Battling brain cancer, building a business

“The next day, I woke up to someone standing beside my bed – ‘fuck, if you’re an oncologist, it probably is cancer’…”

Less than 24 hours earlier, Geoff Augutis underwent an MRI scan following an aphasia diagnosis. This language disorder affects a person’s ability to communicate – an ongoing struggle to start a conversation and extract the right words during a state of mental confusion.

Doctors identified a brain tumour but advised that it “probably wasn’t cancerous”.

Then the results came back.

“What you realise is that brain cancer is incurable,” Geoff said. “If you get brain cancer, you will die from brain cancer – unless you’re unlucky enough to get hit by a bus in the meantime.”

Between talking to the doctors and intense Googling, the date passing by was 14 February 2024. Valentine’s Day, if anybody cared.

“I don’t expect anyone to care about cancer because I sure didn’t until I was diagnosed with it,” Geoff admitted. “I just never sat there and thought, ‘oh, I wonder how those brain cancer people are doing?’ but now the shoe is on the other foot, it’s with me forever.”

Geoff Augutis (Queensland Computers)

Geoff is Director of Queensland Computers, a 20-year-old managed service provider (MSP) operating at the beating heart of Bundaberg on the coast of Queensland – co-founded with his older brother, Luke.

Today, the family-run business supports organisations across 700KM of coastline, stretching from central Queensland to northern New South Wales.

Luke took full control of the company reins during the early months after Geoff’s diagnosis. After three or four months, doctors narrowed down the condition to oligodendroglioma.

“It sounds beautiful and just rolls off the tongue, right?” smirked Geoff, demonstrating a refreshing dose of gallows humour.

That meant it wasn’t glioblastoma which is the worst kind of brain cancer and also the most common. The average life expectancy for glioblastoma is about two to three years.

Oligo – as they call it – is the least aggressive form.

“Then they have different grades – grade two, three and four,” Geoff explained. “Grade four is the same with all types of cancer in that it’s aggressive, mature and has been around for a long time so you’re in trouble.

“Then down to grade two which means it’s probably going to get worse but if it’s not brain cancer, they can generally cure this grade.”

After months of consultation and surgeries – and the battle head scars to show for it – Geoff was diagnosed with grade two oligo. The best diagnosis anyone can hope for with brain cancer.

Surgery was successful and the cancer was removed. Geoff relocated to Melbourne for the duration of his drug treatment but returned to Bundaberg as one of the few percent of people that couldn’t tolerate the course of medicine.

“It was never designed to be a cure, just to slow down the growth,” he shared.

“But my liver couldn’t tolerate it so I came home. Instead, I’ll keep getting MRI scans and we’ll watch it grow and when it does grow, we’ll decide what to do next which will probably be chemotherapy and radiation.”

Life expectancy varies with the bottom end of the scale amounting to probably 10 years while the top end might be 15 years. Geoff is 38 with a wife and three children.

“In the back of your mind you’re thinking, what will modern science do in the next 20 years?” he queried. “But survival times for brain cancer haven’t increased in the last 30 years so whether I had brain cancer in 1995 or 2025, my survival chances would still be exactly the same.”

Battling brain cancer

Honest to a fault and transparent to his core, Geoff’s story isn’t one of tragedy or triumph. This wasn’t an outlet for pity, nor was it a demonstration of courage.

In fact, the hour-long conversation covered many topics – it was an editorial choice to write this headline and pursue this path.

Why? Because Geoff is authentic and pragmatic. Sat willing to share in his company branded t-shirt, ‘I am a hard-coded QC CREW LEGEND.’

What you see is what you get. Sometimes a smile, occasionally a scowl.

“I said to my wife five or six years ago that she’ll always take priority over everything else,” Geoff recalled. “She laughed and said, ‘Geoff, I love you but there’s no way I take priority. The business always takes priority’.

“That really pissed me off because I knew it was true. I was the one who would get a phone call during our kid’s birthday party from a tender meeting in Brisbane. They’d ask me to come and work out a deal so I’d skip the birthday and go negotiate the tender.”

The eye openers kept on coming with the death of a few good friends during the same period.

“Watching people die is a great way to open your awareness,” he acknowledged. “I wasn’t in the need for a wake up call of my own mortality but I was probably already on the right track before my diagnosis.”

Combined, they served to highlight that things are simply more important than business and money. Yes, everyone knows that but do they follow it?

“It’s not even the money,” Geoff explained. “It was the business, it was the ego. I wasn’t Geoff, I was synonymous with Queensland Computers so the business and its success becomes who you identify as.

“That’s wrong. Once you reach that point you need a kick up the ass. You are a separate person outside of the business and you have your own identity.

“One day, someone will buy your business and they’re going to chop it up into little pieces – taking out the good bits and throwing the rest in the trash, staff included. Who knows what happens when businesses get bought but it sure isn’t you… you’re still a separate entity and that was an eye opener.”

Geoff has made serious lifestyle changes, losing 40 kilos by running every day and eating healthier.

This won’t be the reason he dies.

“I don’t want to think, ‘I could have got more time with my family’ so I put in the effort which I previously never did,” he noted.

Geoff Augutis (Queensland Computers)

Learning that lesson includes long-distance runs at 4:30am and voraciously reading inspirational books, whether that be Atomic Habits, The Go-Giver Marriage, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People or The Diary of a CEO.

