The Company Road Podcast

Send us a text"Actually 90% of the change you're trying to create comes through systemic changes to the environment rather than training." - Charlie KneenCharlie Kneen is the founder of Solvd Together, a learning and development transformation consultancy that reimagines how global brands approach their people strategy. Formerly the L&D lead at BP in the UK, Charlie brings together expertise in marketing, coaching, leadership, and human-centred design.If you're tired of engagement surveys and hoping for the best, this episode offers tangible alternatives that focus on business performance rather than content delivery. In this episode, you’ll hear about:The broken model of corporate learningHuman-centred design in L&DHow to handle difficult conversations when research reveals uncomfortable truths about leadership and systemsMoving from order-takers to strategic partnersUsing nudges and contextual cues to drive behaviour change without formal trainingSetting up proper research methodologies with control groups to prove ROI and business impactKey linksSolvd Together WebsiteCharlie Kneen LinkedInSolvd Together LinkedInHow People Learn: Designing Education and Training that Works to Improve Performance"The Empty Brain" article by Robert Epstein (former editor of Psychology Today) Nick Shackleton-Jones Bp WebsiteAbout our guest Charlie Kneen is the founder of Solvd Together, a Learning & Development and Transformation consultancy that partners with global brands to reimagine how organisations engage, retain, and upskill their people. Drawing on a background in marketing, coaching, and leadership roles across both in-house teams and start-ups, Charlie brings a unique perspective on the psychology of work. His passion lies in applying human-centred design to learning and change, helping businesses achieve real impact and commercial value while creating better experiences for their people.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson, is an Intrapreneuship Coach, Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching and consultancy Company Road.Company Road was founded by Chris Hudson, who saw over-niching and specialisation within corporates as a significant barrier to change.Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally.For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us a text"Communicate to involve, not to tell, so that you can make the change stick." - Lana NorthLana North is a change communication specialist and founder of the Communication Exchange who has spent two decades managing complex transformation programmes across industries from banking to logistics. After working through major changes including the aftermath of the European financial crisis, she now helps leaders navigate organisational transformation with clarity and humanity. In this episode, you’ll hear about:The psychology of change resistanceTwo-way communication vs. one-way instructionStakeholder engagement and timingManaging conflict and building consensusPractical communication strategiesKey linksLana North LinkedInThe Communication ExchangePodcast with Andreas MoellmannPROSCIAbout our guest Lana North is a change communication specialist and founder of The Communication Exchange.After two decades of leading communication efforts across complex change programs in Australia and Europe, Lana now helps professional leaders to drive sustainable change by mastering their communication and team engagement skills.Lana works with those leaders- the ones who care deeply, but feel overwhelmed by the pace, unsure how to say the hard things, and uncertain about how to truly engage their teams when they’re still finding their own footing.Her focus is on making change doable, not daunting -with less jargon, more humanity, and a real plan for making change stick so that the benefits can be realised.When she’s not helping professional leaders to drive sustainable change, Lana’s juggling life with three kids, a Labrador, and the occasional fence-jumping cow.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson, is an Intrapreneuship Coach, Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching and consultancy Company Road.Company Road was founded by Chris Hudson, who saw over-niching and specialisation within corporates as a significant barrier to change.Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally.For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us a text"I think there are three things that are really valued in organizations from consultants. The first is consultants come without a legacy bias. So the challenges, the roadblocks, the cultural norms within an organization, consultants are able to sidestep those. So are able to kind of come in and observe those with a bit of a neutral gaze." - Steph FoxworthySteph Foxworthy brings over 25 years of experience spanning customer experience, digital strategy, product innovation, sales, and marketing. He was recently managing director at Accenture Song in Melbourne and has driven results for major organisations including Coles and Telstra.If you've ever wondered how consultants drive change or how to apply that mindset from within this episode is for you.In this episode, you’ll hear about:The differences between employee, agency, and consultant mindsetsHow consultants build trust and get repeat business through expertiseThe role of pattern recognition in consultant successWhy consultants can ask "dumb questions" that employees cannotHow AI is changing the consulting landscape and democratising expertiseThe importance of asking the right questions in an AI-powered worldThree key things consultants bring: no legacy bias, pattern recognition, storytellingThe relationship between consultants and organisational politicsHow to know when to be directive versus exploratory as an intrapreneurThe therapeutic role consultants often play in organisationsWhy design education teaches valuable enquiry skillsThe changing pathways for learning consulting skillsHow AI agents might change business negotiations in the futureKey linksSteph Foxworthy LinkedInAccenture Song ReactiveAbout our guest Steph is a customer experience, digital strategy and marketing professional with over 25 years' experience.He’s an advocate for the power of technology to augment human creativity and to help drive growth and impact for customers, businesses and society.After many years working in digital agencies and consulting, Steph is now Director of Managed Services at Our Community, a social enterprise dedicated to building stronger communities through software, education and services for the not-for-profit and grant-making sector.Steph is also a non-executive director at Minus18 Foundation, a queer youth charity with a mission to improve the lives of LGBTQIA+ youth.Steph is married with three high-school aged kids and lives bayside on Boonwurrung country in Naarm, Melbourne.