Vocus Inspire Podcast

Welcome to the Vocus Inspire Podcast

We dive head-first into what’s on the minds of Australian business and government leaders to help inspire you and your organisation to go forward, go further, and go faster. Brought to you by Vocus, Australia’s leading specialist fibre and network solutions provider.

From minds to metrics: quantifying the benefits of diverse thinking

Delve into the quantifiable benefits of diverse thinking with Liz Abrahams, APAC Regional Champion Diversity and Inclusion at Infosys. Learn how organisations can measure the positive impact of cognitive diversity on key performance indicators, from revenue growth to employee engagement and more.

From Defence to humanitarian aid: navigating LEO sat technology

In this edition of the Vocus Inspire podcast series, we speak with Dr. Matthew Ilic, our very own satcomms specialist, an Australian army veteran with 32 years of service. We chat to Matt about the significant benefits LEO satellite connectivity offers the defence industry, and the huge impact it can have on humanitarian relief efforts throughout the world.

The double edged sword of AI in Australian workplaces

The AI genie is out of the bottle and it’s not going back in. Its enormous benefit will have to be balanced with its impact on workforce. Two Australian AI experts, Dr. Kellie Nuttall - AI Institute Leader & Strategy and Business Design Leader at Deloitte and Prof. Toby Walsh - Chief Scientist, Laureate Fellow & Scientia Professor at UNSW AI Institute, to talk about the path that organisations will need to carefully navigate.

AI & Chat GPT: Opportunities, ethics & where to from here

With AI advancing at a rapid pace, it raises a number of ethical, social, and technical challenges for organisations. In this episode, we dive into some of the challenges AI and Chat GPT pose, while also looking at the potential opportunities they bring for innovation, problem-solving, and productivity.

Resilience and the return on investment for your business

At a time where change is happening at an incredible pace, we discuss with Paul Salmon, Principal Consultant from Springfox, why resilience in leadership and across organisations is so critical, and how the potential return on investment is so valuable. From performance and productivity, to engagement, communication and health and wellbeing, there’s something for all leaders.

Why Australia and LEO satellite technology is a match made in heaven

What makes Australia such an important market for low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites? We talk to David Thorn, Vice President APAC from OneWeb, about why LEO technology is so relevant to Australia, OneWeb’s approach to the Australian market, and the opportunities for businesses, government, and communities.

How LEO satellites are a game changer for high risk, high value operations

Low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite technology is changing the game for secure, high-speed connectivity in regional and remote Australia, particularly for industries involved with either high risk or high value operations. Join us as we talk to two leading LEO satellite experts, Ashley Neale and Cal Mayhook, to discuss the incredible benefits this technology is bringing to emergency services, the resources sector, opportunities in education, connectivity to remote communities, and much more.

How will you get to net-zero: the risks and opportunities

We discuss some of the biggest challenges facing businesses today – the risks and opportunities on the path to net-zero. In the words of our guest Aidan Ashton, Climate Risk Specialist from Energetics, “The world of tomorrow won’t play by the same rules as today,” discusses what organisations need to do to de-risk their future and unlock opportunities for growth.

How LEO satellites are revolutionising connectivity

Why and how has the space and satellite industry suddenly become so relevant to every industry and person on the planet? In this episode, we talk about one of our favourites topics to  Phil Ridley, CEO Quasar Satellite Technologies. We discuss the opportunities and challenges for business and government, the role Australian organisations can expect to play in the new space race, and much more.

Australia’s growing role in the Indo-Pacific

Vocus recently celebrated 20 years of providing sovereign, secure and mission-critical network services to the Australian Government and its agencies. We were very lucky to speak with General the Hon. Sir Peter Cosgrove, to discuss his experiences leading the Australian Defence Force, international peacekeeping missions, and recovery and relief efforts in the aftermath of natural disasters.

Navigating the global economy

With the global economy facing some significant challenges, we talk to Daniel McCormack, Head of Thought Leadership from Macquarie Asset Management, about the forces at play, the likely impacts, and how businesses can work through them. We cover supply issues, labour markets, geopolitical risks, the transition to renewable energy, and lots more.

The road to net-zero

There is no time to lose in starting your organisation's journey to net-zero. In this episode we hear from Vocus Head of ESG, Louisa-Harris Baxter, about the key steps in the organisation's commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions across its operations in 2025. We cover where to start, getting senior stakeholder buy-in, the opportunity-cost, and lots more.

Unlocking imagination to drive your bottom line

We dive into the relationship between connectivity on one hand, and imagination and productivity on the other. We discuss: The knowledge economy, industries of the future, and how digitisation is fast becoming table stakes; We question what the scale and speed of connectivity is doing to the jobs of the future; And what as leaders, we can do to enable more creativity in our organisations. Guests: Bob Mansfield, Bruce McCabe and Pip Marlow.

Gaining competitive advantage through hybrid working

In our latest episode Luke talks Bob Mansfield, Dr Bruce McCabe and Pip Marlow from Salesforce about how even though our recovery from COVID is going to be a long haul, it's important to acknowledge our new found quality of life, the future of working post COVID and how challenging traditional approaches to work can create an incredible advantage.

The future of security in a world of zero trust

Today's topic is a hot one – the future of security – and we cover a lot of ground with our guests including: the growing risks, particularly now with more hybrid working; the core issue of trust or rather zero trust; the role of boards; and the need for greater collaboration between business and government. Guests: Bob Mansfield, Bruce McCabe and Pip Marlow.