The High Flyers Podcast with Vidit Agarwal

Episode #256 features Shernaz Daver, one of Silicon Valley’s most respected executive advisors and communications strategists, who has worked alongside leaders including Steve Jobs, Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, Khosla Ventures founder Vinod Khosla and Waymo/Udacity founder Sebastian Thrun. In conversation with Vidit Agarwal, Shernaz reflects on a remarkable journey shaped across India, Japan and the United States — from growing up between cultures as part of the small Zoroastrian community to navigating the inner circles of Silicon Valley’s most influential founders and companies. She shares stories from Motorola, Electronic Arts and Sun Microsystems, the rejection that changed her trajectory, the unforgettable moment Steve Jobs told her she had done a “terrible job” marketing a product, and the lessons she learned working alongside elite founders and operators. The conversation also explores insecurity, ambition, storytelling, AI, burnout, hype versus reality in Silicon Valley, and what separates visionary leaders from merely successful ones. Please enjoy exploring your curiosity. ________ Get in touch with us via email at contact@curiositycentre.com Join our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG, Vanta, Allens, Macquarie Capital and more.

Episode #254 features Jeanne DeWitt Grosser, COO at Vercel, and former Chief Business Officer at Stripe, and one of the most respected go-to-market leaders in tech. In conversation with Vidit Agarwal, Jeanne shares her journey — from growing up in California with a psychologist mother and tech sales father, to joining Google as an early employee in 2004, to navigating an unplanned career that led her to leadership roles at Stripe and now Vercel. She breaks down how to manage your energy at work and at home, how she learned to influence effectively in engineering-led environments, why “perfect” careers rarely feel that way, and how those lessons shaped her approach to leadership, decision-making, and company building. Jeanne also unpacks how to build credibility with engineers, design modern go-to-market systems, transition from founder-led sales, and rethink sales and marketing in an AI-native world. Please enjoy exploring your curiosity. ________ Get in touch with us via email at contact@curiositycentre.com Join our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG, Vanta, Allens, Macquarie Capital and more.

Episode #252 features Ethan Choi, Partner at Khosla Ventures (KV), where he leads their Growth Fund. In conversation with Vidit Agarwal, Ethan shares his own journey— from growing up in Australia with Korean heritage and often acting as the “mum and dad” in his family, to taking a non-traditional path into investing and earning a seat at one of the world’s most respected firms, Khosla Ventures. He breaks down how KV actually makes decisions, how Vinod Khosla operates, his learnings from each of the KV partners, why conviction beats consensus, and what it takes to build a growth investing strategy inside a firm known for backing ideas early — including the early bet on OpenAI, and why it didn’t look obvious at the time. Please enjoy exploring your curiosity. ________ Get in touch with us via email at contact@curiositycentre.com Join our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG, Vanta, Allens, Macquarie Capital, City of Sydney and more.

Episode #250 features a rare in-depth conversation with Rob Giglio, Chief Customer Officer at Canva, the world’s leading visual AI platform serving 200M+ users globally. Previously, he held senior leadership roles at Adobe, DocuSign, and HubSpot and more. In conversation with Vidit Agarwal, Rob shares the real story behind his career, including growing up in a military family, navigating setbacks like being laid off, and redefining success beyond titles. He unpacks what it takes to build high-performing teams - hiring top 1–3% talent and balancing performance with genuine care for people, how he’s stayed relevant across decades of change from CPG to SaaS to AI, and how he’s now scaling Canva’s enterprise growth as a visual AI platform. He also shares why he’s intentionally chosen impact, customers, and craft over becoming a CEO. Please enjoy exploring your curiosity. ________ This episode is sponsored by: → Allens: Trusted advisors to leading companies including Canva. Visit allens.com.au → This episode is part of a special limited series on innovation, supported by the City of Sydney. Explore more at: https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/ Get in touch with us via email at contact@curiositycentre.com Join our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG, Vanta, Allens, Macquarie Capital, City of Sydney and more.