“I won’t read books by empire builders and people like Steve Jobs or Elon Musk,” he clarified. “These people don’t value family and only view success as money.”

For the past four years, Geoff would stop working every Friday at lunchtime to study his PhD, receiving conferral as a Doctor of Philosophy from Central Queensland University in late 2024.

Those hours will now be reclaimed to something fun, such as fishing.

But don’t confuse a reordering of priorities and slight shift away from working founder hours – 70-80 a week, sometimes even 100 – as an indication that the business is now inconsequential.

“If my calendar is empty, I’m going to be a menace,” he accepted.

After coming out of his last surgery in July, there was a 50% chance of waking up with a cognitive disability. Most likely a speech issue as the tumour was located on the left frontal lobe.

Geoff woke up that day – let’s say that week because recovery was tough – feeling perfect in the sense that he could easily communicate and his brain was clear.

“About a week or so later I stuck my nose in the business and found a tender that was due in four or five days that hadn’t been started on yet,” he remembered.

“So I jumped in and by the time I had finished the tender, the flood gates had opened and I was just swept back into the business 100%. I’ve been working since then.

“I’ve altered my lifestyle but my outlook hasn’t changed. At some point it will get hairy and this diagnosis will require further treatment but for the time being, we’re not changing perspectives.”

Building a business

Geoff and Luke have never lost touch with their roots as a local company wanting to see Queenslanders succeed with world-class technology. This regional heritage has played a crucial role in developing core company values anchored on real relationships based on honesty and mutual respect.

Upon starting Queensland Computers in the December of 2005, Geoff was in university during his first year out of high school. He was 18 and Luke – who is four years older – was working for a little computer shop in town.

“Our whole business model was based on, ‘Luke’s boss is an idiot and he still makes money’,” Geoff shared.

“Imagine walking into a bank and saying, ‘please give us money because if his boss made money then we definitely could make money’. But with the greatest of respect to his boss, we didn’t know anything about anything.”

It’s natural for outsiders to size up businesses and make judgements. Always easy to be a back-seat driver.

“The beautiful thing about business is that it’s a meritocracy,” Geoff expanded. “You can tell who’s winning and losing and nobody can hide from it.”

After meeting with 10 banks and asking for seed capital, the fledgling brothers were tasked with writing a business plan. There was no ChatGPT, only Google.

“It was a bullshit business plan, the first and last one we’ve ever written,” Geoff said. “This 100-page document answered everything they wanted to know such as our addressable market and our niche value in the industry.”

The response? Hell no.

“Looking back, it wasn’t very well done,” he acknowledged. “But mum had recently split up with our dad so she gave us $20,000 to make a go of the business.

“Luke and I saved up the same ourselves – he continued working his job and I worked at an IGA supermarket. We needed at least $150,000 to get it off the ground but we had $40,000.”

For the budding computer repair shop, trying to secure a premises was challenging.

As one real estate agent bluntly put it, “if I want to lend to someone who isn’t going to pay their bills and will go broke, then I’ll give you a call.”

Undeterred, the bruised brothers secured a 12-month lease at a “disgusting old building” on 12 Bourbong Street. They stayed there until 2023.

Launched as Bundaberg Computers, the start-up was powered by a couple of supplier accounts, a few trestle tables and a reception desk. Oh, and about five or six computers.

“The next five years was a blur of survival,” Geoff summarised. “Luke and I didn’t take anything from the business for the first two years and kept working other jobs. There was no vision or plan just a focus on responding to whatever customers were asking for when they walked through the door. It was all muscle and feel.”

A decade in, the realisation dawned that JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman would send the business broke. The market had moved on from billable hour techies working from the formula of hourly rate x how many hours they wanted to work.

“We had zero business maturity and stupid business practices,” Geoff stated. “I always thought because we were regional and in IT that we were special and unique – none of the data on businesses applied to us.

“Nobody could possibly understand what we do and they couldn’t possibly get their head around what’s going to work in my market.”

Since then, Geoff has read over 100 books – including Good to Great – and came to the realisation… “we’re not unique at all.”

Geoff Augutis (Queensland Computers)

With the final repair shop closing two years ago, the company is flying high as a leading supplier to government, education, business and enterprise customers. Revenue is fast approaching the $50 million mark.

“What advice would I give to my younger self?” asked Geoff, who is guided by an indisputable North Star.

“A big focus for us is people and culture. I was told that if you don’t set a culture for your business then your team will determine your culture. Do not let that happen because it’s not their business, you have to drive the ship from a culture standpoint.”

Such is Geoff’s commitment to unfiltered honesty, the story continues…

“When we only had 10 staff, I hijacked a weekly meeting and outlined that culture was our number one priority,” he shared. “If we lose a customer because it goes against our values, I’m cool with that.”

Wait. The story continues…

“In isolation that sounded good but then I went further,” Geoff added. “From now on, if you’re an under-performer, I will sack you. If you breach our culture code, I will sack you.

“I went through this big list and outlined in no uncertain terms that this wasn’t optional. This is our bus and we’re heading in this direction so either get on-board or fuck off.”

The business proceeded to lose almost the entire team over the next 12 months.

