Thriving in Uncertainty with Sue McCarrey

As an experienced leader who has worked across multiple industries and now is the Chief Executive Officer of the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Authority or NOPSEMA, our next guest, Sue McCarrey, has certainly seen her share of times when things haven’t gone according to plan or achieved an unexpected outcome. Sue joins our latest podcast to discuss how challenges can lead to your biggest success.

Listen to episode nineteen:

Also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify:

About this episode:

Sue provides an honest reflection from earlier in her career when she was younger, and how, like many of us, she would often perceive things that didn’t go to plan or when things went wrong as failures and take them to heart. Sue shares that as time goes on and you build your experience in your career, you develop the ability to look at things more critically, observing what’s occurred and distinguishing if it was really a failure, if it was potentially inevitable, or if it’s something you can look at to see then the opportunity to do it differently.

Sue also talks about the importance for leaders in providing a safety net of support to younger people in the organisation, not putting failure on them personally as this may then inhibit their confidence in having a go, trying things, and putting ideas forward in the future, which are essential for innovation. She also stresses how leaders can help staff not to feel too disappointed when projects don’t go ahead, reinforcing that the work isn’t wasted and may be able to be used in another area at a different time, providing an example from her time as National Rail Regulator.

In her role as Chief Executive Officer at NOPSEMA, Sue discusses the importance of the ability to critically analyse issues that can be complex, how being a good communicator isn’t just about being a good talker, and how leaders need to look out for people who can think for themselves and put ideas forward respectfully when building teams. She also names the most essential skill in the regulatory space as courage – having the courage to make decisions and not to interfere where you don’t believe it’s your role to interfere.

It’s a great episode that will challenge your thinking about failure and how you can support and encourage younger members of your workforce to be resilient, courageous, and confident.

Find out more about this Trailblazer:

Sue McCarrey

Chief Executive Officer

National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority

(NOPSEMA)

Sue Joined NOPSEMA as the Chief Executive Officer in February 2023 following eight years as the Chief Executive and National Rail Safety Regulator at the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator.

A career of over forty years in Government, Sue has held a range of roles across Education, including time as a school principal, the Public Transport Authority and as Deputy Director General of Policy, Planning and Investment at the WA Department of Transport. In these roles, Sue developed experience and expertise in government policy and regulatory frameworks and risk management in safety and environmental management, which she applies in her current role.

Sue holds a Bachelor of Law from Murdoch University, a Masters of Education from Edith Cowan University, and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.  Sue is a member of the National Association of Women in Operations, National Women in Transport, and is a Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration. 

Tune in next week as we speak to a new trailblazer in another episode in our series on Thriving in Uncertainty.

Thriving in Uncertainty with Tim Bullard

In many of our conversations with public sector leaders on the podcast, we hear about the strength of having a common purpose, a shared vision that you work towards, and how that can give you energy and motivation to keep going even when you are dealing with highly complex circumstances and environments.

Teachers continue to face increasingly complex circumstances in education but remain motivated to work towards that light on the hill, a common purpose, in making a difference in children and young people's lives. Teachers who use their knowledge, skills, and capabilities to adapt successfully in a constantly changing environment are highly engaged and thrive to achieve meaningful outcomes.

Tim Bullard, Chief Executive Officer at the Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), joins us in our latest episode to discuss adaptability. Tim knows too well how adaptability can directly influence your engagement at work, having managed the Department of Education and then the Department of Education, Children, and Young People in Tasmania through tremendous amounts of change, including COVID-19, a merger of two organisations, and other significant events.

In this episode, Tim reflects on these experiences, sharing that no off-the-shelf guidebook or download from the internet provided the way forward in these complex circumstances and how important it was to work with others around him to come up with innovative and creative solutions to solving the problems they faced.

Tim also provides his perspectives on how to develop adaptability within the workforce, the importance of having a growth mindset to always be learning and looking at how things can be done differently, how organisations need to inject some fun back into the workplace, how crucial it is to leverage the skills and talents of every generation in your workforce, and how essential it is to be responsible for your own wellbeing in taking time out for yourself which then, in turn, will make you more available for others.

