Menzies Leadership Forum

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Jun 2026

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About the show

We speak with outstanding leaders from Australia and around the world to inspire you on your own leadership journey.

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60 recent

June 15, 2026Episode 7937 min

Rebuilding with Purpose Leadership Beyond the System with Guest Jo Tarnawsky || Purpose Leading into the future

What kind of leadership does the next chapter demand? In environments of heightened scrutiny and institutional fragility, leadership requires moral clarity and disciplined restraint. Through a Defence or national service lens, this episode explores how leaders remain anchored in purpose when obligations are formal, stakes are high and public legitimacy must be protected. The series concludes by examining leadership as guardianship — holding authority on behalf of others and sustaining institutional trust in times of uncertainty. Key Themes: Duty and obligation Ethical reasoning in high-stakes environments Institutional legitimacy under pressure Leadership as guardianship Jo Tarnawsky, Former Chief of Staff to the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia

June 1, 2026Episode 7829 min

Risk & Moral Judgement with Michael Saadie || Purpose Leading into the future

What guides leadership when compliance is not enough? Financial institutions operate within highly regulated environments — yet regulation cannot resolve every dilemma. This episode explores the limits of compliance-based governance. When risk models fail to capture social consequence, where does judgement reside? Leaders reflect on how moral clarity, disciplined reasoning and institutional culture shape decisions under uncertainty. Purpose operates as a stabilising anchor when formal controls are insufficient. Key Themes: Governance beyond compliance Moral judgement under uncertainty Risk, accountability and consequence Trust in financial institutions Michael Saadie, CEO & Chairman JBWere

May 18, 2026Episode 7636 min

Fairness At The Frontline with Guest Callum Smith || Purpose Leading into the future

What does purpose demand when affordability and supply chains intersect? Retail and consumer-facing sectors operate at the frontline of cost-of-living pressures. Leaders must navigate supplier relationships, workforce expectations and consumer affordability simultaneously. This episode examines how fairness is interpreted across interconnected value chains. What responsibility does a leader hold upstream and downstream? How are trade-offs made transparent? Purpose becomes the anchor that clarifies responsibility across complex economic ecosystems — ensuring commercial viability does not erode trust. Key Themes: System-wide fairness and accountability Supply chain responsibility Cost-of-living pressures Transparency and stakeholder trust Callum Smith, Chief Merchandise and Marketing Officer Kmart Australia Limited and Dr Peter Collins - Executive Director, Peter Collins and Associates

April 21, 2026Episode 7441 min

Purpose as an Operating System with Guest Will Harvey || Purpose Leading into the future

EPISODE ONE: PURPOSE AS an Operating System How does purpose move from statement to organisational discipline? Purpose often appears in strategy documents — but far fewer organisations successfully embed it into governance, incentives and daily behaviour. This episode explores how leaders translate purpose into operational systems. How are decisions filtered? How are trade-offs made visible? How is accountability reinforced? The discussion surfaces how ethical reasoning capability is cultivated across leadership teams — not just at the top. Culture, performance metrics and governance structures must align if purpose is to guide behaviour under pressure. Purpose becomes an operating system — shaping judgement before crisis arrives. Key Themes & Talking Points: Embedding purpose in governance and strategy Leadership modelling and cultural alignment Incentives, accountability and behavioural signals Building distributed ethical reasoning capability Will Harvey, Professor of Leadership - Melbourne Business School and Dr Peter Collins - Executive Director, Peter Collins and Associates

March 30, 2026Episode 7335 min

The Purpose of Purpose-led Leadership, Thomas Walker || Purpose in Action, Redefining Leadership for the 21st Century

What does purpose look like in the next generation of leaders? As new forms of leadership emerge at the intersection of technology, behavioural insight, and social impact, how will purpose evolve? In this closing conversation, guests explore how data, economics, and human motivation can work together to drive a more inclusive and values-aligned future — one where purpose becomes an active force for systems change. Key Themes & Talking Points: The next frontier of purpose-driven leadership Data, behavioural science, and the future of civic engagement Redefining leadership impact for emerging generations With Thomas Walker - CEO of Think Forward & Hosted by hosted by Elly Hanrahan and Indigo Atkinson, Global Voices

March 16, 2026Episode 7234 min

Shared Power, Shared Impact, Beth Eggleston || Purpose in Action, Redefining Leadership for the 21st Century

