Fulfilling Performance on tour!
Ten years after leaving New Zealand, I'm heading back to the part of the world where the most transformative decade of my life and career began.
Image credit: Author’s own
Hello fellow Enablers,
In January, I’ll be back in Auckland and I’m more than a little excited!
It will be ten years and a few days since my wife Julia, my son Tom and I flew back to the U.K. after four and a half wonderful years living, working and making friends in New Zealand and three and half years doing the same in Singapore.
It was the end of an eight year overseas adventure and the beginning of a transformative decade for me and my career.
Our daughter, Hannah had already moved back to London in the August to start university.
Charlie our Kiwi Labrador flew out a few days later, not in one of our suitcases as she had perhaps imagined but in a crate in the hold. Fun facts we learned going through that process were:
only certain flights accommodate dogs
dogs and cats don’t fly together
nor do cats and birds
Can you imagine the tension, if they did!
I’m thrilled that I will finally be reunited with friends and former colleagues in New Zealand and Australia and get to share with them in person how to enable Fulfilling Performance for themselves and those they lead and care about.
This trip means a lot to me. It was whilst I was working in New Zealand and Australia that I began to acknowledge my passion for developing leaders, hone my facilitation and coaching skills delivering programmes around the Asia Pacific regions and ultimately formulate my plans to transition into the career I have now.
I look forward to sharing more about the trip in the coming weeks!
CAREER-VIEW MIRROR #196
Duncan Forrester: brings his unique experience to automotive launches from electric hyper cars to mining trucks.
Duncan is a globally experienced Chief Marketing and Communications Officer and consultant who’s worked with many of the automotive industry’s most famous brands.
He cut his teeth at BMW and Volvo in the UK, before being appointed as the global head of Product and Brand Communication for Volvo Cars in Sweden, soon after the Geely acquisition, and relaunching the Volvo brand with the then all-new XC90 and the other models that followed.
He then spent a period of time running Corporate Communications for McLaren Automotive in Woking before the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of a small team launching an entirely new and innovative car company – Polestar.
With that unique experience, he started the first communication consultancy specifically supporting start-up and electric vehicle brands, initially creating the PR and Communications function for INEOS Automotive and their Grenadier, and then as Chief Communications Officer for Volta Trucks. And more recently in the same role for Automobili Pininfarina, with their all-electric Battista hypercar – one of the fastest and most powerful road cars ever built.
And he’s now working with the electrification of the vast Ultra Class mining haul trucks, so he really has worked on the decarbonisation of vehicles at every end of the automotive spectrum.
In our conversation we talk about how he knew from an early age that he wanted to get into the automotive industry and he demonstrated great effort and persistence to make that happen.
When opportunities arose, he had his own north star which helped him to decline some that weren't aligned.
As a result he has amassed a significant amount of experience in the specialised field of launching startup EV brands.
Paul Flitter and Paul Kirby had both mentioned Duncan in their recent episodes, highlighting what a supportive mentor he is. I was delighted to get the opportunity to get to know him myself through this conversation and to be able to share his story and experience with you.
Listen to the full episode: Apple Podcasts / CAREER-VIEW MIRROR / Spotify
Check out the directory of all our guests and episodes on Instagram.
“Go to people” need people to go to!
The Aquilae Academy: Guided peer mentoring and coaching for executives, senior leaders and business owners.
Running a business or holding a senior position in an organisation can be very rewarding. At the same time it can be challenging and even lonely.
There are certain topics we are either unable or uncomfortable to discuss with colleagues no matter how self aware and open we are.
Sometimes it is just not appropriate to discuss an issue with a colleague. Maybe they are the issue!
Our partners and friends may want to listen and help but they may not have relevant experience or be completely independent.
The Aquilae Academy is for senior leaders and business owners who:
acknowledge that they can’t and don’t have to do it alone
value interdependence and
are looking to continue learning and growing with the support of a team of like minded peers
If this sounds like you, contact me and I’ll happily tell you more.
Thank you,
Andy
E: andy@aquilae.co.uk