Tulip Talks

In this episode of Tulip Talks, I sit down with Mary-Jane Stolp, CEO of MND Victoria, for what is a very real and important conversation.Mary-Jane shares her journey into the role, her perspective on leadership within a purpose-driven organisation, and the responsibility that comes with leading a team supporting individuals and families living with motor neurone disease.This is a topic that’s incredibly close to home for me, having lost my father-in-law to MND. So this conversation goes beyond leadership and into the reality of the disease, the support required, and the role organisations like MND Victoria play on the ground every day.It’s a meaningful conversation, and one I’d encourage you to listen to and share.If you’d like to learn more or get involved, you can find details here:https://www.mnd.org.au

In this episode, I sit down with Cheryl Vize, Strategy & Transformation Lead at Red Marble AI. Cheryl brings a wealth of experience in leading complex change and ensuring technology is adopted in ways that genuinely empower people. At Red Marble, she works at the intersection of business strategy and human-centred AI, helping organisations unlock innovation without losing sight of the human element.We discuss Cheryl’s career journey, the role of leadership in navigating disruption, and why building trust and capability is critical when embedding new technologies. From practical insights on transformation to her perspective on the future of AI in Australia, this conversation is full of lessons for leaders, innovators, and anyone curious about the evolving world of work.

In this episode, we dive behind the velvet rope and into the world of Sanctum, Melbourne’s newest and most ambitious private members’ club, with its Managing Director and co-founder, Clint Hillas.Co-created alongside former AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou, Sanctum is aiming to redefine what a private club looks like in modern Australia — moving beyond the old-world model of exclusion and secrecy, and into something altogether more dynamic, inclusive and culturally vibrant.This is a fascinating conversation about vision, values, and the business of belonging. Clint walks us through how the idea for Sanctum was born, the gap he and Andrew saw in Melbourne’s cultural and social scene, and the challenges of building a world-class member experience from scratch.

Launa is a professional non-executive director having sat on the Boards of several ASX listed companies including CBA and Super Retail Group. She has significant experience on both Remuneration and Audit committees. She is a member of the Australia Post Board where she chairs the audit and risk committees.She sits on the advisory board of Porter Davis which is a major home builder based in Victoria and Queensland. She also sits on the advisory board of Fantastic Furniture, a large national retailer.Launa is the Chair of ‘Melbourne Fashion Festival’ which is the largest fashion festival engaging the public in the world. This festival promotes Melbourne as the fashion capital of Australia. She also sits on the board of the Alannah and Madeline Foundation which protects children against cyber bullying and family violence.Launa is a former CEO/Managing Director of three iconic Australian companies, Target Australia, which she ran for 7 years, Billabong International and Officeworks.Past awards include the Telstra Australian Businesswoman of the Year in recognition of her business achievements and in 2015 was awarded the Sir Charles McGrath Award for her significant contribution to the field of marketing and wider industry achievements.

A CEO with extensive relationship, strategy and communications experience working within the not for profit sectors. Having co-founded a SIDS organisation through her own lived experience, Alex now leads The Compassionate Friends Victoria, guiding families through the bereavement of a child, grandchild or sibling.

An incredible insight into Kerry’s journey of working her way up to become the CEO of a family business turning over more than $3 Billion!

Jim Penman is one of Australia’s most iconic entrepreneur’s founding Jim’s Mowing and the Jim’s Group which now has 52 divisions and more than 5,000 franchisees in Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

As the former CEO of Sportsgirl, Colleen Callander has had a remarkable rise to the highest echelon of leadership. From the shop floor at Just Jeans to standing at the helm of one of Australia’s most-loved fashion brands, Callander knows what it means to work her way to the top.

I was lucky enough to sit down with John Gualtieri last week to discuss his retail career finding out what he does and why he does it. Johns passion for product combined with his keen eye for detail has earnt him arguably the top job in Australian Retail. As CEO of Kmart Australia Limited, John has the pleasure of leading a business that everyone loves to talk about. Whether it’s their latest piece of must have apparel or their infamous air fryer, Kmart is always a hot topic. Anyone that knows John will say that what you see is what you get, a down to earth, humble character with a cheeky sense of humour. I found this weeks podcast so easy to carry out and it was down to Johns openness and willingness to talk about everything and everything. In the prime of his life, looking fitter than ever we discuss his daily 10km run, his hobby of low and slow BBQ and his pure authentic love for retail. I have no doubt you will love this so please like and share with your network!

It was my absolute pleasure to sit down with Scott Fyfe and listen to his fascinating story which he tells so eloquently. The best advice the David Jones CEO received from his long-time mentor and former executive chairman of high street retailer Marks & Spencer, Sir Stuart Rose, was “keep your feet on the ground and keep running” At just 29 years old, Scott gained the rare opportunity to be Rose’s personal assistant for 18 months in the early years of his career at the UK chain. He then travelled the world with Rose and learnt the retailing trade first-hand back in 2008 when Rose steered Marks and Spencer to achieve a £1 billion profit. His 20 years at M&S working across various roles from buying, merchandising and international sourcing, as well as being part of the team to replatform M&S online business, he feels, provided him with a great understanding of omnichannel retailing. Scott moved to Melbourne back in 2017 to head up the Country Road Group with great success. He then moved to David Jones and continued to do great things and are now celebrating their 185th birthday this year with the gift of Australian ownership under Anchorage Capital Group, L.L.C. Scott grew up in the port city of Aberdeen, Scotland with his brother and his mother who worked in retail as an auditor at Fraser’s, and his father who was a commercial banker. From a young age competitive sport was central to his life where he played tennis, hockey and golf. At the age of 14 he saw an opportunity to make money out of stringing rackets for tennis players who had broken their strings whilst in a tournament. He borrowed £500 from his dad and did that well he managed to pay him back within a few months. The rest as they say is history!