Performance Intelligence Podcast 139 Martin Sheppard - The Energy, Mindset and Resilience to be Australian Chairman & sit on the Global Board of Consulting Firm KPMG
This week, Andrew sits down with Martin Sheppard, the National Chairman of KPMG Australia, a visionary leader whose drive and dedication have shaped the firm’s strategic direction. Martin’s journey is a testament to the discipline and resilience required to thrive in today’s competitive landscape.
With nearly 3 decades of experience at KPMG, Martin has mastered the art of merging governance with innovation, all while stressing the importance of being "MatchFit" and creating "Leadership Capacity" - a holistic approach that combines physical and mental readiness for peak performance.
"In terms of leadership, I'm not a big emailer and I'm not a big meeting requester...I think true leadership is actually knocking over and getting things out of the way and empowering other people..."
In this episode Andrew and Martin discuss:
2:30 Andrew and Martin’s long term professional and personal relationship, Andrew’s ADHD theory in relation to productivity and the brutal feedback Andrew gave to Martin on his presentation.
7:10 How showing vulnerability and putting a bit of himself in the presentation helped Martin, believing in yourself and following through on it and learning as much about leadership outside of work as inside.
11:55 Advice on leadership from the former premier of NSW, the rise of digital natives in the current crop of new hires and why KPMG bought Andrew’s previous business.
19:20 Why Martin looks 10 years ahead, not just 10 months, Martins philosophy on mentors and some of his and Andrew’s mentors throughout the years.
27:50 Martin’s natural curiosity and how that leads him to new skills, taking a year off when he turned 50 and spending that time renovating his own house.
32:40 Leading from the back of the room, doing a shred a couple of times a year to keep good habits and the start of the shred being a terrible feeling until you get used to it.
36:40 Spending the first half of your life training to be healthy for the second half, how Martin researches guests for the KPMG podcast and Gary Windgrove’s quote about Martin.
40:20 Martin’s partner Suzanne’s thoughts on Martin, doing the Sydney to Hobart race makes the rest of the year seem easier and learning leadership skills from yacht racing.
47:10 Martin’s disastrous first Hawkesbury kayak race, not being able to walk past a piece of rubbish without picking it up and starting work at Spotless during a time of crisis.
55:20 being under pressure from day 1 to do something clever at Spotless, some of Andrew and Martin’s favourite AFR cartoons from that time and Martins safety net being his family and his values.
1:02:40 Dealing with tall poppy syndrome, how consulting firms can adopt AI and using AI technology for the benefit of the customers.
1:09:45 Martin’s love for KPMG and all it has done for him, removing the hard limit of retiring at 58 in KPMG and how Martin is able to synthesise information so effectively.
1:20:00 Making sure to take time off and recharge, recognising the tough times Andrew and Martin have been through and you can’t control the wind but you can control the sails.
Connect with Martin at his LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinsheppard1/?originalSubdomain=au
Or through the KPMG website: https://kpmg.com/au/en/home/contacts/s/martin-sheppard.html
View the AFR cartoons mentioned in the podcast:https://performanceintelligence.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/33d364e1f8f4f4f0b2c9b3e5d9c195a7.webp
Listen to the podcast with Arthur Brooks: https://findingmastery.com/podcasts/arthur-brooks/
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