This episode #248 features a rare and candid conversation with Vivek Bhatia, Global CEO of MUFG Pension & Market Services, a global provider of shareholder and retirement services with 7,000+ employees serving millions of investors across Australia, the UK, Japan and India. He previously served as CEO & Managing Director of Link Group, CEO of QBE Insurance, and CEO of icare NSW. In discussion with Vidit Agarwal, Vivek reflects on his journey from growing up in India to arriving in Australia as a young migrant working in call centres, before rising to lead some of the country’s most complex financial institutions. Along the way, he shares the cultural lessons that shaped him — including his belief that India taught him ambition, while Australia taught him balance. Vivek also reflects on the defining moments that shaped his leadership philosophy, from consulting at McKinsey & Company to leading large-scale transformations at Link Group, QBE and icare. He discusses what the CEO job actually involves day-to-day, how to transform legacy organisations without losing the people inside them, navigating global businesses across cultures and markets, and the opportunity for deeper economic and leadership ties between Australia and India. Please enjoy exploring your curiosity. ________ Get in touch with us via email at contact@curiositycentre.com Join our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG, Vanta, Allens, Macquarie Capital, City of Sydney and more. Welcome to the ninth episode in our special series with the Australian Government and their Centre for Australia–India Relations, spotlighting the growing Australia–India relationship across technology, business, media, culture and sport. Previous guests include Renowned Music Composer Tushar Apte, Australia's High Commissioner to India Philip Green, MUFG's CEO Vivek Bhatia, Ex Secretary of Foreign Affairs Peter Varghese, NAB's EGM Sweta Mehra, Deputy Secretary of Australia's Home Affairs Brendan Dowling, Sports Journalist Bharat Sundaresan, Cricket Legend Lisa Sthalekar and Orica's CEO Sanjeev Gandhi, reflecting the breadth of Indian-Australian leaders at the most senior levels.

Episode #246 features a rare and candid conversation with David Neal, CEO of IFM Investors, a global asset manager overseeing more than A$240 billion. He previously served as inaugural CIO and later CEO of Future Fund, Australia’s sovereign wealth fund managing more than $200 billion in assets globally on behalf of the Australian Government. In discussion with Vidit Agarwal, David reflects on his journey from a small English town to leading one of the world’s largest infrastructure investors, unpacking values in finance, trust and professionalism, building Australia’s $200B sovereign wealth fund through the Global Financial Crisis, the operational realities of the CIO job, the tension between purpose and price, and the future of infrastructure in an AI-driven world. Please enjoy exploring your curiosity. ________ Get in touch with us via email at contact@curiositycentre.com Join our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG, Vanta, Allens, Macquarie Capital, City of Sydney and more.

Episode #244 features Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, CEO of Xero — the publicly listed small business platform serving ~4.6 million subscribers across 180+ countries. In conversation with Vidit Agarwal, Sukhinder reflects on her journey from growing up in a deeply values-driven Sikh household in Canada to leading global teams at Amazon and Google, founding three companies, and now steering Xero through its focused 3×3 strategy, US expansion, and AI transformation. She speaks with rare candour about intensity as both her superpower and her kryptonite, taking time off before every job and how lessons from banking, Google and her founder missteps now shape her leadership at Xero. Sukhinder also unpacks Xero’s focused 3×3 strategy, the secret to unlocking further growth in the US, Building product in the AI era, filtering customer insights and more. Please enjoy exploring your curiosity! ________ To support this podcast, check out our some of our sponsors & get discounts: → $1,000 off Vanta: Your compliance superpower — vanta.com/high If you're keen to discuss sponsorship and partnering with us or recommend future guests, email us at contact@curiositycentre.com today! Join our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG, Vanta, Allens, and more.

Welcome to this classic episode. Classics are our favorite episodes from the past 5 years, published as frequently as possible. These are N of 1 conversations with N of 1 people. This is a replay of Episode 153, originally released in 2024— one of our most loved classics. Mark Suster is General Partner at Upfront Ventures, one of LA’s leading early-stage venture firms. Prior to leading Upfront, Mark was a serial entrepreneur having founded two software companies, selling both with the last selling to Salesforce. Mark is also a prolific writer and one of his favourite pieces, Lines Not Dots is a renowned article. In conversation with Vidit Agarwal, Mark Suster shares his path from a restless, ADHD-driven childhood to founding companies through the dot-com era, selling to Salesforce, and ultimately shaping Upfront Ventures over nearly two decades. Mark breaks down how elite founders decide when to sell, how venture capital really works at seed versus growth, and why discipline, timing, and trust outperform hype, especially in volatile markets. It’s time to explore your curiosity — please enjoy. ________ To support this podcast, check out our some of our sponsors & get discounts: → $1,000 off Vanta: Your compliance superpower — vanta.com/high If you're keen to discuss sponsorship and partnering with us or recommend future guests, email us at contact@curiositycentre.com today! Join our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG, University of Melbourne and more.

