Your Path to CEO

Esme Borgelt spent eighteen years at Kellogg's, working her way from sales into managing director roles in New Zealand and then ANZ. Five years ago, she became CEO of Kinrise. Her first step up, into the managing director's chair, traced back to one direct question. An HR leader at Kellogg's asked her outright whether she wanted to be managing director, rather than accepting the modest, coy answer she was inclined to give. Naming that ambition, she says, is what built her the right sponsors and got her the tools she needed. She points to full ownership of a P&L, however small, and the unglamorous work nobody else wants, like volunteering to lead a working capital committee, as the real preparation for enterprise leadership. Her advice for anyone eyeing enterprise leadership: get ownership of a P&L as early as you can, however small, and stay curious about the parts of the business that aren't yours to run. Once you're in the role, safety comes first, then profit, then people, and the job itself becomes the point where the answers stop being clean. Key themes from the conversation include: Why naming your ambition out loud builds the support to achieve it The real difference between a mentor and a sponsor Why full ownership of a P&L, however small, matters more than your title Her three non-negotiable priorities as CEO: safety, profitability, and people Why the unglamorous jobs nobody else wants often prepare you for the top job

This is a special crossover episode between Your Path to CEO and Your Future in Sales and Marketing. Mike Dickson and Andrew Cannock sit down together with Colm Maguire, CEO of the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC). Colm's career has rarely gone in a straight line. He set out to join the Royal Australian Air Force, found his way into sports administration with Touch Football Australia, then spent years inside the highly regulated world of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, before taking the top job at the AFGC in 2024. Colm, Mike and Andrew talk through the deliberate risks behind each career move, including one that looked like a step backwards at the time, what it took to earn trust in a new industry during his first six months as CEO, and why he judges his own leadership by effort rather than outcome. Colm also shares his read on the opportunities and pressures facing FMCG manufacturing in Australia, and the workforce agenda now shaping the AFGC's next chapter. Worth a listen whether you're building a career in FMCG or in sales and marketing, and especially if you're weighing up whether your next move needs to look like a promotion to actually be the right one.

Dean Carroll didn't set out to run a wine business. He started in car mechanics, foreign banking and grocery merchandising before finding his way into liquor through Diageo in the 1990s, then into family-owned businesses including Tucker Seabrook and Fine Wine Partners. A brief stint outside the industry, in car leasing, convinced him he belonged back in it. That path led him to Brown Brothers, now Brown Family Wine Group, where he spent sixteen years, the last eight as CEO. Stepping up wasn't straightforward. Dean had to earn credibility beyond his sales background, align three family branches with different views on the business's future, and relocate to the winery in regional Victoria to properly understand the operational side. Under his leadership the business became multi-brand and multi-region, added cooler-climate vineyards in Tasmania as a direct response to climate change, acquired Innocent Bystander, and invested roughly $27 million in a new production facility, commissioned through COVID. His advice for anyone eyeing a CEO role: build curiosity across every part of the business before you get there, and once you're in it, don't let the view from the top become the only view you get.

Mike sits down with Swati Prasad, Managing Director ANZ for Swisse, to talk about what changes the moment you move from functional leader to enterprise leader. Six years after her first appearance on our sister podcast, Your Future in Sales & Marketing , Swati returns having built her career across Unilever, Pernod Ricard Australia and Reckitt Benckiser, before joining Swisse, part of the H&H Group, in 2023. She talks candidly about the real shift from functional to enterprise leadership: less focus on the next eighteen months, more on the next two years, less action, more choiceful action, and a move from reporting to a board to influencing one. You'll hear why she didn't plan her career for breadth, she just kept saying yes to it, and why she thinks ambitious professionals worry too much about 'wasting time' early on. She trained as a chemical engineer, spent her first years in supply chain, and didn't move into a commercial career until 29. Plus, her three-part advice for anyone eyeing the top job: have a point of view, learn to look around corners, and back yourself before you feel ready. If you're a functional leader wondering what enterprise leadership will actually demand of you, start here.

In this episode of Your Path to CEO, Mike Dickson from [axr] Executive Search speaks with Caroline Waite, Group CEO of Stuart Alexander and recently appointed board member of the AFGC, about a career built on breadth, honest ambition and people-first leadership. Caroline knew she wanted to lead a business from an early age, shaped in no small part by school holidays spent on the factory floor of her father's plastics manufacturing company. From Bayer, time living and working in Hong Kong, almost a decade at Frucor Suntory and senior commercial roles across two further businesses, she had a clear destination in mind and told every organisation she joined exactly where she wanted to go. She never waited until she felt ready. In her view, by the time you are, the move is already overdue. Key themes from the conversation include: - Why naming your ambition early makes you easier to back and harder to overlook - The value of career breadth over functional depth on the path to enterprise leadership - What actually changes when you step into the CEO role - The governance responsibilities nobody prepares you for - Why peer networks, coaching and industry boards matter more at this level than you'd expect - Why the CEO seat is neither an ego play nor a salary decision An honest conversation on what the weight and privilege of the top seat really feel like once you're there. For Caroline, every time the responsibility lands heavy, gratitude is never far behind.