This 30-minute episode is packed with practical, knowledgeable, and encouraging advice from an energetic leader in the education industry.

Listen to episode fourteen:

Also available through Apple Podcasts and Spotify:

Find out more about this Trailblazer:

Tim Bullard

Chief Executive Officer

Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership

(AITSL)

Tim graduated from the University of Tasmania in 1994 with an Arts/Law (Hons) degree. He initially worked as a lawyer in the Office of the Solicitor-General, before transitioning into policy whilst working in the United Kingdom.  

From 2004 to 2016, Tim held various policy roles for the Department of Premier and Cabinet and commenced as Deputy Secretary Policy in 2014. During this time, he played a key role in education initiatives, leading the development of Tasmania’s Child and Family Learning Centres, and negotiating the ‘Gonski’ schools funding agreement.

Tim joined the Department of Education in 2016 as Deputy Secretary Strategy and Performance and was appointed as Secretary in 2018.

In 2022 Tim was appointed as Secretary of the Department for Education, Children and Young People. In this role Tim oversaw the bringing together of child safety, youth justice, and education into a values-based organisation that provides all children and young people with a bright life and positive future, through being known safe, well and learning.

Tim has been appointed to the role of AITSL CEO for a 5-year period, commencing October 2024.

Tune in next week as we speak to a new trailblazer in another episode in our series on Thriving in Uncertainty.

Thriving in Uncertainty – Episode Six with Erma Ranieri

Welcome back to our weekly podcast series on Thriving in Uncertainty, where we spotlight leaders who have gotten comfortable in ambiguity and hear their professional stories of overcoming challenges to navigate change successfully.

As the final states send their kids back to school over the next week, many parents will be thinking about the year ahead for their children and what they’ll learn; others may be excited for their children as they take their next steps into their tertiary education, or even possibly start their own professional career in their given field.

Whatever the case, developing, supporting, and guiding this next generation of leaders is imperative. Erma Ranieri, Commissioner for Public Sector Employment for South Australia, joins Andy this week to discuss the topic of next-generation leaders and offer her lived experiences of being an authentic leader who’s driven to support others through a whole-person approach and provide fairer opportunities for all.

Erma also talks about how important it is for every generation to be clear on their own sense of purpose and how, even with the best technological skills, future leaders must also be self-aware, vulnerable, and resilient, ensuring that human interactions and connecting with each other are valued.

Erma shares examples of some of the numerous mentoring programs that she’s led, detailing what it means for leaders to take a whole-person approach to support their workforce’s mental health and how she’s used her past setbacks to forge a new path for others in avoiding the disadvantages that she encountered earlier in her career.

It’s a powerful conversation that will leave you wanting to make a difference in supporting those around you.

Listen to episode six:

Also available through Apple Podcasts and Spotify:

References from this episode:

Conversations matter – Case managers guide to mental health support

The Happiness Expert That Made 51 Million People Happier: Mo Gawdat

Diary of a CEO Podcast

Find out more about this Trailblazer:

Erma Ranieri

Commissioner for Public Sector Employment

South Australia

Appointed as Commissioner for Public Sector Employment in 2014, Erma Ranieri is driven to create a world-leading public sector that makes a difference for the South Australian community through an agile, flexible, and inclusive workplace.

Throughout her extensive career in the public and private sectors, her dynamic and inclusive leadership style has helped organisations optimise productivity while also enhancing employee wellbeing.

Erma was awarded the Public Service Medal in the 2021 Australia Day Honours list, for her long-standing advocacy of gender equality, diversity and disability employment and her commitment to public sector reform.

Tune in next week as we speak to a new trailblazer in another episode in our series on Thriving in Uncertainty.

Thriving in Uncertainty – Episode Five

Thank you for joining us for our new podcast series on Thriving in Uncertainty, where we spotlight leaders who have gotten comfortable in ambiguity and hear their professional stories of overcoming challenges to navigate change successfully.