Two or three quit within a few weeks of being held to account. A few were managed out, a couple hung on for six months before succumbing and the rest simply exited stage left.

“Long story short, we started the year with 10 staff and finished the year with 10 staff but only Ashley stayed,” noted Geoff, in reference to long-time company CFO, Ashley Job.

“I would never recommend that approach to anyone. Humans can change but they don’t like knee-jerk change. I went way too hard, way too fast. Instead, perhaps I should have introduced one change a month during the next 12 months.”

It was a brutal lesson in leading people.

How to Lose Friends & Alienate People – directed, produced and starring Geoff Augutis.

“We lost good people,” he recognised.

On the day that one team member quit, Geoff was offered some parting words of wisdom.

‘The view from the bottom is very different than the view from the top. We’re down here like grunts working our asses off, trying to do whatever we think you want us to do. But you never told us what you want us to do, you never set a clear direction, you never set a clear vision. You’re expecting us to achieve something that we didn’t even know we were working towards.’

This advice informs company decision-making today.

“I always keep this in my back pocket because he was 100% correct,” Geoff understood. “I don’t regret losing him but this point allowed us to reset and filter new hires through our culture from the start.

“We don’t hire smart people and tell them what to do, we let them run free. But if you’re not capable of running free and need to be micromanaged – you’re the problem, not me.”

The seasoned Geoff nearing 40 – who is now fuelled by two decades of hindsight – is naturally more subtle, supportive and strategic than the young-gun Geoff approaching 20.

His biggest strength is self-awareness, however. This was a conversation littered with internal critique and examination.

“We’re humbled to be changing lives in education, particularly through our work in the digital literacy space,” highlighted Geoff, when pressed to share the positive changes that Queensland Computers continues to make in the market.

“We get to hire young people and mentor them to help build them up into someone they’re proud of. Kids as young as 20 message me on LinkedIn asking for advice and my response is always, ‘buy me a coffee and let’s sit down for an hour to chat’.

“Some think I’m just a Boomer talking nonsense but some of our best hires have actually came through those conversations. It’s nice to bump into someone a few years down the track and see that your advice helped make a difference.”

Exactly a year on from his diagnosis, Geoff is powering ahead with unlimited reserves of enthusiasm and execution.

Naturally, many have suggested selling the business – likely at a valuation as high as $15 million – and using the money to go travelling. Tick off the bucket list and spend quality time with loved ones.

“Why? I really enjoy what I do,” Geoff argued. “Luke and I know we’re running a very good business, we’re happy doing it and we’re making money. So, why would you want to get out of that?”

When Geoff moved to Melbourne for treatment, his eldest child stayed home to finish high school as he was 18. The two youngest joined him and are set to enter their teenage years.

That detail is important.

“Sitting with people at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, some had two-year-old kids at home,” Geoff said. “If they have a life expectancy of eight years then that poor child will lose their mum or dad at the age of 10.

“I’m grateful that even if I get 10 years – and I’d like to get more – then at least my kids will all be adults. You don’t ever want to plan your death but it’s nice to know there’s a pretty good chance that I won’t be leaving my kids without a dad at a tricky time in their life.

“But unfortunately, there’s plenty of people who are not in that situation. That makes me feel pretty grounded and pretty appreciative of my circumstances.”

Whether building a business or selling a start-up, Li Wen Chi has been there, done that and got the t-shirt.

Today however, the iconic crew neck attire has returned… all black with a striking company logo painted on the front, wrapped up in a light blazer.

Wearing the uniform of a unicorn chaser, this represents second time around for a now serial entrepreneur.

“We partner with visionary entrepreneurs and emerging and growth companies to realise ambitious visions,” said Li Wen Chi, Co-Founder and Director of Hoshi Tech Venture.

Li Wen Chi (Hoshi Tech Venture / Rafay)

Now loaded and launched, Hoshi goes to market as an advisory firm specialising in helping founders incubate and scale technology start-ups and growth companies across Asia.

This draws on more than 10 years as a company founder for Wen Chi, having built InfoFabrica from the ground up in 2013 – a consulting and managed service provider (MSP) that housed deep expertise across hybrid cloud.

As a certified cloud partner of Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud and IBM Cloud in ASEAN, the business was eventually acquired and combined with Cloud Kinetics by I Squared Capital in 2020.

“Leveraging our deep expertise in the technology sector and Asia market, Hoshi delivers the strategic guidance, expert execution and sound investments needed to bring innovative visions to life,” Wen Chi added.

The motivation behind the launch is to help founders “distinguish” and “differentiate” in a highly competitive landscape.

Armed with the lessons learned from his own venture, Wen Chi is helping start-ups navigate the challenges of building a business from a blank canvas – powered by his sharpened vision, invaluable hindsight and seasoned mindset.

For many founders, the first venture is a crash course in resilience, strategy and market adaptation. Hoshi is where experience meets ambition, allowing for a more refined and confident approach to business building.

“We are built on a foundation of innovation and strategic expertise,” Wen Chi shared. “We understand the unique challenges businesses face at every growth stage, from emerging to growth companies.”

Key clients include leaders in the provision of cloud-based technologies and managed services, in addition to deep expertise in the data centre, DevOps and platform engineering product sets. An early move into artificial intelligence (AI) and GenAI has also been a natural progression in response to increased market demand.

