This week on Strategy Bites, I’m joined by someone who genuinely redefines what it means to think differently.
Jim Hogan has spent over forty years at the forefront of technology, innovation and leadership, and he just happens to be autistic.
He was the Chief Innovation Evangelist at Google Cloud and the Vice President of Accessibility in Technology for Google’s Disability Alliance.
Through his work, research and powerful TED Talk, Jim has become one of the most authentic and inspiring voices for neuroinclusion in business.
In this episode, Jim shares how his autistic lens has shaped his life and career, the challenges, the brilliance and the occasional chaos, and why he believes neuroinclusion isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do for any organisation that wants to innovate.
We talk about what leaders can do to create truly inclusive workplaces, how introverts and neurodistinct thinkers can be heard in rooms full of extroverts, and how embracing difference drives better ideas, better teams and better outcomes.
Oh, and yes, we get to the story behind the Rubik’s Cube.
So whether you’re leading a team, hiring for one, or just curious about how diverse thinking fuels innovation, you’ll want to stick around for this one.
Jim Hogan's Ted Talk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJrRnyNwm00
Stevie-Ann Dovico maps a clear route from consulting into the C-suite. Starting in Big 4 strategy and moving in-house across major banks before becoming CIO at Beyond Bank, she’s led high-performing teams, shipped real products, and picked up industry recognition along the way. In this episode we unpack how curiosity, adaptability and lifelong learning powered each pivot, what “tech fluency” looks like without a coding background, and how she balances leadership with motherhood while challenging stereotypes in tech. We also dive into what AI and even quantum mean for careers, and how mentors and sponsors accelerate the journey from analyst to executive.
You’ll hear:
If you’re a consultant or aspiring CIO wondering how to future-proof your career in a fast-changing digital world, this conversation is packed with usable tactics and inspiration.
PE can look shiny from the outside. James spends his days helping funds and port-cos create real value, and we get into the parts you don’t see on LinkedIn: leadership, resilience and building a career you actually like.
We talk about saying yes to the “weird and wacky” projects and opportunities that end up changing everything, what PE firms really look for when hiring ex-consultants (including Operating Partner roles), and whether ex-MBB leaders make great port-co CEOs.
We also dig into balance, working hard without losing yourself, and how to stay adaptable when the ground keeps moving.
🎧 Tune in for:
• Practical advice for consultants curious about PE
• A day in the life of a Bain partner advising PE clients
• Why working and living abroad can sharpen your consulting edge
• Why resilience, curiosity and self-awareness matter more than ever
• The best and the worst career advice James has picked up along the way
In this episode of the Strategy Bites Podcast, I sat down with Ian Hill, founder of Enthoosa.AI and creator of Palpable.io — to unpack the reality of AI adoption and what it means for consultants, leaders, and businesses.Here are some highlights you won’t want to miss:
And perhaps most importantly - Ian’s reminder to stay curious in times of rapid change. AI may deliver the right answers, but it’s people who decide whether to act on them.
You may check out what Ian Hill has been working on at the following links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianhill22/
https://palpable.io/
Joining us is the brilliant Rushika Handa who has an impressive 13+ years of experience working with top-tier consulting firms like McKinsey & Company and BCG. She’s a wizard when it comes to strategy, product, organisational design, and so much more. From startups and venture incubation to digital strategy and building high-performing teams, Rushika has done it all.
In this episode, she'll be sharing her insights on how management consultants can leverage AI to supercharge their work. Whether it's go-to-market strategies, innovation, or organisational agility, Rushika’s got you covered. So, grab your notebooks and get ready for some game-changing advice!
Notes:
Join us for an insightful conversation with Danielle Handley, the Chief Customer and Transformation Officer at Bupa. With a wealth of experience in driving customer-centric transformation, Danielle shares her journey, strategies, and the challenges she has faced in the ever-evolving healthcare and insurance industry. Tune in to gain valuable insights and practical advice from a leader at the forefront of customer and organisational transformation.
With over a decade of experience as a consultant at Deloitte and now serving as the Chief Business Operations and Strategy Officer at Xero, Angad Soin brings a wealth of knowledge to this episode. Angad delves into how he rose from Analyst to Partner, honing his expertise in business operations and strategy. He gives some great advice on how a strategy consultant should think about their careers, when to leave management consulting, and how to transition from consulting to industry.
Angad joined Xero as the Executive General Manager and is now currently the Chief Business Operations and Strategy Officer, where he continues to drive strategic excellence and innovation.
Rosanna Leddy, a self-confessed gender equality advocate, is the Founder of MBBW – a global private member community for professionals from top-tier consulting firms.
Roseanna is a McKinsey Alumna who has held senior roles in the Champions of Change Collision, a global community of 250+ CEOs who implement innovative initiatives on gender equality in their organisations and drive national conversations for societal change.
More recently she has been a member of 2X Global.
For applications to MBBW, go to https://www.mbbwomen.com/
Leah Balter has most recently been the Chief Transformation Officer and CIO at Bunnings. Having worked her way up through McKinsey to Associate Principal level, Leah left McKinsey to pursue a career in Industry when she became pregnant.
Leah talks about her journey, being a mum of 4 whilst holding down a C-Suite role, and she gives her best advice to the community from whence she came on how to think about their careers in Strategy and beyond.
Olya Rudenko is currently the CEO of Cars24. Born and raised in Russia, she vowed to make a better life for herself in Australia.
Olya is a McKinsey Alumni with Private Equity background prior to joining Management Consulting and has now led teams in multiple tech firms across Australia. She talks about how to navigate your career should you want to go through the tech and startup space.
Mailys Pauletto, ex Roland Berger consultant, has purposefully designed her current lifestyle and currently, she has a dual career.
