The High Flyers Podcast with Vidit Agarwal
00:00:00 · Vidit Agarwal, Neil Plumridge, Robert Nason
[00:00:00] S0: Hi, I'm Vidit, the founder and host of this podcast, The High Fires. [00:00:03] S1: I'm Neil Plumridge, co founder of RAIN Group. [00:00:06] S2: I'm Robert Nason, I'm also a co founder of The RAIN Group. [00:00:11] S0: Neil and Robert, I am so excited to do this and I love the timing of this. We're doing this in between your Melbourne and Sydney launches. We had a very successful Melbourne launch last week that I was grateful to be involved with and we've got the Sydney one coming up in a couple of days. So firstly, big congrats on the book. It's a big undertaking and congrats on the launch. [00:00:32] S1: We're excited too and this is the start of a journey, Vidit. And we're absolutely delighted to be here today and also have you as part of the book launch process. [00:00:40] S0: So thank you. What if we could reimagine the traditional notion of a high flyer? Hey, friends. Welcome back, or welcome to the high flyers podcast where we do reimagine a high flyer, showcase the brightest and most relatable role models and companies and the journey from sunrise to today. As one of the premier products in our Curiosity Centre lineup providing on demand intelligence to help you be 1% better every single day. I'm your host, Virta Tagawal, and let's have some fun.
00:00:40 · Vidit Agarwal, S3, Robert Nason
[00:00:40] S0: So thank you. What if we could reimagine the traditional notion of a high flyer? Hey, friends. Welcome back, or welcome to the high flyers podcast where we do reimagine a high flyer, showcase the brightest and most relatable role models and companies and the journey from sunrise to today. As one of the premier products in our Curiosity Centre lineup providing on demand intelligence to help you be 1% better every single day. I'm your host, Virta Tagawal, and let's have some fun. [00:01:18] S3: Our listeners have called this podcast the meticulously researched biography unveiling the extraordinary lives and decisions of the most remarkable individuals and companies from around the world. We hope you're enjoying our catalog of 200 plus episodes since we launched in 2020 with many of our guests appearing in rare public interviews. [00:01:37] S0: Let's start with our quick rapid fire fun facts to set the scene. Robert, I'll come to you first. Where were you born and where do you live now? [00:01:51] S2: I was born in Adelaide in South Australia and I now reside in Sydney in New South Wales in Australia. [00:01:59] S0: And work, what was your first job and what do you do now? [00:02:03] S2: My first real job was a tally clerk on the Melbourne Waterfront for a timber company. I can tell you what a tally clerk does if you're interested, but that was a really fun job. Today I run my own private consulting practice and this author role has taken a lot more of my time than I anticipated and that's what I'm focusing my attention on.
00:02:03 · Robert Nason, Vidit Agarwal, Neil Plumridge
[00:02:03] S2: My first real job was a tally clerk on the Melbourne Waterfront for a timber company. I can tell you what a tally clerk does if you're interested, but that was a really fun job. Today I run my own private consulting practice and this author role has taken a lot more of my time than I anticipated and that's what I'm focusing my attention on. [00:02:30] S0: Neil, where were you born and where do you live now? [00:02:33] S1: So born in Melbourne, live in Melbourne. I've got a farm about two hours outside of Melbourne to the east in an area called Gippsland, so I spend 30 or 40% of my time out there when I can. [00:02:45] S0: And work. What was your first job and what do you do now? [00:02:49] S1: So first real job was as a trainee accountant of a local television station and I now, with Robert, co founder of The Rain Group. It's a business development learning program or business that helps partners and directors of consulting firms around the world lift performance. [00:03:10] S0: And that's RAIN with a Y. A [00:03:12] S1: y n. That's right. And a quick fun fact is Robert are and Neil, and the Y is silent for rain. So that's how the rain came up with.
00:03:12 · Neil Plumridge, Vidit Agarwal
[00:03:12] S1: y n. That's right. And a quick fun fact is Robert are and Neil, and the Y is silent for rain. So that's how the rain came up with. [00:03:24] S0: Oh, is that how... This is the first time I'm hearing that backstory. That's great. That's a good, very creative way of coming up with a name. And as both of you know, the purpose of this show is to reimagine the concept of a high flyer, to celebrate the people that are doing great things but perhaps don't get the recognition, particularly beyond their job title. Robert, can I start with you? Is there anyone you know who you feel hasn't got the recognition they deserve?
00:03:24 · Vidit Agarwal, Robert Nason
[00:03:24] S0: Oh, is that how... This is the first time I'm hearing that backstory. That's great. That's a good, very creative way of coming up with a name. And as both of you know, the purpose of this show is to reimagine the concept of a high flyer, to celebrate the people that are doing great things but perhaps don't get the recognition, particularly beyond their job title. Robert, can I start with you? Is there anyone you know who you feel hasn't got the recognition they deserve? [00:03:50] S2: Well we come from an industry which is full of people that meet that description. Consultants rarely get the recognition of their achievements, their silent achievers if you like. But there's a couple that sort of stand out for me. One is my sister Jennifer who's got a similar background and experience to me, but she was... Took herself to New York and became the global leader of JPMorgan's investment banking business in a career that spanned thirty five years. She's just retired, but I'm extremely proud of her ability to cut it in a very difficult business and achieve huge success while bringing up four kids. And one other that I do recognize because of his humanness is David Thodie, the CEO of Telstra, who I worked for. He got lots of accolades for what he achieved at Telstra. But having been there and been an employee working for him, I saw the impact he had on 50,000 people and how he changed the culture of an organization. That is something I think everyone who was there at the time recognises but few outside recognise that level of impact that he had.
00:03:50 · Robert Nason, Vidit Agarwal
[00:03:50] S2: Well we come from an industry which is full of people that meet that description. Consultants rarely get the recognition of their achievements, their silent achievers if you like. But there's a couple that sort of stand out for me. One is my sister Jennifer who's got a similar background and experience to me, but she was... Took herself to New York and became the global leader of JPMorgan's investment banking business in a career that spanned thirty five years. She's just retired, but I'm extremely proud of her ability to cut it in a very difficult business and achieve huge success while bringing up four kids. And one other that I do recognize because of his humanness is David Thodie, the CEO of Telstra, who I worked for. He got lots of accolades for what he achieved at Telstra. But having been there and been an employee working for him, I saw the impact he had on 50,000 people and how he changed the culture of an organization. That is something I think everyone who was there at the time recognises but few outside recognise that level of impact that he had. [00:05:14] S0: Both great names and David might be coming on the podcast soon so stay tuned. He and I been in discussions and I'm trying to convince him it's been a two year process that he eventually might agree to, so let's see. And Neil, I feel like you are the high fly in terms of my definition who likes to stay under the radar, think in the time I'm going to know you, but I'm curious, are there people that you've come across your journey that you want to recognize?