Key partnerships in the technology space include:

  • Start-ups: Accelerating growth through bespoke advisory services
  • M&A: Aligning long-term strategic goals with M&A execution plans
  • MSP Transformation: Guidance on business model transformation and next-generation commercial structures
  • AI and Cloud: Scaling businesses and operations with results-driven outcomes
  • Implementation: From recommendation and advisory to full-scale deployment and integration

“We work closely with firms that provide the foundational technologies and services necessary for advanced digital operations and tech-enabled business solutions,” Wen Chi shared.

Geographically speaking, Hoshi’s presence spans Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand, plus Vietnam, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

Accelerating Rafay across Asia

A key component of the Hoshi business model is to launch and scale new partnerships in the region, super-charged by more than a decade of start-up wisdom garnered by Wen Chi.

Hence the launch of a joint venture with Rafay Systems in Asia Pacific, a specialist in “empowering and simplifying innovation” in AI clouds and cloud native platforms.

Operating as a Series B technology start-up, the US-based software vendor delivers enterprise platform-as-a-service (PaaS) capabilities for modern infrastructure and accelerated computing.

The platform is leveraged via an as-a-service model for developers and data scientists seeking to deploy CPU-based and GPU-based workloads in data centres, public clouds, or at the edge. This specialisation also extends to Nvidia Cloud Partners (NCPs).

“A technology gap exists in the Nvidia cloud partner technology stack – at the orchestration layer,” Wen Chi explained. “Our top priority in Asia is to use the Rafay platform to empower Nvidia capabilities to convert GPU investments into GPU clouds and AI sovereign clouds to capture enterprise market demand.”

Taking a lead role helping NCPs build GPU cloud credentials, Rafay jointly developed PaaS reference architecture with Nvidia to help accelerate adoption via the partner ecosystem.

“In the short-term, we plan to engage all NCPs in the region to enable the channel to build new AI capabilities in more efficient and agile ways,” Wen Chi added.

“The aim is to provide a cloud-like experience for end-users through self-service GPU consumption. This will be supported by GenAI training, fine-tuning and inferencing plus multi-tenant clusters, one-click machine learning workbenches and on-demand secure workplaces.”

According to Deloitte findings, AI investment in Asia Pacific is expected to surge five-fold to $117 billion in USD by 2030. This underscores an urgent imperative – organisations must establish robust governance frameworks to unlock AI’s full potential responsibly.

“Businesses in Asia are prioritising the investment of AI and GenAI to remain competitive and innovative,” Wen Chi observed. “There is a strong motivation to ensure organisations do not fall behind the AI trend and keep pace as the industry evolves.

“But while this remains a hot topic, companies still require guidance on where and how to invest strategically in this space. Most are exploring the use of AI to generate new revenue streams or new business models.”

To help businesses maximise the benefits of AI, Wen Chi has recruited Dennis Goh as Managing Director to spearhead day-to-day operations at Rafay. Goh joins from AWS and previously held senior management positions at NEC.

“We are actively looking for AI, GenAI and Kubernetes expertise to supplement the team from a solutions and implementation standpoint,” Wen Chi added. “We are motivated to increase the levels of expertise within the ecosystem by creating channel and partner networks that are enabled at pre- and post-engineer positions.

“We’ll support that through the establishment of a digital academy and AI training arm for educational institutions to train students and customise curriculum. We’ll also explore acquisitions to quickly scale our AI and GenAI expertise in Asia.”

Always in opposition and seldom combined, style and substance are widely recognised as mutually exclusive qualities in leadership.

That tension between outward presentation and tangible actions – charisma to motivate versus credibility to execute.

While the most influential leaders depend on both attributes to succeed, balance is essential for long-term effectiveness. Whether understanding when to assume each persona – or how to continually evolve in either – top-performers are forever walking this personality tightrope.

“My natural leadership approach balances style and substance but my default is style-based,” shared Hani Arab, CIO of Seymour Whyte. “When leading or collaborating with cross-functional teams, I found style-based leadership to be effective.

“Communicating a vision and inspiring a future state in which our team members are part of making that a reality is scalable and powerful. When style-based leadership is effective, the metric follows through.”

The Greeks had a word for it… charisma.

In the world of theatre, performances live and die by an actor’s ability to convey and command a certain stage presence. As the French would put it, je ne sais quoi.

Breakfast Club by Moxie Insights

Arab’s opening comments sparked intense executive debate at Breakfast Club by Moxie Insights, which hosted the most authoritative leaders in business and technology to understand the true qualities of effective leadership.

“I’ve always preferred working under leaders who have a strong, empowering style, and in turn it’s become my natural leadership approach,” added Chantelle Ralevska, Founder and CEO of Psyber.

“This also comes more naturally to me and is more authentic to my personality. However, as the founder of my own company that delivers cyber security services to clients, many more examples exist showing the need to move into substance to ensure we deliver quality outcomes.”

Perhaps the political arena best articulates the power of style over substance.

Personality has determined the winner of 22 presidential elections in the US between 1932 and 2020 – John F. Kennedy had it, so did Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. However, Richard Nixon did not.

That’s the view of Personality Wins: Who Will Take the White House and How We Know – co-authored by personality expert Merrick Rosenberg and Richard Ellis.

