by cameron | Jan 31, 2007 | Melbourne, Melbourne's Leaders, Podcast
Today, in the next episode of my “Melbourne’s Leaders” series, my guest is Mr Brian Watson. Brian is the founder and Executive Chairman of Georgica Associates Pty Ltd, a private equity asset management and advisory firm in Melbourne. He was based in New York with J.P. Morgan from 1987-1999, as Global Head of Equity Underwriting from 1990-1995 and head of Global Private Equity Business from 1995-1999. He returned to Australia in 1999 and was Chairman of J.P. Morgan Australia from 1999 – 2000 and Managing Director of JP Morgan Partners (JPMP) Australia from 1999 – 2002. JPMP Australia invested across a broad spectrum of private equity opportunities in Australia.
He also sits on the board of the Australian Stem Cell Centre, was Chairman of the Government’s Venture Capital Industry Review, and was appointed to the Board of Guardians of the Federal Government’s Future Fund.
During our chat he talks about the motivations for excellence, attitudes towards setbacks and failure, the state of the Venture Capital industry in Australia, the purpose of the Future Fund, and the future of stem cell research.
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The G’Day World Theme Song is “Save Me†by The Napoleon Blown Aparts.
by cameron | Jan 22, 2007 | censorship, Melbourne, US politics
Here’s a sign of where we might be headed as a country – just days after our Attorney-General Phillip Ruddock was trying to get a book banned for mentioning euthenasia options, today we’ve got reports that Qantas refused a passenger, Allen Jasson, permission to board a plane in Melbourne because he was wearing a t-shirt calling George Bush a terrorist.
Qantas treats the T-shirt as a security risk or clothing that could upset passengers and had banned Mr Jasson from wearing it when he flew to Australia in December.
(link)
A “security risk”?? What are they concerned about? That it will explode? That it will cause a riot?
So what’s next? If I fly on a Qantas plane and say George Bush is a terrorist, will I get arrested? Will they read my blog before they let me fly? Will I have to sign a form agreeing not to speak negatively about Bush, Blair or Howard before I can fly Qantas? When did Qantas feel themselves responsible to curbing free speech on their flights?
by cameron | Jan 22, 2007 | Melbourne, Podcast
On the show tonight….
Evan Maloney is an Aussie, living in Poland, getting paid to blog for News.com.au, writing (and selling!) screenplays and once upon a time got his head literally kicked in for trying to protect a couple of girls in Melbourne. He ended up in a coma for his trouble. Check out his blog here.
If you enjoyed this podcast, make sure you don’t miss future episodes by subscribing to our feed.
The G’Day World Theme Song is “Save Me†by The Napoleon Blown Aparts.
by cameron | Jan 18, 2007 | Melbourne, Uncategorized
For folks in Melbourne or Sydney, check out the Green Guide in The Age or SMH respectively. There’s a fairly large interview with me about halfway in.
by cameron | Jan 18, 2007 | Australian politics, CIA, Melbourne, Podcast, science vs religion, US politics
On the show tonight….
The word for the day is “blogorrhea“. To write a blog entry just for the sake of posting an entry, not because you have done anything interesting today.
Think you only use 10% of your brain? Think again.
Why should Australia’s Attorney-General Phillip Ruddock have the ability to stop someone from publishing a book? Do we want freedom of speech in this country or not?
If someone attaches a video camera to his shoe and films up ladies skirts on Melbourne trams, what law is he breaking?
Some Christian in Washington doesn’t want his kids’ school to show Al Gore’s film because it doesn’t agree with the Bible that the earth is only thousands of years old.
As Fidel Castro apparently takes his last breaths, I talk a little about the man and his 48 years in power.
Did LBJ have JFK killed?
- E. Howard Hunt, a former CIA agent who organized the Watergate break-in, says LBJ might have done it.
- Barr McClellan, father of former White House press secretary Scott McClellan and a partner in the Austin law firm that represented Johnson, says LBJ did it.
- LBJ’s former mistress Madeleine Duncan Brown says LBJ did it
Oh and then I explain why our inability to disprove god and unicorns does nothing to change the fact that the existence of both is highly improbable.
If you enjoyed this podcast, make sure you don’t miss future episodes by subscribing to our feed.
The G’Day World Theme Song is “Save Me†by The Napoleon Blown Aparts.
by cameron | Dec 14, 2006 | Melbourne, Melbourne's Leaders, Podcast
This is the second show in my series of interviews with Melbourne’s top business and government leaders that I’m calling “Melbourne’s Top Dogs“. On this show, I’m very fortunate to interview Simon McKeon, Executive Chairman of the Melbourne office of Macquarie Bank, aka “The Millionaire Factory”, Australia’s premier investment bank.
Simon is an inspiring bloke. Not only has he risen from humble beginnings at Dandenong East Primary School through to the top of Australia’s corporate ranks, he’s also a genuine social activist. Five years ago, at the age of 45, Simon went part-time at Macquarie Bank to focus more of his energy on other pursuits – such as his role as a Director of World Vision, Chairman of corporate social responsibility organisation Melbourne Cares, chairing the Australian Federal Government’s takeover panel and volunteering as a counselor to heroin addicts at a St Kilda clinic. Oh and he is also a world champion speed sailor.
During the interview we talked about his background, his motivations, how he handles criticism, and how important empathy is in his dealings with people.
If you enjoyed this podcast, make sure you don’t miss future episodes by subscribing to our feed.
The G’Day World Theme Song is “Save Me†by The Napoleon Blown Aparts.
