Rare CEO Conversations: Woolworths, Bunnings & Australia Post

Over the past year, 80% of guests on The High Flyers Podcast have made either their first-ever public appearance — or their first in years — with us.

Among the most resonant conversations?
Brad Banducci, Michael Schneider, and Ahmed Fahour.

Michael Schneider is the CEO of Bunnings.
Brad Banducci was CEO of Woolworths until 2024.
Ahmed Fahour was CEO of Australia Post from 2010 to 2017.

These rare interviews pulled back the curtain on leadership, self-doubt, tough decisions — and the mindset required to operate at the very top.

Three institutions that touch almost every household in Australia, and are globally renowned companies.

But behind the headlines and billion-dollar revenue lines are three very different leaders — Brad Banducci, Michael Schneider and Ahmed Fahour, each with a unique view on what it means to lead at scale.

In my recent podcast conversations with each of them, we covered not just their careers—but identity, family influence, turning points, dealing with pressure, and the choices that made them get to the top of the tree.

Here’s what I took away from these convos.

(…from my own notes, not AI):

Brad grew up in a small town in South Africa, folding clothes and packing boxes in his mother’s clothing store. His father and grandfather were Springbok athletes. He wasn’t. “I found my place in systems and ideas,” he told me. That early exposure to frontline retail never left him.

Michael grew up in Sydney in a home with limited resources. His dad was unwell. His mum held the family together. He switched high schools after being bullied. “It shaped my intolerance for toxic environments,” he told me. “It’s why I care so deeply about team culture.”

Ahmed was the eldest of eight. His family migrated to Australia with nothing, then suffered another blow when his father was in a serious accident. At 13, he became the man of the house. “That responsibility changed everything,” he told me. “I’ve been managing ever since.”

Brad left a successful consulting career at BCG, and joined a 15-person startup. No salary. No perks. Just belief. “That experience taught me how to lead without PowerPoint,” he said. It later shaped how he ran Woolworths—with a founder’s urgency and systems brain.

Michael left Target because they wouldn't promote him. “It wasn’t based on merit. It was about waiting your turn. I wasn’t willing to do that.” That move triggered a decade of diverse experience across banking and retail, before he landed at Bunnings in 2005.

Ahmed didn’t get the NAB Group CEO role. It stung—but in hindsight, he called it a gift. “It would’ve taken me too far from the action. At AusPost, I could build again. That’s what I love most.”

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Across three very different companies, one thing stood out: they lead with clarity, move with intent, and protect what matters.

Brad (Former CEO, Woolworths):
A strategist with a startup mindset.
“Directionally correct, but specifically wrong”— he said to me has been his mantra for moving fast without being reckless.
He brought rhythm to Woolworths by repeating the right messages, not reinventing them. “Just when you’re tired of saying it, people start to hear it.”

Michael (CEO, Bunnings):
A culture-first operator who’s walked the floor.
The failed UK expansion? A brutal reset. “We thought what worked here would work there—it didn’t. We undercooked localisation.” Mike told me on the podcast.
Back home, he doubled down on simplicity, safety and trust. “People don’t listen to your words—they watch your habits.”

Ahmed (Former CEO, Australia Post):
A founder in a corporate body.
At NAB, he built UBank by shielding it from bureaucracy. “Big companies love ideas to death—by hugging them with process.”
His edge? Clearing the path for others. “My job isn’t to do it all. It’s to remove what gets in the way.”

Some of the most telling insights came in the rapid fire round on The High Flyers Podcast.

Best investment of time?
→ Brad: “A startup. No packaging. Just results.”
→ Michael: “Fight MND. Real perspective.”
→ Ahmed: “Building parcel infrastructure—before the pandemic hit.”

Biggest pet peeve?
→ Brad: “Committees that kill velocity.”
→ Michael: “When people show up unprepared.”
→ Ahmed: “Forgetting who you’re doing it for.”

Favourite interview question?
→ Brad: “What’s the one blocker in your day?”
→ Michael: “What would you like to know from me?”
→ Ahmed: “If I create this much value—what are you willing to share with me?”

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🛒 Woolworths lives and dies by the daily trade. As Brad put it, “Every day, the customer decides whether they turn left or right into your store. That choice is your scoreboard.”

🧰 Bunnings plays a longer game, but the expectations are no lower. Michael leads one of the most loved brands in Australia—and knows the risk of complacency. “If something goes wrong, people remember it. Trust is earned weekly.”

📬 Australia Post? Ahmed stepped in when the letters business was dying. His mandate: transform a legacy institution into a modern logistics machine without triggering mass layoffs. “We had to pivot while carrying 50,000 people with us.”

Each role had its own kind of pressure:

• Woolworths needed agility at scale.

• Bunnings demanded cultural consistency and brand trust.

• Australia Post was a survival story—then a reinvention story.

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