The CEO Advantage Podcast

Paul Edginton

The CEO Advantage Podcast brings you into candid conversations with top CEOs, founders, and industry experts, exploring the strategies, insights, and lessons that drive success. From leadership tactics to navigating challenges, each episode offers valuable takeaways for entrepreneurs and executives alike. Gain an edge with actionable advice and inspiring stories from the people shaping the future of business. Tune in to elevate your perspective and fuel your own journey to success.

  1. FEB 24

    Adriana Brusi: Redefining Customer Loyalty Through Community Driven Marketing

    In this episode of The CEO Advantage Podcast, hosts Paul Edginton and Milly Albers sit down with Adriana Brusi to explore the realities of customer service, leadership, and modern marketing. Drawing on her background across hospitality, events, data systems, and digital strategy, Adriana shares how her early work experiences shaped her thinking about independence, accountability, and building businesses that prioritise people. The conversation centres on her belief that customer loyalty is earned through meaningful service and genuine human connection rather than excessive advertising spend. Adriana reflects on her time in the music and nightclub industries, her experience managing teams at a young age, and the lessons she learned about power, behaviour, and responsibility. She discusses the commercial pressures facing restaurants and small businesses, particularly post Covid, and challenges common assumptions about events, branding, and digital marketing. The episode also unpacks the thinking behind Crowds Now, a platform she describes as a double sided marketplace designed to connect everyday people with businesses in a way that amplifies word of mouth and creates what she calls social safety around brands. Through practical examples, including hospitality scenarios and luxury retail case studies, Adriana explains how sampling at scale and community driven advocacy can provide an alternative to traditional advertising models. In this episode: • Early work experiences and how independence shaped Adriana’s leadership philosophy • Lessons from hospitality about service standards, accountability, and customer loyalty • The commercial realities of events and why many function as branding rather than profit drivers • Rethinking digital marketing spend and the limitations of traditional advertising models • The concept behind Crowds Now and how community driven advocacy supports small business This episode is for business owners, operators, and leaders who want to rethink how they build loyalty, support their teams, and create sustainable growth through genuine connection rather than noise. We would love for you to become part of our growing leadership community. Visit ⁠www.ceoadvantage.com.au⁠. For leadership advice and more content, follow @ceo_advantage on Instagram. Connect with Paul Edginton on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/paul-edginton-5047a511.

    1h 28m
  2. FEB 11

    Stephan Knoll: Leadership Lessons from Family Business and Public Office

    In this episode of The CEO Advantage Podcast, hosts Paul Edginton and Milly Albers are joined by Stephan Knoll to explore leadership shaped by family enterprise, public service, and lived accountability. Stephan shares his journey from growing up in a multigenerational food manufacturing business to serving as a South Australian government minister, and how those experiences continue to inform his approach to leadership, decision making, and responsibility. The conversation unpacks Stephan’s early immersion in work through Barossa Fine Foods, the realities of earning respect in a blue collar workforce, and the challenges of stepping into senior leadership roles at a young age. Stephan reflects on the contrast between private enterprise and public office, including the pressures of political systems, the impact of scrutiny and investigation on personal wellbeing, and the importance of preserving humanity, relationships, and judgement under stress. He also outlines his post politics portfolio career, including executive chair roles, board leadership, and advising growth stage businesses using first principles thinking. In this episode:• Growing up in a family business and learning leadership through work rather than theory• Earning trust and authority in tough operating environments• The differences between decision making in private enterprise and government• The personal cost of public scrutiny and how to recover perspective and balance• Building a portfolio career focused on impact, governance, and practical leadership This episode is for leaders, founders, and executives who want a grounded perspective on responsibility, resilience, and how leadership decisions shape both organisations and lives. We would love for you to become part of our growing leadership community. Visit ⁠www.ceoadvantage.com.au⁠. For leadership advice and more content, follow @ceo_advantage on Instagram. Connect with Paul Edginton on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/paul-edginton-5047a511.