This unprecedented system unveiled the pattern of who takes the White House and why. That includes exploration of the unique characteristics of Eagles (Donald Trump and Franklin D. Roosevelt), Parrots (Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan), Doves (Dwight D. Eisenhower and Jimmy Carter) and Owls (George H.W. Bush and Richard Nixon).

For Stefan Jansen – Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Software Combined – the quality on display is often interchangeable and dependent on the context. Remember, first impressions matter.

“When I meet someone, especially when it’s a first time, I have a tendency to start with style over substance,” Jansen explained. “I want to ensure someone feels respected, valued and is comfortable to be open in sharing their point of view. It reflects the way I like to be treated.

“Once I feel that we have established a comfortable connection or respect and trust, I then tend to switch to substance. Finding the right balance can at times be challenging.”

Alternatively, Cherry Yumul – Strategy Director of Moxie Insights – embraces a leadership approach built on the foundations of substance. Similar to Arab, this dovetails into natural tendencies and default ways of engaging… it’s hardwired.

“I naturally lead with clarity on commitment, exact on expectations and uncompromising in values,” Yumul outlined. “I don’t have trouble mapping out a strategy and making sense of the purpose for every required action.

“But I would have to exert a great deal of effort on adjusting and fine-tuning the manner in which I convey the message of pursuing success, in a way that not a single team member feels unduly intimidated, overwhelmed or distressed.”

Such self-awareness is key as leaders navigate the stormy waters of protecting business interests while accommodating individual emotions.

Hani Arab (Seymour Whyte), Chantelle Ralevska (Psyber) and Stefan Jansen (Software Combined Group)

In alignment with Yumul, Prashant Gami – Founder and CEO of xenabler – acknowledged that his own instinctive leadership approach is also based on substance.

“For any good leader, being able to lead the team with real outcomes is important,” he stressed. “But substance without style portrays a mistrust and dictatorship. And style without substance doesn’t produce results and eventually fails in leading effectively.

“Use style to drive the culture and substance to keep the momentum and achieve regular outcomes.”

Style and substance… are they mutually exclusive?

For many years, Vicki Batka lived and breathed a commonly held belief among aspiring executives… ‘if I keep my head down and focus on outcomes, that will be enough and my results will speak for themselves’.

Fast forward to more than 35 years later – and a career running ecosystem strategies at market-leading multi-nationals across Asia Pacific – Batka has altered her original perception of how best to achieve professional success.

“My focus was on substance but as my leadership journey grew, I realised that you need an element of style as well,” acknowledged Batka, now Consulting Specialist of Go-To-Market across Asia Pacific at LinkedIn.

Both aspects are of fundamental importance – “delivery from the top down can make or break a strategy.”

Building on this, Elisa Kelsall – Head of Advertising Sales across Japan and Asia Pacific at Spotify – relies on “situational leadership” to strike such a balance, aiming to adapt to the operating environment for both the business and her team.

“Early in my career, when I was more prone to imposter syndrome, I relied heavily on substance,” Kelsall added.

“I needed to be a subject matter expert to feel qualified for my role. Today, style is often key in terms of how I show up to my up-line leadership or my own team.”

At senior leadership level, the way executives present themselves and the executive presence they exude becomes increasingly important.

“In a new role, you can lean on your skills in style while your knowledge of the company or industry comes up to speed,” Kelsall recommended. “But at some point you need to bring the substance or you do start to lack credibility and become in danger of becoming an actual imposter.”

Cherry Yumul (Moxie Insights), Prashant Gami (xenabler) and Vicki Batka (LinkedIn)

The commentary of both Batka and Kelsall exposes a new avenue of literature linked to the characteristics displayed by the most powerful women in business and technology. Is the overwhelming desire to initially deliver substantiative leadership more common in female leaders?

“Leadership, whether for teams or businesses, is like being a gardener in a thriving garden,” explained Dr. Hema Wadhwa, Associate of Data and Analytics at Aurecon. “When each individual flourishes, the team collectively creates something extraordinary – just like a garden where every plant thrives and contributes to its beauty and balance.”

In other words, leadership requires adaptability.

“I can’t water a cactus twice a day just because other plants need it, nor can you neglect a water demanding grass simply because the cactus survives without much need for water,” Dr. Wadhwa detailed.

Leaders must not only recognise – but critically adapt – to the unique needs of team members to ensure individuals can grow, develop and ultimately succeed. If substance is about delivering results, then Dr Wadhwa considers style to become the tool to enable such results.

“Style and substance are partners in leadership,” expanded Lisa Bouari, Partner of AI and Data at EY.

“Style allows me to open doors but it’s substance that keeps them open. True leadership is rooted in substance but it’s the style that enhances substance by building respect, empathy, credibility and doing what you say you will.”

Consequently, a balanced approach is required to inspire others to not only follow but to innovate and contribute in the achievement of collective goals and key performance indicators (KPIs).

With both a corporate and entrepreneurial background to draw upon, Dane Meah – CEO of MyCISO – defines style versus substance as values, culture and behaviour based leadership.

The aim? To cultivate an environment where people can succeed.

“Substance based leadership is focused more on the individuals, skill development, setting clear parameters for success with metrics that enable the person to identify when they are on or off-track,” Meah highlighted.