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson, is an Intrapreneuship Coach, Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching and consultancy Company Road.Company Road was founded by Chris Hudson, who saw over-niching and specialisation within corporates as a significant barrier to change.Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors manFor weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us a text“The longer the tenure, the more things become, you know, this is the way we've always done it. And so an entrepreneur is someone that can go in and see that pretty quickly. What are the bits that are stale? Where are the potentials and opportunities for improvement?” - Dave GregurkeIn this episode, you’ll hear about:Aligning stakeholders with different prioritiesBalancing innovation with security in high-risk settingsWorking around resistance to changeThe importance of customer research and involving executivesMethods for breaking habitual behaviours in large organisationsUsing simple tools to collaborate across tech stacksBuilding trust in risk-conscious culturesShifting from waterfall to iterative design practicesFuture-proofing change and sustaining momentumKey linksDave Gregurke LinkedInDave Gregurke WebsiteAmazonNational Australia BankUniversity of MelbourneAbout our guest Dave Gregurke is a designer of many things, born in Texas, USA where fell in love with baseball. From there the family moved to Yeosu, South Korea where he almost got kidnapped with his dog. Now long settled in Melbourne, Australia gave him a new home and accent.For over 20 years across brand and customer experience, Dave has been a trusted end-to-end designer for Services, Product and Go-to-market.He has deep experience in complex environments across startups, government & enterprise. Kicking-off in corporate design, he quickly fell in love with the interactive world and all its possibilities. Dave has big brands like Amazon, University of Melbourne, NAB and State Governments among his collaborators.After founding two businesses, Dave currently focuses on complex problem spaces, including fintech payments. He’ll run your innovation and design sprints, as well as coach and train your team to develop that knowledge internally.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson, is an Intrapreneuship Coach, Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching and consultancy Company Road.Company Road was founded by Chris Hudson, who saw over-niching and specialisation within corporates as a significant barrier to change.Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally.For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us a text“I realised, I'm just an arrogant tw@t that believes I know how to do things, but actually other people know how to do things as well, maybe even much better than I do. And that many solutions are based on context, on history, on future, on vision, on motivation, on setups, on ability, on all kinds of things. So there's no one solution to a problem. There are many, many solutions to a problem.” Andreas MoellmannIn this episode, you’ll hear about:How different cultures approach change and innovationWhy companies get stuck repeating past successesThe horse race illusion of believing you have a winning methodThe innovator's dilemma between milking existing profitable models versus investing in new technologiesThe gap between developing solutions and getting organisations to accept and implement themHow company size, systems, and hierarchies impact flexibility and innovation capacityKey linksAndreas Moellmann on LinkedInBooks: Hitchhiker's Guide to the GalaxyDentsuPublicisDDBSaatchi & SaatchiSapientDerren Brown on horse racingAbout our guest Andreas helps brands and businesses get future-ready. A seasoned brand and marketing strategist with over 30 years experience in transformative roles from strategic planner to Chief Experience Officer at network agencies (Publicis, BBDO, DDB, Saatchi & Saatchi) and digital agencies (SapientNitro, Isobar) in Berlin, London, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo. His experience stretches from automotive, FMCG, consumer electronics and telecommunications to banking and insurance where he worked on Berliner Bank and Gothaer Versicherungen. Andreas’ focus lies in connecting brand and marketing thinking with technology to help brands and businesses succeed. His work has been recognised at global, European, and local effectiveness awards, as well as creative competitions such as Cannes. He serves as a judge at the APAC Effectiveness award and local competitions in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Pakistan. Today, Andreas provides his experience as an independent brand and marketing consultant across APAC. He currently lives in Bangkok.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson, is an Intrapreneuship Coach, Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation consultancy Company Road.Company Road was founded by Chris Hudson, who saw over-niching and specialisation within corporates as a significant barrier to change.Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally.For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us a text“I believe that everyone is a CEO of culture. Every interaction is either a deposit or withdrawal from culture. You can have the most amazing culture within the team, and you can put someone in there that doesn't do the right thing and doesn't treat people in the right way. And if they're in a leadership position, the shadow they leave is even bigger.” — Beth HallIn this episode, you’ll hear about:Why culture isn’t something you can “initiative” your way out ofThe impact of incivility versus workload on burnoutWhat emotional intelligence has to do with team performanceCultural “fit” versus cultural “add”How generational expectations are reshaping what is tolerated at workThe power of onboarding and moments that matterStartup culture: speed, messiness and who thrives in itThe role of trust in hybrid workWhy feedback cultures matter and how to make hard conversations easierWhat leaders should actually look for in their people dataKey linksBeth’s consultancy: www.culturedge.comBeth Hall on LinkedInDaniel Goleman’s book on Emotional IntelligenceMichael Leiter’s research on burnout and incivilityJim Collins’ concept of “freedom within a framework”Saville Wave psychometric testNetflix’s public culture deckAbout our guest Beth Hall is a highly regarded leader in People and Culture, with over 15 years of experience in shaping high-performing cultures across diverse industries. Holding a Master’s in Organisational Psychology from the University of London, Beth combines scientific evidence with lived experience, making her a trusted advisor to complex, dynamic organisations. Her career includes roles such as Global Head of Organisational Development at Cotton On Group, where she led transformational initiatives across a global workforce, and General Manager of Standards and Capability at AHRI, where she set the national benchmark for HR standards and Certification in Australia. Beth’s deep understanding of the people experience at work enables her to design and implement strategies that enable high performing individuals, teams, and cultures. Beth’s approach is grounded in the belief that sustainable, inclusive cultures are the foundation of business success.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson, is an Intrapreneuship Coach, Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching and consultancy Company Road.Company Road was founded by Chris Hudson, who saw over-niching and specialisation within corporates as a significant barrier to change.Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leadFor weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us a text"People are using AI Tools whether they're being allowed to or not. More and more of large organisations’ ways of working are starting to operate out of these things organically."Ben Le RalphListen to the full episode for an in-depth look at how AI is changing the way teams work and why strategy may soon become the next big challenge in the age of AI.In this episode, you’ll hear about:What Ben means by the “strategy execution gap”Why AI adoption is messy, fragmented, and very realThe comparison between AI and Excel in organisational usageHow teams are using AI tools unofficially to move fasterThe personal vs organisational use of AI - what’s working and what’s notThe shift from AI hype to quiet productivityWhy grey user insight can still be usefulThe risks (and benefits) of AI hallucinationsWhy AI won’t replace jobs - but will shift how we workHow delivery bottlenecks are giving way to deeper strategy workThe future of AI as a practical, democratic tool for decision-makingThe emerging value of strategy work in the wake of AI adoptionHow AI is revealing deeper patterns that drive decision-making, even if not perfectly accurateKey linksAI for Busy PeopleMeet & Gather B Corp CertificationBen Le Ralph’s TikTokBen Le Ralph’s LinkedIn About our guest Ben Le Ralph is the founder of AI For Busy People and runs a small co-working space in Richmond called Meet and Gather.Over the past 15 years, he has helped small teams, often within larger organisations, to achieve big things.He specialises in supporting business owners and team leaders to align their teams on the right strategy and implement practical systems that supercharge delivery. Ben is passionate about helping teams work smarter and build things that actually move the needle and make an impact.Before launching AI For Busy People, Ben co-founded and scaled a B-Corp certified consultancy, growing it to a team of 15+ and $6 million in revenue. His company partnered with some of Australia's most recognisable organisations and government departments to help them rethink how they tackle complex social challenges.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson, is an Intrapreneuship Coach, Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching and consultancy Company Road.Company Road was founded by Chris Hudson, who saw over-niching and specialisation within corporates as a significant barrier to change.Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally.For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us a text“It’s not that you are not creative, you just haven’t worked a little more on developing your capacity. We can all be creative.”  Dr. Maria CamachoDr. Maria Camacho is a global leader in design thinking and innovation. With over 30 years of experience across academia, consulting, and industry, she has helped shape the way organisations think about creativity and collaboration.In this episode, Maria talks about how design thinking can help people and companies navigate uncertainty.In this episode, you’ll hear about:Why Design Thinking matters now more than everHow creative resilience is built through practiceThe emotional highs and lows of the innovation processWhy organisations still struggle to value designTips to support introverts and quieter voices in ideationHow to run a “dark horse” prototype that uncovers unexpected solutionsThe role of play and experimentation at workHelping teams fall in love with the process, not just the ideaWhen to introduce creativity in education and leadershipWhat it means to make creativity part of everyone’s roleKey linksDr. Maria Camacho LinkedInRecommended Book: The Design Thinking Toolbox: A Guide to Mastering the Most Popular and Valuable Innovation Methods (Design Thinking Series)Stanford UniversityFrogSwinburne University of TechnologyAbout our guest Dr. Maria Camacho is a globally recognised expert in design thinking and strategic innovation with over 30 years of experience across academia, industry, and consulting. With a PhD in Design Thinking and a decade-long partnership with Stanford University's flagship programs, Maria has helped shape innovation practices at global companies and institutions, including Frog, the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care, Westpac, Swinburne University, and global European group Sonae.Maria’s career spans founding and directing award-winning academic programs, mentoring teams to embrace human-centred approaches, and delivering impactful workshops and keynote speeches around the world. Known for her evidence-based methods, she empowers leaders and teams to tackle complexity with creativity, empathy, and humanity.Today, Maria runs her independent practice as a speaker, corporate trainer, and advisor, inspiring organisations to foster cultures of innovation and collaborative problem-solving.