    1h 42m
  3. JAN 27

    David Bowley: Building Vinteloper Through Intentional Culture and Founder Leadership

    In this episode of The CEO Advantage Podcast, hosts Paul Edginton and Milly Albers speak with David Bowley, founder of Vinteloper, a boutique wine brand based in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia. David reflects on his journey into winemaking, the early formation of Vinteloper, and how curiosity, creativity, and risk appetite have shaped his leadership approach over time.David discusses the origins of Vinteloper, the thinking behind its name, and the decision to build a brand that deliberately challenges traditional wine industry conventions. He explains how communication, language, packaging, and the tasting room experience are used intentionally to reduce buyer resistance and create stronger customer connection. The conversation also explores how making implicit aspects of culture and strategy explicit became a turning point in leading the business as it matured.In this episode:• Tracing the early development of Vinteloper as a founder led business• Using brand language and experience design to challenge industry norms• Making culture and strategy explicit as a leadership practice• Navigating risk, growth phases, and impostor syndrome• Balancing founder responsibility with long term perspectiveThis episode is for founders and leaders who want a grounded discussion on building culture led businesses while navigating uncertainty, growth, and personal responsibility.We would love for you to become part of our growing leadership community. Visit ⁠www.ceoadvantage.com.au⁠.For leadership advice and more content, follow @ceo_advantage on Instagram.Connect with Paul Edginton on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/paul-edginton-5047a511.

    1h 27m
  4. JAN 13

    Martin Perelman: Scaling a Founder Led Business from Startup to ASX Listing

    In this episode of The CEO Advantage Podcast, hosts Paul Edginton and Milly Albers speak with Martin Perelman, co founder and former Chief Executive Officer of SILK Laser Clinics, about his leadership journey and the growth of the business from a small startup into a national operation. Martin shares his early career path, the formation of SILK with fellow founders, and the experiences that shaped his approach to leadership and execution. Martin explains how SILK grew from its first clinic in Adelaide into a multi state business, including navigating founder dynamics, introducing formal governance, working with private equity investors, and ultimately listing the company on the Australian Securities Exchange in 2020. He discusses the realities of scaling a service based business, maintaining consistency across locations, and leading through periods of rapid expansion and organisational change. In this episode: • Founding a business with multiple partners and aligning different founder goals • Introducing a board and governance structures for the first time • Working with private equity investors during a high growth phase • Scaling clinics nationally while maintaining service consistency • Leading through uncertainty as the business evolves in size and complexity This episode is for founders, chief executives, and senior leaders who want a grounded account of scaling a founder led business, working with investors, and navigating the transition from startup to listed company. We would love for you to become part of our growing leadership community. Visit ⁠www.ceoadvantage.com.au⁠. For leadership advice and more content, follow @ceo_advantage on Instagram. Connect with Paul Edginton on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/paul-edginton-5047a511.

    1h 13m
  5. 12/16/2025

    Alan Tudorovic: Growing a Family Business Through Grit, Relationships and Long Term Thinking

    In this episode of The CEO Advantage Podcast, hosts Paul Edginton and Milly Albers sit down with Alan Tudorovic to explore his journey growing up inside a family business and eventually helping scale it across construction materials, transport, retail, and property. Alan reflects on his early exposure to work, responsibility, and people skills through his father’s concrete and curbing business in South Australia, and how those experiences shaped his leadership approach. Alan shares the story of his father’s migration from Croatia to Australia, the early years of building a concrete curbing business from scratch, and the gradual expansion into quarries, concrete plants, transport, paving, and retail. He explains how starting at ground level in the yard, learning logistics, sales, and operations firsthand, and taking risks at a young age helped him develop commercial confidence. The conversation also covers the creation of Tudor Pavers, the move into retail and landscaping, early property development decisions, and the practical lessons learned from managing staff, customers, and growth while still in his twenties. In this episode: • Growing up inside a family business and learning leadership through observation and responsibility • Building a vertically integrated construction materials business from curbing to concrete, transport, and retail • Developing sales confidence and people skills through real world experience • Taking calculated risks early, from buying trucks to starting retail and landscaping operations • Lessons from managing staff, customers, and growth at a young age This episode is for business owners, family enterprise leaders, and emerging entrepreneurs who want a grounded perspective on building capability, confidence, and long term success through hands on experience. We would love for you to become part of our growing leadership community. Visit ⁠www.ceoadvantage.com.au⁠. For leadership advice and more content, follow @ceo_advantage on Instagram. Connect with Paul Edginton on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/paul-edginton-5047a511.