“My style is a combination of both; I live in style focused on developing the right culture and values, but ensure that the team understand clearly what skills, traits and metrics will determine their success, but then allow them to take ownership of this.”

With such definitions, Meah documented the critical nature of focusing on style while deep-diving into substance at regular intervals to ensure team progression.

Elisa Kelsall (Spotify), Dr Hema Wadhwa (Aurecon) and Lisa Bouari (EY)

Echoing this executive sentiment, Luke Power – Regional Director and General Manager of Extreme Networks – deploys a combination of both and uses his considered judgement to pull each lever at the appropriate juncture.

“I like to lead by example and get my hands dirty but also enable and coach my team so that they can come to their own conclusions,” he noted. “It’s part of the leadership culture I’ve tried to incorporate over the years.

“Yes, they are equally important but knowing when and where, and how, to use them is key. You need to know your people and your team. Taking my team out of their comfort zones allows me to get to know them better and to best understand when to switch gears.”

Switching gears, playing personas

Drawing on more than 25 years of experience in the Australian construction industry, Arab is well-versed in adapting his leadership approach to different situations. Common consensus is that context is key.

“For example, in crisis management, prioritise substances for clear and data-driven responses,” he advised.

“Conversely, when engaging stakeholders, focus on style to convey your vision convincingly. Understanding your audience and context is essential, whether you’re presenting a business case to executives or mentoring a team.”

For executives seeking to succeed in an environment that requires teamwork and stakeholder management, Jansen also stressed that style is as important as substance.

“The ability to deliver your message and lead with style aligned to the environment you operate in, is very important otherwise substance may not be understood or accepted,” he added. “But style will only matter when it is authentic and based on your personal and core company values.”

If personality wins the hearts of minds of individuals – and potentially a presidential race – then pragmatism rules the boardroom of publicly-listed corporations.

As one former CEO of an ASX-listed business alluded to, body language is everything in the world of investor and analyst relations.

What you say, how you say it, the terminology you use. Whether reporting a good or a bad result to the market, never get too high and never get too low.

It’s not the job of a CEO in this scenario to be liked or loved – commentary must be objective, considered and balanced.

“Leaders need to have a good balance of EQ and IQ and knowing when to switch between style and substance can often come down to the audience or attendees and the meeting, presentation or situation,” Batka accepted.

“For example, presenting to a board or during quarterly earnings would require more substance. Presenting at a company sales kick-off would require more style.”

Dane Meah (MyCISO), Luke Power (Extreme Networks) and James Henderson (Moxie Insights)

Despite dominantly leading with substance over style, Yumul subscribes to a ‘personalised leadership’ philosophy.

At the heart is a commitment to engage each team member uniquely and according to individual levels of receptiveness, what is most important to them and what they hold to be true.

“I’ve brought out the best in people by doing so,” Yumul shared. “So I switch gears with each person. When I understand an individual’s order of priorities which dictates how they might handle a situation, I link that to how I motivate and incentivise them.

“Then they shine and everybody wins. The business, the team, the customers and the team member which extends to their family.”

Equally, Dr Wadhwa also focuses on understanding individuals’ strengths, challenges and needs, then tailors her style to help them perform at their best.

“So they can deliver on my target and KPIs,” she detailed. “Ultimately, when we respect and nurture our teams, we create a winning environment in which individual growth drives business success and vice versa.”

Akin to Yumul and Dr Wadhwa, Kelsall translates that into “reading the room” – widely considered as one of the most important skills in leadership.

“Being able to flex the way you show up is key,” she outlined. “This relies on a level of self awareness and emotional intelligence which I think good leaders work on building over time.”

Given the high-intensity nature of consulting, Bouari is skilled at adapting personas instinctively, with a focus on keeping teams grounded but inspired.

To achieve this balance, substance is essential – it’s what grounds a leader and ensures decisions are sound. Yet, style is the accelerant, enabling those decisions to be communicated, accepted and supported across a diverse audience.

When combined, Bouari is aligned to the belief that substance provides lasting value while style ensures such value is accessible and compelling.

“In times of change, lead with style – clear communication and steady reassurance to build resilience and trust,” she shared. “In moments requiring precision, like strategic or financial decisions, substance takes precedence.”

In summarising executive sentiment, Batka shared a profound example of style and substance – an example that best articulates the journey that all leaders undertake.

Referencing the words of Maya Angelou“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

On a wet and windy evening in September – as the final acts of winter rained down on a miserable Sydney skyline – Hope McGarry took the microphone.

Perched on a high stool in front of 40 aspiring young executives, the opening lines of the Early Career Network (ECN) offered unique insight into the psyche of this industry front-runner.

Refreshingly raw, fantastically forthright and effortlessly engaging.

“One of the most powerful shifts that I made was using self-doubt and fear as fuel,” outlined McGarry. “Instead of letting them hold me back, I let them push me to take on challenges that forced me to grow.”

Hope McGarry (Ingram Micro)

The answer came in response to – how did you build confidence and assert yourself in professional settings when dealing with feelings of inadequacy or impostor syndrome?

A loaded question that warranted an authentic answer.

“As they say, ‘what doesn’t challenge you, won’t change you’,” McGarry added. “Try to quieten the negative inner voice we all have sometimes, and go for it.

