In Leaders Getting Coffee episode 58, our guest Sharon Zollner, Chief Economist at ANZ Bank.

At a time when the economic recovery in New Zealand is threatened, yet again, by a major international shock, we thought it was worthwhile to host one of the Country’s leading economists on Leaders Getting Coffee. And we weren’t disappointed. This week’s guest is one of the most entertaining economists we could wish to speak to.

A self-confessed geeky kid, and cricket tragic, Sharon Zollner grew up in rural Canterbury in a farming family near Methven. She excelled at school, particularly it seems in English and Mathematics, capabilities which influenced her decision to study English Literature and Economics.

She left Canterbury University with a Masters in Commerce and majors in Economics and English Literature, and headed to the New Zealand Reserve Bank to start what has become an amazingly successful career.

A stint with Norway’s central bank followed, where her work included developing a macro economic model for the Norwegian economy.

Returning to New Zealand, her climb up the ranks of Bank Economists has been rapid and she speaks openly about becoming the Chief Economist at ANZ in 2017, just ahead of a change in government and prior to the disruption created by Covid 19.

On the Leaders Getting Coffee podcast Sharon Zollner speaks to Bruce Cotterill about the current state of the New Zealand economy, which she suggests is more resilient that many of us might expect.

She is also refreshingly open about the impacts of war in the Middle East and the associated panic around oil prices and supplies, and the likely stages that economies will go through as the conflict continues.

As you might expect, Zollner reels off economic terms and statistics in an uncomplicated manner that is easy to understand and entertaining to listen to. Her lessons from Norway are interesting given the similarity of that economy to that of New Zealand, and the differing constraints that the two countries must operate within.

Most importantly, she is positive about the current state of New Zealand, despite the obvious headwinds, and one wishes that her enthusiasm for our future should be contagious.

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In Leaders Getting Coffee episode 57 part 2, we continue out chat with The Right Honourable Christopher Luxon, Prime Minister of New Zealand.

Following on from last week, we get deeper into his past two years as Prime Minister, the recent India Free Trade Agreement, and whether he would work another term alongside coalition partners Winston Peters and David Seymour.

There is no escaping Christopher Luxon’s aspiration for New Zealand nor his passion for the role that he now occupies. He’s driven by outcomes rather than slogans and that reflects in his attitude about the election campaign ahead.

And if he could flick a switch, what’s the one thing he would like to change?

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In Leaders Getting Coffee episode 57, our guest is The Right Honourable Christopher Luxon, Prime Minister of New Zealand.

A typical Kiwi upbringing was a hallmark of young Christopher Luxon’s life. The oldest of three brothers, he grew up in Christchurch and later Auckland, with working parents and a work ethic that was obvious early.

He was a sports mad kid, but it didn’t stop there. Walking home one afternoon he decided to cold call the neighbourhood homes to see if he could sell his services as a window cleaner. A business was born. It’s owner-operator just 14 years old.

He returned to his hometown of Christchurch for his university studies before his corporate career took hold.

Starting as a management trainee with global consumer goods giant Unilever, it was a company and a career that took him around the world. He worked in Australia, the United Kingdom and the USA before his eventual appointment as President and CEO of Unilever Canada.

In 2011, he returned to New Zealand for a senior executive role at Air New Zealand and a year later he was appointed CEO, a role he held for seven years.

That he walked away from such a spectacular business career is a story in itself. Within four years, and after just three years as a Member of Parliament, he became New Zealand’s 42nd Prime Minister.

In the Leaders Getting Coffee podcast, Christopher Luxon talks openly with Bruce Cotterill about his short but spectacular rise in New Zealand’s political scene. He is surprisingly open about his successes and failures in government to date and equally forthright about the assembly and operation of a coalition that has held together better than many expected.

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In Leaders Getting Coffee episode 56, our guest is the founder and CEO of Resonate Health, James Whittaker.