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson, is an Intrapreneuship Coach, Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching and consultancy Company Road.Company Road was founded by Chris Hudson, who saw over-niching and specialisation within corporates as a significant barrier to change.Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us a text"You cannot control how anyone's going to respond to what comes out of your mouth. I think you just have to do it with an open heart and with positive intent and then just let it land. " – Fiona WalshFiona Walsh specialises in guiding people through this kind of deep self-inquiry. She is a mindset coach, change adviser, and host of the Limitless: Unlocking Your True Potential Podcast. With over 20 years of experience, Fiona has helped business leaders and entrepreneurs shift their perspectives and align their careers with their true selves.In this episode, you’ll hear about:How self-awareness impacts leadership and career growthThe role of inner critics and how to manage themStrategies to overcome fear of failure and judgementThe importance of mindfulness and breathwork in stress managementHow to navigate difficult workplace conversations with confidenceUnderstanding workplace dynamics and setting boundariesThe power of gratitude and reflection in personal developmentManaging uncertainty in career transitionsThe neuroscience behind stress responses and decision-makingHow leaders can support teams through organisational changeKey linksFiona Walsh’s Limitless PodcastWork with FionaFiona Walsh’s InstagramFiona Walsh’s LinkedInEmail: fiona@fionawalshconsulting.comAbout our guest Fiona Walsh is a mindset coach, change adviser and Podcast Host, who helps entrepreneurs and senior leaders unlock their true potential to create a life of alignment, fulfilment, and expansion. She believes in the power of deep self-discovery to tackle self-doubt and uncover blind spots: when your inner world expands, your external world transforms exponentially.With over 20 years of experience leading and advising on transformational change programs, including digital and culture transformations, customer experience strategy, and coaching high performers worldwide. Fiona brings a unique blend of strategic insight, personal growth expertise, intuition, and a lifelong curiosity about how humans, teams, and organisations evolve and thrive.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson, is an Intrapreneuship Coach, Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching and consultancy Company Road.Company Road was founded by Chris Hudson, who saw over-niching and specialisation within corporates as a significant barrier to change.Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally.For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us a text"The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is in that little extra. It's about focusing in on the right things and fixing them...it's more about solutioning in that space."– Dr. Munib KaravdicDr. Munib Karavdic, an award-winning innovation executive, intrapreneur, and CEO of Wave Design. In this episode, Munib shares his journey from pursuing a PhD in E-Commerce in Australia to leading corporate innovation and eventually founding Wave Design. He discusses key turning points in his career, including the moment he shifted focus from technical E-Commerce to innovation and customer experience. He explains how he navigated corporate resistance to change, drove design-led strategies, and influenced leadership to embrace innovation.If you're an intrapreneur looking to make an impact, this episode is packed with insights on how to push boundaries, challenge the status quo, and create meaningful change.In this episode, you’ll hear about:The journey from academia to corporate leadership and entrepreneurshipThe challenges of introducing innovation in large organisationsHow small, incremental changes can have a big impactWhy human-centred design is crucial for business growthStrategies for influencing leadership and navigating corporate structuresThe importance of intrapreneurship and how to drive change from withinHow large organisations can work with start-ups effectivelyThe future of corporate innovation and leadership in AustraliaKey linksDr. Munib Karavdic LinkedInWave Design WebsiteMacquarie Bank Website St. George Bank WebsiteAMP Website About our guest Dr Munib Karavdic is an intrapreneur and award-winning innovation executive. He is an expert in design and innovation, helping leaders and organisations drive growth and confidently navigate change.As a senior executive and Conjoint Professor at UNSW, Munib has led award-winning teams, developed customer-centric strategies, and mentored the next generation of innovators. He combines commercial acumen with human-centred design to create transformative strategies, products, and services across industries.With a PhD in e-commerce and a career spanning corporate leadership and academia, Munib is passionate about turning ideas into impactful solutions.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson, is an Intrapreneuship Coach, Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching and consultancy Company Road.Company Road was founded by Chris Hudson, who saw over-niching and specialisation within corporates as a significant barrier to change.Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally.For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/