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    Leadership lessons

    This Month

    Steve Donohue.

    Why Dan Murphy’s boss was almost sacked on his first day

    As he celebrates three decades working at Dan Murphy’s, the Endeavour Group chief executive is ready for more direct feedback from his critics.

    • Updated
    • James Thomson
    Richard Goyder and Alan Joyce do not come out of the governance review in a good light.

    How the Qantas board fell for the cult of Alan Joyce

    A scathing review of the national carrier’s board tells the story of a highly successful chief executive whose growing power was not adequately challenged. It ended badly for everyone.

    • Updated
    • James Thomson
    Mick O’Brien

    Why most executives don’t reach their full potential

    Early in his career, a senior colleague suggested Mick O’Brien, now a $900 million company CEO, take on a management role. Luckily his colleague could see his potential.

    • Sally Patten and Lap Phan
    Taryn Woods, Australian women’s water polo team assistant coach.

    Water polo’s golden girls have feisty medallist in their corner

    Gold medallist turned coach Taryn Woods says her sport has to be prepared to do what it needs to ensure exposure and inclusion.

    • Michael Bleby

    July

    The top skills leaders need to succeed this decade

    Knowing how to get the most out of hybrid working and generative AI are among the skills that leaders need today. The future will call for much more.

    • Euan Black
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    The six tips that stuck with 2024’s BOSS Young Executives

    There’s no single route to the top. But a few good habits will help you on your way.

    • Sally Patten
    From left: Gurbaj Pawar, Renee Wootton, Sinead Booth, Chad Burke, Kiria McNamara and Todd Lacey.

    Four traits that stand out among the 2024 BOSS Young Executives

    This year’s BOSS Young Executives have a desire to master the task at hand, collaborate and inspire – and they are tech-savvy.

    • Sally Patten
    Rich bosses: Richard White, Andrew Forrest, and Peter Wilson.

    The 10 wealthiest executives in the ASX 300 revealed

    The Australian Financial Review’s Rich Bosses list for 2024 is dominated by tech and mining executives and also welcomes a new face.

    • Euan Black
    Sam Hupert of Pro Medicus says a lack of debt has been an important part of the company’s success.

    The secrets to becoming a rich boss

    There are good reasons why tech companies dominate this year’s Rich Bosses list.

    • Patrick Durkin and Sally Patten
    Declining vacancy numbers mean more disgruntled employees are staying put because they have no better option.

    More workers feel stuck in their jobs. Bosses are responding

    Executive coaches and HR professionals say managers are seeking guidance on how to re-energise workers who are staying put because they have no better option.

    • Euan Black
    Jenn Morris won two Olympic gold medals with the Hockeyroos before going on to have a stellar career in business.

    Secrets of Olympians who have conquered the business world

    BOSS speaks to six Olympians, including Wesfarmers CEO Rob Scott and Generation Life CEO Grant Hackett, about the most valuable business lessons they learnt from sport.

    • Euan Black and Patrick Durkin
    Anna Wiley, BHP’s asset president of copper South Australia; Siobhan Toohill, Westpac’s chief sustainability officer; Tammy Medard, managing director of ANZ’s Institutional in Australia and PNG.

    ‘I shot Bambi’: Women leaders on their toughest decisions

    Often the toughest decisions are those that affect other people. Here winners of the Women in Leadership awards share their hardest calls.

    • Updated
    • Sally Patten

    EY’s new boss leaves split questions up in the air

    Janet Truncale’s alternative to a failed spin-off of the firm’s consulting arm is criticised for lacking detail.

    • Stephen Foley and Simon Foy

    June

    Sarah Kay takes over as Woods Bagot CEO from 1 July 2024.

    ‘Huge demand’: Australia’s largest design firm expands worldwide

    Architecture practice Woods Bagot is focusing on growing demands for luxury and non-traditional consultancy services for design firms.

    • Michael Bleby and Patrick Duffy
    Productivity Commission chairwoman Danielle Wood.

    ‘You smile too much’: the early career advice Danielle Wood ignored

    Be brave and have fun, is what Australia’s leading women would say to their younger selves.

    • Lucy Dean
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    John Mullen will chair Qantas from July.

    Will John Mullen’s emotional intelligence work at Qantas?

    The business veteran’s decency, toughness and persistence could make him one of the airline’s great chairmen.

    • Aaron Patrick
    Anna Wiley has been handed one of the biggest jobs at BHP as asset president for copper in South Australia,

    BHP entrusts rising star with its copper mines

    Anna Wiley, a leader in the Resources category, has barely put a foot wrong in a diverse career in mining that has led her to the top job in the group’s copper operations in South Australia.

    • Brad Thompson
    Rio Tinto chief executive of minerals Sinead Kaufman is no stranger to making tough decisions.

    Rio Tinto leader never shies away from hard talks and tough calls

    Sinead Kaufman, the winner of the Resources category, also shows great care and sensitivity for families and communities across her career in mining.

    • Brad Thompson
    Jaki Virtue was drafted in as Soul Patts’ first chief operating officer across its 120-year-plus history in 2023.

    Versatile risk-taker who shines when the going gets tough

    Washington H Soul Pattinson’s Jaki Virtue swears by the power of ‘unknown sponsorships’, as she takes out the Financial Services - Non-banking category.

    • Kanika Sood
    Ingrid Maes, CEO of W23 Global; Tammy Medard, managing director of ANZ’s Institutional in Australia and PNG; Alison Telfer, country head Australasia for UBS Asset Management.

    What’s your best career tip? Award winners share theirs

    Lead with compassion, don’t assume you know all the answers, and play to your strengths: winners in the Women in Leadership Awards share advice that has helped them.

    • Victoria Thieberger