James started life in the UK and began his career in one of that country’s most iconic companies, British Airways. The story of how he became an entrepreneur on the other side of the world is both entertaining and inspiring.

He came to New Zealand with his young family as tourists, and they returned a year later with the intention of settling and staying.

He continued his corporate career in New Zealand, working with Private Equity to turnaround the fortunes of a company specialising in hearing aids.

But he thought of a better way, and after a couple of false starts, Resonate Health NZ was born.

Resonate brings a totally new approach to the business of hearing loss, and with an ageing population, the possibilities seem endless. From a startup in 2022 to 31 hearing studios today, the business is on a mammoth growth curve.

At its centre is world class technology and a driven entrepreneur determined to build the world’s best health care company.

In the Leaders Getting Coffee podcast, James Whittaker talks to Bruce Cotterill about a vision that sets his business apart, the extremes he goes to in order to attract talent, and the importance of building trust with his customers.

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In Leaders Getting Coffee episode 55, our guest is the former National Party Minister, Speaker of the House and Ambassador to London, Sir Lockwood Smith.

Sir Lockwood Smith is one of those people you feel you know before meeting him. He first stepped into the public gaze as a television presenter of science programmes aimed at school age children. What started as a university holiday job delivered some early name recognition, helping him to win a seat in the old first part the post political system.

He grew up on the family farm that he still runs today. He learned the ropes early and developed the skills necessary to run the farm before leaving school. A Bachelors and Masters degree (with honours) in Agricultural Science put the theory alongside the practical skills he’d already developed.

At first, he followed what most of us would observe as an academic career, lecturing at Massey University and wining a scholarship to attend the Waite Agricultural Research Institute, at the University of Adelaide, where he studied for his PhD in ruminant metabolism. He tells of studying Opera, as a sideline, while he was there.

While in Adelaide he took up rowing, winning five state championships and leading the Adelaide University Boat Club as it’s captain.

Back in New Zealand, politics was calling and he was elected to parliament as the MP for Kaipara in 1984. He became one of our longest serving MP’s, staying for 29 years, the last five of which were spent as a most respected “Speaker of the House”.

On the Leaders Getting Coffee podcast with Bruce Cotterill, Sir Lockwood speaks of the highs and lows of life in politics. There have been many achievements and the occasional disappointment, and he is refreshingly open in his discussion, including the behind the scenes conflict surrounding leadership appointments.

And he reflects on his time as Speaker of the House and his disappointment at today’s parliamentary behaviour.

He also covers off his five-year stint as our High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ghana & Nigeria, and Ambassador to Ireland and the various roles he conducted on behalf of the UK government after his post was completed.

Today, he’s back on the farm that he has operated throughout a busy life, breeding Belgian Blue bulls, a breed that he has continued to develop and enhance over his entire life. He’s a happy and contented man with a wonderful story to tell. And he tells it very well.

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In Leaders Getting Coffee episode 54, our guest is the CEO of realestate.co.nz, Sarah Wood.

As the real estate market starts to show some long awaited green shoots, it’s timely to have a discussion about the real estate market. As the leader of New Zealand’s only dedicated real estate portal company, Sarah Wood is uniquely positioned to share her insights into the changes in the market.

Her early life was as one of 6 children in a farming family. That’s where she learned the value of hard work and the need to earn her own money.

She completed a diploma in advertising and a university degree in marketing, all while learning the ropes in retail business before heading for the media sector with the Company then known as Wilson & Horton. Thereafter, the FMCG world came calling and she led a range of projects across some of the major brands at Goodman Fielder.

As her husband’s medical career started to take off, she then found herself in the USA for seven years and she talks of a different way of life and new business opportunities. There she met an influential woman and she discusses the impact that relationship had on her.

But the return to New Zealand was inevitable and after a stint back with her old employer, by then named APN, she found her first CEO role in the real estate advertising business.