“Confidence isn’t something that appears overnight; it builds every time you step a little outside of your comfort zone. Embrace the journey – you’re exactly where you’re meant to be.”

At the time of ECN – an initiative by Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) to provide mentorship to talented junior executives in Australia – McGarry was Director of Advanced Solutions Group, Specialty and Commercial at Ingram Micro.

Less than six months on, a new challenge now awaits… the greatest of her career.

McGarry will assume the role of Managing Director of Australia at Ingram Micro, taking charge of a multi-billion-dollar distribution juggernaut effective 31 March 2025.

As part of the transition, Tim Ament – currently Senior Vice President (SVP) and Chief Country Executive of Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) – will return to the US business following five years running trans-Tasman operations.

“It’s a privilege and honour to lead Ingram Micro as we embark on the next stage of our transformation journey in Australia,” McGarry said. “We are well positioned to redefine distribution in this market through our unwavering focus on our customers and close collaboration with our vendors.”

On paper, McGarry’s path of progression appears straightforward. A standout CV and career spanning more than 20 years has been shaped by high-profile roles at HPE, Compaq, IBM, Epson, Arrow ECS and now Ingram Micro.

Yet the reality has been somewhat different.

“When I was learning to assert myself professionally, especially when dealing with impostor syndrome, a few strategies really helped me grow,” McGarry explained.

“First, I stayed curious. I focused on learning from those around me by observing, listening and asking questions. This approach not only built my knowledge but also helped me see different ways to handle challenges and contribute meaningfully.”

Seeking feedback was another key step. Asking for feedback regularly not only demonstrates an ability to be coached, but shows a commitment to growth by gradually boosting confidence and improving skills.

“Finding a mentor or sponsor made a huge difference, too,” McGarry added. “They helped me gain perspective and gave me guidance when I was uncertain. They also encouraged me to assert my ideas and reminded me that I was there because someone saw potential in me.”

Balancing humility with confidence is important in this scenario – knowing when to step back and learn, but also when to step up and share insights, is a skill that requires constant crafting.

“If you have a seat at the table, it’s because you bring something valuable, even if you can’t always see it yourself,” McGarry affirmed.

Leading with purpose

Since joining Ingram Micro in late 2022, McGarry has been a driving force in strengthening the distributor’s market presence in Australia. This includes on-boarding key vendors, elevating go-to-market capabilities and playing a pivotal role in expanding the Advanced Solutions, Specialty and Commercial businesses.

McGarry recently took on additional responsibilities in the Cloud and Hybrid Business Applications departments to drive maximal value and collaboration across the entire local ecosystem.

“Transitioning into a new industry or role can be challenging, but it’s also a powerful opportunity for growth,” McGarry shared. “My advice would be to approach it with an open mind and a willingness to learn.

“In a new environment, things may not work exactly as you’re used to, and that’s okay – it’s part of the transition. Embrace the fact that there will be a learning curve, and be gentle with yourself as you adjust.”

Tim Ament (Ingram Micro) and Hope McGarry (Ingram Micro)

In response, seek out respected industry colleagues – learn from them, ask questions and observe how they approach their work.

“Embracing change is also essential,” McGarry highlighted. “Each new role or industry brings its own unique challenges, but also its own rewards. Remember that growth often comes from discomfort.”

Discomfort has been a common feeling for McGarry during her career and for women either entering or advancing in the industry today, one core piece of advice resonates.

“First and foremost, be deliberate about your career path,” she stated. “Looking back, I think I could have been more deliberate earlier on. I would encourage women to set goals, stay focused and don’t hesitate to advocate for yourself.”

In a male-dominated field, it’s crucial for aspiring female leaders to voice ambitions and pursue opportunities that align with internal aspirations.

“Look for mentors, allies, or sponsors who can help advocate for you, especially in situations where you’re not in the room,” McGarry added. “They can be instrumental in guiding you, opening doors and supporting your growth, especially when promotional opportunities arise.”

Being authentic is another key piece of advice.

“You don’t need to fit into anyone else’s mould to succeed,” McGarry cautioned. “Bringing your unique perspective and being true to yourself not only builds confidence but also enriches the industry as a whole.”

In a key message shared with members of ECN, McGarry also advocated the importance of building a strong network. Don’t underestimate the power of connecting with other women and supportive colleagues both within and outside your field.

“Networking is invaluable,” McGarry acknowledged. “It provides insight, encouragement, and sometimes the exact resources or opportunities you need.

“Supporting other women is just as important – lifting each other up strengthens our presence and helps create a more inclusive industry for future generations.”

However, one of the most pressing challenges faced by women is the balancing act between professional and personal responsibilities, as shared during a recent episode of B2B Tech Talk – a podcast sharing authentic and original insights from the most influential leaders in Australia.

“Managing the competing demands of family and caregiving responsibilities alongside a career is difficult,” McGarry noted. “This balancing act is significant and it’s an area where we still have a lot of work to do.

“We need to speak more openly about the realities of these challenges and advocate for the support we need from our families, communities and workplaces. This includes everything from flexible work arrangements to family support structures that can empower women to succeed in both their careers and personal lives.”

When such conditions have been in place, McGarry has thrived.

