Chunk Of Change by The Royals chunkofchangebytheroyals

Brendan Tansey’s insatiable curiosity has seen the marketeer-come-viking chief journey around the globe whilst working with some of the biggest change-makers of the 20th century, including Andy Grove, Lester Wunderman and Tor Hagen. Over the past 30-years, Brendan has helped guide many of the world's biggest brands through some of the most tumultuous times imaginable - but his biggest challenge was waiting in the wings. After taking on a new role as Managing Director of Viking Cruises in China, 2020 threw more than a few curveballs... all of which allowed him to put years of experience to the test, successfully navigating the business through the pandemic and somehow managing to keep his sense of humour along the way.

Thoughtworks is a global technology consulting firm that’s successfully ridden the digital transformation wave since the late 80’s. This interview with the North American CEO, Chris Murphy, took place prior to last week’s IPO that raised US$344 million and valued the company at nearly US$9 billion. Over the past two decades, Thoughtworks has been a major influencer of key trends in IT such as agile development, blockchain technology and microservices, all of which has lead to ‘Thoughtworkers’ publishing more than 100 books. As Marc Andreessen famously said, "Software is eating the world" and with spending on digital transformation forecast to double by 2025, Chris and the Thoughtworks team are set to ride the digital wave for many years to come.

Sam Davy is Founder and Creative Director of Park Social Soccer Co., a social impact brand designed to change the world through a global love of sport and the language of art. He was previously Global Creative Director at Apple, where Steve Jobs shared with Sam his idea of doing well while doing good. Sam also spent time at Crumpler as Head of Brand, Marketing and Product, but nothing could prepare him for what happened after he searched 'how to make a soccer ball' on YouTube. 10,000 balls and millions of soccer games later, Park SSC is proof of what's possible when you combine a love of sport, creativity and an unwavering desire to give back.

In this, our final episode of Chunk of Change for the season, we speak with David Christie, co-CEO of international bakery franchise, Bakers Delight. Originally from South Africa with a degree in History and Literature, David’s journey to running one of Australia’s most successful franchise groups began after meeting his wife Elise (daughter of co-founders, Roger and Leslie Gillespie) and being tasked with growing the business through North America without a crumb of baking experience. One fortieth birthday and millions of Cheesymite scrolls later, the Baker’s Delight and COBS brands are amongst the most recognised bakeries in the world. With over 650 stores in four countries, David speaks openly about how he and his wife Elise are co-authoring the next entrepreneurial chapter in this family owned success story.

2020’s been a tumultuous year for most, but for newly appointed Chief Executive Officer at Movember, Michelle Terry, it’s been a veritable whirlwind of change.  Michelle joined the rockstar not-for-profit earlier this year from Treasury Wine Estates (where she was Global CMO) at a time when Movember’s work in the area of men’s health and suicide prevention was more important than ever.  In the process Michelle lead the reengineering of Movember’s fundraising and program delivery platforms in 20-countries around the world, just as she reengineered the schooling environment for her two young daughters at home.  All this has made for some challenging Mo-ments but through it all Michelle’s stayed focussed on what matters most: having fun; staying humble; and doing good.

On episode 7 of Chunk of Change we speak with "Australia's Superman", Perry Cross, founder and CEO of Accessible Homes Australia and the Perry Cross Spinal Research Foundation. At the age of 19, Perry was severely injured in a rugby tackle and told he would never walk or breathe on his own again and would require 24/7 medical care. However just two years later he became Australia’s first motivational speaker on life support and began work on his life’s mission – to find a cure for paralysis.Perry's dogged determination has seen him dedicate his life to helping others with a disability, raising awareness of spinal injuries and creating a movement that has seen tens of thousands of people support the need for urgent research to help cure paralysis. Speaking with the assistance of a ventilator, Perry reminds us that the loneliness and isolation we've felt during COVID-19 lockdowns is a normal daily experience for many Australian’s living with a disability. And as someone who's defied the odds over and over again, Perry's philosophy on how to make the 'impossible possible' is a timely lesson on the mindset required to overcome life’s greatest challenges. Donations to Perry's foundation can be made at: www.pcsrf.org.au/donate