During the Leaders Getting Coffee podcast with Bruce Cotterill, Sarah shares her insights on building teams, developing a can do culture and getting things done. And she talks about her love of working with highly successful real estate agents and their clients, and the current state of the real estate market, with record numbers of listings and increased buyer activity.

This is a leadership story that is still developing. Sarah Wood is a CEO of the future, someone who understands how to make technology, people and customers come together to create outstanding experiences.

It’s well worth a listen.

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In Leaders Getting Coffee episode 53, our guest is the former CEO of both Auckland International Airport and Spark New Zealand, Simon Moutter.

Simon Moutter is one of New Zealand’s best CEO’s of recent times, with a track record of growth and transformation that few can match.

As you listen to Simon tell his story, one of the things that strikes you is how logical every step seemed to be. He started his own business as a young man working within New Plymouth’s energy sector, but moved on to run power stations and eventually lead the power company he worked with.

But it was at Telecom, where he was to make his mark. As he describes it, stepping backwards to go forwards, he quickly rose up the ranks to become the COO in Theresa Gattung’s well established leadership team.

When Gattung departed, rather than push himself for the top job, he assisted the new CEO with the transition and left to run Auckland International Airport, a move that saw one of New Zealand’s most important infrastructural assets refocus around the needs of it’s wide-ranging customer base.

Four years later, he was back at Telecom, this time as CEO, and hatching a plan to reposition a company that was once one of New Zealand’s most loved and successful brands. Despite advice from business leaders and customers, he led the change to Spark New Zealand, a change designed to reflect the move to the digital age.

On the Leaders Getting Coffee podcast with Bruce Cotterill, Simon tells the stories behind those decisions in a way that provides countless lessons for everyone from young aspiring leaders to well established current executives.

And the story doesn’t stop there. When a newly installed Prime Minister called, Simon Moutter took his skills to the country’s housing provider as Chairman of Kainga Ora. And so the Moutter transformation machine keeps on rolling.

This is an inspiring and educational story about business, tough decisions, and how to be sure of turning those decisions into successful outcomes.

Make sure you have your notebook ready.

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In Leaders Getting Coffee episode 52, our guest is one of the original partners of advertising agency Colenso and the founder of the Dressmart Outlet stores and man’s brand, Rodd & Gunn, Gary Gwynne.

Gary enjoyed the freedom of life as an only child in pre-sixties Otago. That freedom created a mindset that believed anything was possible and authority was to be avoided.

Fresh out of Otago Boys High School and with an Otago University bachelor’s degree in his toolkit, a young Gwynne headed for the up-and-coming business of advertising, with a goffer’s job organised through the contacts of his father, who was a radio announcer at the time.

Three short years at the so-called “university of marketing”, Nestle, followed. But it wasn’t long before he was asked to return to ad- land, with a company named Colenso. There he stayed for sixteen years, becoming a partner and ultimately joint Managing Director alongside the legendary Roger McDonnell.

But he left all that and mid-career, became an entrepreneur.

During the Leaders Getting Coffee podcast with Bruce Cotterill, we hear of his aspirations and adventures into a wide range of businesses including Men’s apparel, land subdivision and commercial property development.

Gary Gwynne speaks with great affection for the advertising industry and the colleagues he left. But his subsequent story is highly relatable to current or aspiring entrepreneurs. He highlights the challenges of getting established, the need for the right partners, and the importance of brands.

A keen fisherman and hunter, it was only a matter of time before Rodd and Gunn was born as a part of the Outdoor Heritage brand he built. And as Dressmart celebrates 30 years since its launch, we hear what prompted the arrival of outlet stores to New Zealand in the aftermath of a harsh recession.

Recently New Zealand lost another entrepreneur in Sir Michael Hill, and having worked with him for more than 20 years, we are treated to a wonderful tribute to Sir Michael from our guest.

Gary Gwynne’s story is one of a good Kiwi bloke who had a crack and succeeded.

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