Being content in a role is dependent on being surrounded by people who are not only talented but also “genuinely good people”. For McGarry, there’s something “deeply motivating” about working with individuals who are both skilled at what they do and kind, supportive and collaborative.

“Being in an environment where people bring out the best in each other creates a sense of community and shared purpose that makes the work itself much more fulfilling,” McGarry explained.

Two other non-negotiable workplace conditions include:

  • Feeling empowered: “I’m at my best in a role when I’m trusted to make decisions and contribute meaningfully, where I have the freedom to apply my skills and make a real impact.”
  • Moral alignment: “I want to work somewhere that reflects my values, where there’s integrity in how people treat each other and how decisions are made.”

But when is it time to look elsewhere?

“It’s usually when these key elements start to fade,” McGarry accepted. “I’m fortunate, though, that at Ingram Micro I feel that I am living my best career life.

“It’s wonderful to be in an environment where I feel truly fulfilled and supported – especially in a place where I can grow, connect with others, and align with values that resonate.”

Tim Ament (Ingram Micro)

Passing the baton

As the process of passing the baton to McGarry begins, the transition phase will be guided by a commitment to honour the collective effort.

“It’s the single most important thing, I believe,” advised Ament, speaking on a recent B2B Tech Talk podcast episode. “There is a saying, ‘if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together’.

“If you have the right people in the right jobs, you enable and empower them, and trust them to do what they do well – then get out of the way and just help them be successful.”

Shaped by such a philosophy, Ament said the promotion of McGarry is aligned with the company’s ongoing succession plan and commitment to promoting from within.

“I’m thrilled to announce Hope’s promotion and I’m proud of the exceptional team we have in place, representing such diverse backgrounds, experience and thinking,” Ament added.

“Hope’s experience and reputation in the market, together with the overall leadership experience, position us well to execute our plans for 2025 and beyond as a people-first platform company.”

Ament relocated to Australia from company headquarters in California five years ago, armed with a mandate to “build and grow” the A/NZ business while creating a long-term succession plan for the region.

Under his leadership, the team successfully rolled out the Xvantage AI-powered digital platform across A/NZ. This was in addition to strategic investments in partner-facing teams and enhancing the distributor’s service capability for partners and vendors.

“I’m super proud of the team,” Ament said. “We’re accomplishing amazing things together and it’s all about staying aligned towards a common goal.

“It’s not one single person and it’s not about me – it’s about the collective effort and if any one person steps away or needs help, it’s how we all fill in and show up to meet the needs of our customers. It’s all about team.”

In his new role, Ament will return to the US business to serve as the new SVP of US Sales and Services reporting to Bill Brandel, SVP and US Chief Country Executive.

As part of the transition, Leon De Suza will continue to serve as Managing Director of New Zealand. Both McGarry and De Suza will now report directly to Diego Utge, Executive Vice President and Group President of Asia Pacific.

The aim is to ensure continued alignment, investment and focus across the A/NZ region.

“I would like to thank the Australian partners and vendors for their relationships, and accepting me into their community,” Ament added. “I truly appreciate the mateship which I look forward to continuing in my new role.”

In technology, talk is cheap. Enthusiasm often supersedes execution as businesses clamber on-board the latest marketing bandwagon, kick-starting a hype cycle of emotions and expectations.

Today, AI is the focal point of such enthusiasm in Singapore. But the true test of potential lies in side-stepping the rhetoric to assess practical applications and real-world implementations.

In this dynamic and rapidly evolving field, an authoritative and balanced approach is required to consider how organisations can harness the benefits of AI technology.

AI in Action: Singapore Edition, an editorial-led initiative by Moxie Insights, Dell Technologies and Intel

Through AI in Action: Singapore Edition – an editorial-led initiative by Moxie Insights, Dell Technologies and Intel – the most influential technology executives in Singapore explored the landscape of AI adoption in the context of notable initiatives, challenges and opportunities.

Key discussion points included:

  • Assessing how AI is linked to strategic business priorities
  • Highlighting practical implementations of AI
  • Detailing common adoption / deployment challenges
  • Documenting the infrastructure foundations to maximise AI
  • Sharing examples of AI best practice and use cases

View Moxie Insights – AI in Action: Singapore Edition in photos:

In a market dominated by innovation and driven by transformation, the mission-critical importance of digital resilience should not be underestimated.

Whether to maintain internal operations or competitively differentiate among customers, IT leaders are future-proofing organisations through robust digital foundations.

Central to this are frameworks capable of preventing, responding and recovering from events capable of disrupting key processes, service delivery and technology access.

Executive Roundtable in association with Moxie Insights, JDS Australia and Splunk

Digital resilience is forever high on corporate agendas yet consistently low on effective execution. Ongoing challenges – such as data stability, application performance, cyber security and operational efficiency – combine to thwart such efforts.

This Executive Roundtable – in association with Moxie Insights, JDS Australia and Splunk – outlined the path to building digital resilience by tackling common barriers while detailing examples of industry best practice.

Key discussion points included:

  • Understanding revised digital resilience priorities
  • Assessing common challenges preventing maximisation
  • Detailing the business and technology foundations for success
  • Sharing examples of industry best practice
  • Outlining strategic actions to drive tangible change

View Moxie Insights – Executive Roundtable in photos:

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