Mailys is a contract or interim Strategy consultant which allows her to also follow her passion as a holistic breathwork coach and yogi, running retreats and classes to teach others about her practice.
Mailys talks to me about the pros and cons of being a contract management consultant vs having a corporate career or career in management consulting, as she has now experienced all three pathways.
Website (Mailys' events page)
https://www.mailyspauletto.com/
https://www.instagram.com/maypauletto/
Podcast:
Wendy is a Managing Director of Pollination and she was previously a Managing Director and Partner in BCG's Sydney office. At BCG, Wendy worked in Financial Services & Insurance and also led BCG's Social Impact, Climate and Sustainability work in Australia and New Zealand.
Wendy talks to me about working in ESG and what types of projects she was doing at BCG and now at Pollination. She has always been passionate about working on Social Impact, Climate and Sustainability projects and gives some great advice to other consultants wanting to focus their careers in this space.
Aliza Knox was the first Female partner at BCG in Asia and has been dubbed a “kick-ass woman slaying the world of tech”.
Aliza was also listed as a Top 100 Women in Tech (Singapore, 2021), has been named the IT Woman of the Year (Asia, 2020), honored as the AWA Singapore International Business Woman of the Year (2015), elected to Chief Executive Women (Australia, 2016) and featured in the book Women on Board—Making a Real Difference.
Aliza speaks to me about her amazing career journey from BCG to Tech and now to her roles on multiple boards. We talk about mentorship, women in leadership, having a career whilst having a family, and Aliza gives some amazing advice to other up and coming, driven consultants.
Aliza is also a best selling Author and her book “ Don’t quit your day job” was written as a way to mentor the masses.
Link to book : https://www.amazon.com.au/Dont-Quit-Your-Day-Job/dp/0730396592
Link to Aliza’s book recommendation : Radical Candor by Kim Scott https://www.amazon.com.au/Radical-Candor-Revised-Updated-Saying/dp/1529038340/ref=sr_1_1?crid=19E46FX6XOQP7&keywords=radical+candor+by+kim+scott&qid=1693784068&s=books&sprefix=radical+candor%2Cstripbooks%2C312&sr=1-1
I speak to Anna about her decision to leave Bain in order to found Start-up sensation Lyka, which has gone from strength to strength and is now a leading supplier of human grade pet food in Australia. We discuss the challenges of growing a business at speed and the highs and lows of being a start-up founder. This is a must listen to for any consultant who has an idea for a business but are yet to act on it.
Milosh Milisavljevic, Chief Customer Officer at Medibank and McKinsey alumni has been a go to mentor to many an ex consultant, helping them work through the trade-offs and options of moving from consulting into corporates, and then growing and developing in a corporate role once they make the move. We discuss what the high achievers in corporates who came from consulting did differently. Milosh gives some solid advice for those hoping to thrive in a corporate environment and shares some of the best advice he has been given over the years.
His book recommendations :
Effortless – Greg McKeown
Lost Connections – Johann Hari
Bitter Sweet – Susan Cain
No Rules Rules – Reed Hastings
Sophie Hayek, CEO of PropHero and Roland Berger Alumni talks to me about her experience moving from France to Australia to join Woolies Group Strategy, why she moved to NBN, and what she feels were the skills that helped her climb the ladder in a Corporate.
We discuss her motivations to move into a Tech- Start-Up and the skills necessary to be a CEO of a Scale-Up. She gives some great advice to management consultants thinking about their careers in both corporates and start-ups.
In this episode I am joined by my esteemed colleague Asha Walsh who specialises in recruiting roles at Manager to Head of level roles in Strategy. We discuss the market and what we are encountering currently in our sector. Asha also gives some excellent advice to any junior to mid-level strategy candidates considering a job search.
In this episode, I chat with Steve Duke, who left McKinsey at the Consultant level to help grow two Unicorns at a young age. He shares his story of transitioning from consulting to tech startup life. After being let go from the last start-up Steve went on a journey of personal discovery and talks about his quest for career enlightenment. This led him to become a fellow podcaster, he is currently the Host of the podcast Two Roads aimed at helping people find meaning in their work and life. In this episode, we exchange learnings from our interviews with our guests on this topic.
Link to Two Roads Podcast here: https://stephenduke8.podbean.com/
Join me as I chat with Katrina Barry, the CEO of Me&u - a technology company that is transforming the hospitality industry.
In this episode, Katrina shares her personal journey and life experiences, going from a country girl in New Zealand to McKinsey and on to exciting roles in a variety of sectors from Finance to Fitness, Travel to Tech. She candidly discusses the challenges she has faced on her journey as well as her victories.
Katrina shares how she has thought about the career decisions she has made, and shares the best advice she has been given along the way, as well as lots of hints and tips for aspiring consultants regarding how to make decisions on the opportunities that come their way.
Victors’ 2nd appearance on the podcast!
In this episode, we deep dive into :
The importance of case interview prep
How to be a good case interviewer to attract the best candidates
The importance of humility
How to harness unshakable self-esteem and more....
Links to information referenced in the podcast
“Look” Over My Shoulder
https://www.caseinterview.com/look-over-my-shoulder
How to Develop Gravitas
https://www.caseinterview.com/gravitas
How to Sell Your Ideas in Everyday Life
https://www.caseinterview.com/how-to-sell
How to Develop Your Emotional Intelligence (EQ) to Advance Your Career
https://www.caseinterview.com/eq-development
How to Develop Unshakeable Self-Esteem & Incredible Self-Confidence
https://www.caseinterview.com/self-esteem
Book recommendation - Richistan by Robert Frank
https://ig.ft.com/sites/business-book-award/books/2007/longlist/richistan-by-robert-frank/