    1h 20m
  6. 12/02/2025

    Flavia Tata Nardini: Finding Purpose and Building Resilience in Space and Business

    Paul Edginton and Milly Albers sit down with engineer and entrepreneur Flavia Tata Nardini for a conversation about her lifelong connection to space, her early years in Italy, and the experiences that shaped her approach to learning and leadership. Flavia talks about her fascination with the stars from a young age, her ability to absorb information quickly, and the challenges her family faced through a difficult period that influenced her resilience and drive. She reflects on studying aerospace and space engineering, her early work on propulsion systems and missions in Europe, and the path that eventually brought her to Australia. Flavia expands on the realities of founding and growing a company, sharing the origins of Fleet and the thinking behind its earliest decisions. She explains why focus becomes essential during rapid growth, how she manages the pressure points that come with scaling, and why she believes people progress faster by developing their strengths rather than trying to fix their weaknesses. She also discusses her interest in intuition, human connection and the aspects of potential that science has not yet learned to measure. In this episode:• How early experiences shaped Flavia’s interest in space and engineering• Lessons from her studies, early career and time working in Europe• The beginnings of Fleet and the practical steps behind its creation• Why focus, discipline and resilience matter during business growth• Flavia’s views on talent, intuition and the limits of what science can measure This episode is for listeners who want a clear and honest look at leadership, personal growth and the mindset needed to build something ambitious in a complex world. We would love for you to become part of our growing leadership community. Visit www.ceoadvantage.com.au.For leadership advice and more content, follow @ceo_advantage on Instagram.Connect with Paul Edginton on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/paul-edginton-5047a511.

    1h 48m
  7. 11/18/2025

    Maria Palumbo: Understanding Housing Systems and the Cost of Compliance

    Paul Edginton and Milly Albers sit down with Maria Palumbo, CEO of Junction Australia, to explore her career journey, her early experiences with poverty, and her path from mining and government work into the not for profit sector. Maria shares how those experiences shaped her leadership and her understanding of housing systems, frontline pressures, and the complexity of building homes for vulnerable communities. In this conversation Maria explains why Australia has struggled to keep up with housing demand, how layers of compliance slowed construction, and what she observed during her years in government as processes grew faster than outcomes. She talks through the years of stalled housing programs, the limits faced by community organisations, and the impact of public expectations on government decisions. Maria also reflects on the value of commercial skills in community leadership and how working at every level of an organisation shaped her approach to decision making. In this episode: • Maria’s career path from mining to community housing and the turning points that shaped her purpose • The pressure of navigating poverty as a young parent and how that experience influenced her work • How compliance, regulation and administration slowed Australia’s ability to build housing • The long term effect of stalled housing programs and why the system struggled to meet demand • What Maria learned about leadership, decision making and building capability inside complex systems This episode is for leaders and practitioners across government, community services and housing who want a clear, grounded view of how systems actually work on the ground and what it takes to create progress inside pressure filled environments. Don’t forget to subscribe to The CEO Advantage Podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed today’s conversation, leave a review and share this episode with a fellow leader. We’d love for you to become part of our growing leadership community. Visit our website www.ceoadvantage.com.au. For leadership advice and more content, follow us on Instagram @ceo_advantage. Connect with Paul Edginton on Linked In: / paul-edginton-5047a511

    1h 23m

About

The CEO Advantage Podcast brings you into candid conversations with top CEOs, founders, and industry experts, exploring the strategies, insights, and lessons that drive success. From leadership tactics to navigating challenges, each episode offers valuable takeaways for entrepreneurs and executives alike. Gain an edge with actionable advice and inspiring stories from the people shaping the future of business. Tune in to elevate your perspective and fuel your own journey to success.