Episode #240 features a rare public interview with Philip Green, Australia’s most senior diplomatic representative to India (High Commissioner). Previously, Philip has served as Australia’s High Commissioner to Singapore and Germany, and at the centre of the Australian government as adviser to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Chief of Staff when Rudd was Foreign Minister. In conversation with Vidit Agarwal, Philip reflects on growing up in suburban Sydney as the first in his family to attend university, before a career spanning senior postings across Africa, Europe and Asia, culminating in his current role in India — which he describes as “the culmination of my thirty-five year diplomatic career.” He unpacks the evolution of Australia–India relations through key drivers, and where the assumptions behind each are most fragile. Philip also reflects on lessons learned from his wife, why learning Hindi matters as an act of respect, and more. Please enjoy exploring your curiosity! ________ To support this podcast, check out our some of our sponsors & get discounts: → $1,000 off Vanta: Your compliance superpower — vanta.com/high ________ This is the seventh episode in our special series with the Australian Government and their Centre for Australia–India Relations, spotlighting the growing Australia–India relationship across technology, business, media, culture and sport. Previous guests include Peter Varghese, Sweta Mehra, Brendan Dowling, Bharat Sundaresan, Lisa Stahlalekar and Sanjeev Gandhi, reflecting the breadth of Indian-Australian leadership at the most senior levels. ________ If you're keen to discuss sponsorship and partnering with us or recommend future guests, email us at contact@curiositycentre.com today! Join our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG, University of Melbourne and more.

Welcome to this classic episode. Classics are our favorite episodes from the past 5 years, published every month or two. These are N of 1 conversations with N of 1 people. This is a replay of Episode 145, originally released in October 2023— one of our most loved classics. Episode #238 features Beezer Clarkson, Partner at Sapphire Ventures — one of the most respected LPs in global venture capital. In conversation with Vidit Agarwal, Beezer shares her journey from growing up between the UK and the US to building a career across banking, consulting and venture, before helping shape Sapphire’s LP strategy. She reflects on formative family influences, her relationship with money, and the mindset that’s guided her career. Beezer unpacks how Sapphire evaluates venture funds, what differentiates emerging managers who endure, and why discipline, clarity and long-term thinking matter, especially in tougher markets and lots more. It’s time to explore your curiosity — please enjoy. ________ To support this podcast, check out our some of our sponsors & get discounts: → $1,000 off Vanta: Your compliance superpower — vanta.com/high If you're keen to discuss sponsorship and partnering with us or recommend future guests, email us at contact@curiositycentre.com today! Join our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG, University of Melbourne and more.

Welcome to this classic episode. Classics are my favorite episodes from the past 5 years, published every month or two. These are N of 1 conversations with N of 1 people. This is a replay of Episode 159, originally released in March 2024 — one of our most loved classics. Episode #236 features Matteo Franceschetti, Co-Founder & CEO of Eight Sleep — the category-defining sleep fitness company trusted by Elon Musk, Lewis Hamilton, NFL quarterbacks and Olympic champions, and backed by Khosla Ventures, Founders Fund and Y Combinator. In conversation with Vidit Agarwal, Matteo shares his journey from a small town near Venice to building a global category-defining sleep company. He reflects on learning English in his mid-20s, starting his career as a lawyer, losing his father early, and walking away from a “safe” path to bet on entrepreneurship. Matteo unpacks Eight Sleep’s real origin story — early prototypes, repeated YC rejections, the insight that temperature control beat sleep tracking, and the hard realities of building a durable hardware business. He also shares his philosophy on performance, health, leadership and why success comes down to one idea: chop wood, carry water.‍ It’s time to explore your curiosity — please enjoy. ________ To support this podcast, check out our some of our sponsors & get discounts: → $1,000 off Vanta: Your compliance superpower — vanta.com/high If you're keen to discuss sponsorship and partnering with us or recommend future guests, email us at contact@curiositycentre.com today! Join our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG, University of Melbourne and more.

Episode #234 features John Haddock — Chief Business Officer at Harvey, the US$700M+ AI platform backed by Sequoia and OpenAI. Prior to Harvey, John spent a decade at Stripe, working closely with the Collison brothers and leading across sales, product and global risk — a rare cross-functional path that saw him help build card issuing and shape Stripe’s hyper-growth. In this episode, John shares his personal story for the first time, and his lessons from Stripe to Harvey on leadership, scaling teams, enterprise AI, and expanding Harvey across Australia, the UK and beyond. To support this podcast, check out our some of our sponsors & get discounts: → $1,000 off Vanta: Your compliance superpower — vanta.com/high If you're keen to discuss sponsorship and partnering with us or recommend future guests, email us at contact@curiositycentre.com today! Join our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG, University of Melbourne and more.

Episode #232 of The High Flyers Podcast features Jason Collins — Head of Australasia at BlackRock, the world’s largest investment management firm, with over USD 13 trillion in assets under management (AUM). Jason's story from the Northern Beaches in Sydney, Australia to the top of global finance, Jason’s path is anything but traditional — rejected graduate, journalist, Spanish student in Guatemala, accidental move to Sweden, and eventually a leader inside the world’s largest asset manager. To support this podcast, check out our some of our sponsors & get discounts: → $1,000 off Vanta: Your compliance superpower — vanta.com/high If you're keen to discuss sponsorship and partnering with us or recommend future guests, email us at contact@curiositycentre.com today! Join our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG, University of Melbourne and more.