Tune in and listen to one of our longer interview sessions that we recorded last weekend (and our sixth “On the Pod” session) with Mike Vallender.

Mike is currently Managing Director of successful CSIRO spin out Windlab Systems Pty Ltd, now a private company creating an international reputation as a commercial leader in wind energy services.

Mike also serves as Chairperson for Australian Intranets Pty Ltd, Effectual.biz Pty Ltd and Vallender.Com Pty Ltd.

In December 1999, as Managing Director of HotCopper Australia Limited, Mike achieved a successful Initial Public Offering on the Australian Stock Exchange returning up to 600% for its original seed investors. He then led the public company through an on market merger with Bourse Data Limited (three weeks later!!!), a leading sharemarket information services company, and was appointed as its CEO.

Bourse Data Hotcopper was then sold to St. George Bank late in 2001, and Mike was appointed as the CEO of the newly aquired division.

Mike’s other credits include the establishment of the wholesale services division at Australia’s then largest ISP, OzEmail, where he was Cameron’s manager for a year.

UPDATE 2024-12-23: I was saddened to hear yesterday that Mike had gone to the great WOW server in the sky. I’ve resurrected this episode to remember him by, recorded 20 years ago – exactly 20 years before the day he passed away. This was one of our first podcasts. We recorded the first Australian podcast ever in November 2004, so this was done just a few weeks later. Typical of Mike to be part of something new. He was a great guy and will be remembered fondly by many people. This interview provides a great snapshot on the man himself as well as a record of what the early days of the internet were like in Australia. I also found another show with him from 2006 in the archives. 

BTW, my original co-host on G’Day World, Mick Stanic, co-founder of The Podcast Network, who is on this show from 2004, also passed away, back in 2020.