Purpose isn’t a solo act — how do we co-create meaning and impact together? This conversation examines how shared purpose builds momentum, trust, and collective action. Guests explore the beauty and friction of co-leadership and reflect on what it takes to align across difference in pursuit of the greater good. Key Themes & Talking Points: Aligning across difference The dynamics of co-leadership and collaboration Purpose as a system-wide, relational practice With Beth Eggleston - Co-Founder & Director at Humanitarian Advisory Group & Hosted by hosted by Elly Hanrahan and Indigo Atkinson, Global Voices

March 3, 2026Episode 7138 min

Purpose in Partnership, Thom Woodroofe || Purpose in Action, Redefining Leadership for the 21st Century

Purpose isn’t a solo act — how do we co-create meaning and impact together? This conversation examines how shared purpose builds momentum, trust, and collective action. Guests explore the beauty and friction of co-leadership and reflect on what it takes to align across difference in pursuit of the greater good. Key Themes & Talking Points: Aligning across difference The dynamics of co-leadership and collaboration Purpose as a system-wide, relational practice With Thom Woodroofe – Senior International Fellow with the Smart Energy Council & Hosted by hosted by Elly Hanrahan and Indigo Atkinson, Global Voices "Power Prosperity Planet" visit: https://www.booktopia.com.au/power-prosperity-planet-thom-woodroofe/book/9781923192751.html

February 17, 2026Episode 7046 min

Purpose as Practice, The Hon. Justice Michael Kirby AC CMG – Former High Court Justice, Human Rights Advocatewith || Purpose in Action, Redefining Leadership for the 21st Century

How does purpose show up in decisions, trade-offs, and action? Moving from reflection to action, this episode explores the realities of living one’s purpose in high-stakes, high-pressure environments. Guests share candid accounts of moments when values were tested, decisions were complex, and resilience became essential. Key Themes & Talking Points: Leadership in messy, uncertain spaces Holding true to values under pressure Purposeful risk-taking and courage in action With The Hon. Justice Michael Kirby AC CMG – Former High Court Justice, Human Rights Advocate & Hosted by hosted by Elly Hanrahan and Indigo Atkinson, Global Voices

February 3, 2026Episode 6938 min

Finding your North Star, with Dr Naba Alfayadh – Founder, Rahma Health || Purpose in Action, Redefining Leadership for the 21st Century

What catalyses clarity, conviction, and commitment? This episode explores the origins of purpose — those pivotal moments that ignite a leader’s sense of direction. Through personal stories and reflections, guests unpack how identity, experience, and values shape leadership journeys and help distinguish ambition from deeper purpose. Key Themes & Talking Points: Defining purpose on your own terms Identity, lived experience, and leadership emergence The difference between ambition and deeper purpose With Dr Naba Alfayadh from Rahma Health & Hosted by hosted by Elly Hanrahan and Indigo Atkinson, Global Voices

December 24, 2025Episode 6838 min

Bonus Episode with Professor David Day + Liz Gillies || The Future of Leadership Development hosted by Dr Toby Newstead

Bonus Episode: Leadership as a Public Good — Developing Collective Capacity for a Complex World What kind of leadership is needed when no single person can hold the whole picture? In this Bonus Episode of The Future of Leadership Development, Dr Toby Newstead is joined by Professor David Day and Liz Gillies to explore a defining challenge of our time: the growing gap between the complexity of the world and the way we develop leadership. As global challenges intensify — from climate disruption and political polarisation to declining trust and the rise of generative AI — leaders are increasingly expected to navigate overlapping crises that no individual can solve alone. This Bonus Episode examines why traditional, individual-focused models of leadership development are no longer fit for purpose and explores the shift toward collective leadership capacity grounded in purpose, ethics, and shared responsibility. Listeners are invited to rethink leadership not as a scarce commodity or positional role, but as a public good — essential to navigating complexity and shaping a more resilient, humane future. Key Themes & Talking Points Why “hero leadership” models are breaking down Leader development vs leadership development Collective leadership as a response to complexity Purpose and ethics as anchors in uncertainty Leadership as a public good With Toby P. Newstead from University of Tasmania, Professor David Day from Claremont McKenna College and Liz Gillies, CEO Menzies Leadership Foundation