Robinson. She is a serial entrepreneur, from Au Pair Link to My Food Bag, and now her latest venture Tend Health, she continues to challenge the status quo and how we deliver services to customers.

A combination of enthusiasm and logic prevails in her conversation and her aspirations for the country. And she offers a very simple solution for our crisis ridden health system.

Join Bruce Cotterill and his guest Cecilia Robinson in episode 3 of Leaders Getting Coffee.

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For his second guest, Bruce is joined by the former Reserve Bank Governor and National Party leader Don Brash, to talk about his experiences in the public sector, politics and his thoughts on recent fiscal hole drama. 

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For the first episode of Leaders Getting Coffee, Bruce is joined by former TV presenter turned sports animation pioneer and Animation Research Limited founder Sir Ian Taylor, to discuss leadership advice, how Ian got got his company off the ground and through Covid, and thoughts on some recent headlines.

Read Bruce's column here

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