In this episode of Your Path to CEO , Greg O’Shea speaks with Anthony Boyd, CEO of Sydney Markets, about what it really takes to step into the CEO seat. Anthony breaks down the shift from finance leadership to enterprise leadership, and why the biggest leap in his career wasn’t becoming CEO but moving out of his functional comfort zone into general management. Key themes from the conversation include: Why curiosity across the whole business accelerates leadership growth far more than staying in your lane The reality of imposter syndrome when stepping into unfamiliar roles and how to navigate it Why great leaders stop trying to be the expert and start enabling experts around them The role of culture as “everyday behaviour,” not posters or values statements Why succession planning starts the moment you step into a role - not when you leave it The hidden trade-offs of senior leadership, from relocation to personal sacrifice He closes with simple but powerful advice for future CEOs: back yourself, focus on attitude and effort, and stay open to where the next opportunity might come from.

In this episode of Your Path to CEO, Mike Dickson from [axr] Executive Search speaks with Leeson Brook, Regional Managing Director & CEO of STIHL Australia, about a career shaped by ambition, discipline, and deliberately broad experience across global FMCG and manufacturing leadership roles. Leeson reflects on growing up in Adelaide and the formative experience of seeing financial pressure in his household at a young age - an early catalyst for his drive to build a career defined by growth and security. From the outset, he recognised a natural inclination toward leadership, finding motivation in influencing others and stepping into responsibility early through school and retail roles. His corporate journey began in supermarkets before moving into Telstra and then a foundational development path at Kellogg's, where he built core commercial and sales capabilities. This was followed by a progression through senior roles at Johnson & Johnson, where Leeson made a deliberate decision to test himself beyond familiar support networks - moving into category, regional, and cross-functional leadership roles across Australia and Singapore. A defining chapter was his move to Singapore in a regional shopper/category leadership role, where he managed influence across 16 countries and 180+ stakeholders without direct reporting lines—accelerating his ability to lead through influence, cultural nuance, and strategic clarity. Leeson later stepped into enterprise leadership as General Manager of New Zealand, successfully transforming the business from underperforming to one of the strongest in the region, before returning to Australia in senior commercial and CEO-track roles, including Sales Director at GWA Group and ultimately into his current MD & CEO position with STIHL. Key themes from the conversation include: The importance of broadening experience early to avoid being “typecast” Why reverse-engineering your career path creates direction without rigidity The reality of loneliness in CEO roles and the importance of mentors and peer networks How leadership success depends on clarity, repetition, and simplicity in communication The need to make timely people decisions while balancing empathy with performance Why strong leadership is built through doing the job exceptionally well before seeking the next step A practical and honest conversation on what it really takes to move from functional leadership into enterprise CEO roles - and what changes once you get there.

In this episode, Mike Dickson speaks with Trish Pegorer, Managing Director of Mutti Australia, to explore her unconventional path to executive leadership and the journey of building a challenger brand into a category leader. Trish’s career is a clear example of a non-linear trajectory, shaped by entrepreneurial roots and pivotal “sliding doors” moments. From early exposure in her family’s small business through to a chance professional connection that ultimately led her to Mutti, her story reinforces how long-term impact is often driven by relationships, reputation, and how you show up in key moments. A defining leadership principle throughout the conversation is Trish’s focus on being a “response, not a reaction” leader—highlighting the importance of measured decision-making over emotional instinct. This is complemented by traits she credits for her success: curiosity, humility, accountability, and what she describes as “annoying persistence.” The discussion also unpacks the realities of stepping into an MD role without a traditional corporate blueprint. Trish shares how she scaled the Mutti business in Australia, built capability by hiring talent stronger than herself, and created a high-performing, values-led team in a lean, fast-growth environment. They explore what leadership looks like in practice—balancing strategic growth with operational execution, influencing a global organisation from a local market, and continuously evolving as the business matures into a market leader. With strong reflections on self-development and leadership readiness, the episode reinforces that progression to CEO is less about functional excellence alone, and more about self-awareness, adaptability, and the ability to build and lead teams that outperform.

Welcome to Your Path to CEO [axr]’s newest podcast, created to explore one of the most ambitious and complex moves in any career: stepping into the CEO role. In this launch episode, you’ll hear from the [axr] Executive Search team - Mike Dixon, Shanthi Smith, and Greg O’Shea - who introduce the series, share why it exists, and outline what senior leaders can expect. At [axr], our mission is to enable better career decisions. And as more executives look beyond functional leadership towards enterprise roles, one thing is clear: the path to CEO isn’t linear - and it’s often misunderstood. In this episode, the team unpacks: Why the move from functional leadership to CEO is so challenging What leaders often underestimate about the role The reality behind the title—and the trade-offs that come with it What this series will explore through conversations with CEOs and boards This podcast builds on [axr]’s existing series, Your Future in Sales & Marketing and From Go To CFO , extending our focus to those considering the ultimate leadership step. If you’re thinking about your path to CEO or advising those who are, this is where the conversation starts.