You often hear about 21st-century leaders in government, but what about 22nd-century leaders? It’s an intriguing concept to ponder, especially considering that Gen Alpha, children born between 2010 and 2024, will play an pivotal role in stewarding our community, country, and world into the next century.

Join us in exploring this topic and much more with Kate Driver. Kate is the CEO of IPAA ACT and the co-founder and board member of the CoRE Learning Foundation, linking education, industry, community, and government to meet the needs of students and deliver future sustainable workforces for the Australian Industry.  

While Kate may not have a crystal ball to predict the skills a 5-year-old will need to thrive in a 22nd-century workforce, she offers fascinating perspectives and insights drawn from both her public sector career and her lived experiences.

Through her work with teenagers in her charity, she explores what they want from leaders today and how many question or reject the long-standing assumptions about the world of work that have persisted for generations. Listen in as Kate moves beyond the excitement of science fiction hype to provide pragmatic insights on the jobs and industries of the future, framing the importance of sustaining and improving life for humans at scale.

Listen to episode five:

Also available through Apple Podcasts and Spotify:

Links to information sources mentioned in this episode:

• Foundation for Young Australians research - Our Reports: The New Work Order Series - FYA

• Crawford School of Public Policy |

• Pathways to Positive Public Administration – An International Perspective | Elgar Online: The online content platform for Edward Elgar Publishing

• Dr Laurie Santos, Yale University - The Science of Well-Being | Yale Online

• Dr Angela Duckworth - https://angeladuckworth.com/

Organisational links:

• IPAA ACT - Institute of Public Administration Australia (ACT) Limited |

• IPAA National - Institute of Public Administration Australia | IPAA National Website

• The CoRE Learning Foundation - Leading Foundation Education & Learning Centre in Australia

Find out more about this Trailblazer:

Kate Driver

Chief Executive Officer

IPAA ACT

Co-founder and board member of the

CoRE Learning Foundation

After starting her career as a private practice Barrister and Solicitor, Kate realised that she was destined to follow a less “planned” but more “intentional” path, with careers and roles that better aligned with her personal and professional values.  So she left behind the view of Sydney Harbor and unfulfilling hours at the desk, and returned home to Canberra where she began an eclectic career working in the Commonwealth Public Sector. Kate was appointed as the CEO of IPAA ACT in January 2024.

Kate describes herself as the quintessential “accidental public servant”. After she took a 6 month contract in the APS, she found herself in a rewarding public sector career spanning almost two decades.  Her career mantra has been “good things with good people”.  She has worked across a variety of roles as a senior executive in public policy and programs, HR and corporate services, property and security, policy implementation and National Cultural Institutions.

In addition to her professional executive career, Kate is a philanthropic leader, working across a variety of Australian charities and not-for-profit enterprises, including co-founding the CoRE Learning Foundation. Kate is a proud Auntie and Auntie Mother to some wonderful First Nations young people, and is a passionate advocate for inclusion and belonging.

That was the last episode of Thriving in Uncertainty for 2024.

Tune in on Tuesday, 28 January 2025, as we return with our series and are joined by Martin Hehir, Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer for the Governance and Corporate Group within the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, as he talks about taking the path less travelled.

Thriving in Uncertainty – episode two

Thanks for joining us for another episode in our new inspiring weekly podcast series, Thriving in Uncertainty, where we spotlight leaders who have gotten comfortable with ambiguity and hear their professional stories about overcoming challenges to navigate change successfully.

In today's episode, Jody Grima, Chief People Officer at the NSW Department of Customer Service, joins us for an open and compelling conversation as we talk about leading change and preparing workforces for the future.

Listen in as Jody shares how there is no 'rinse and repeat' process for approaching change and that the first step is to be on the ground, understand the environment in which you're working with, what the culture is, and sensing the appetite for change. She also talks about other critical success factors, such as transparency and communication, and how without these, you risk losing trust very early on in the change process.

Over just 30-mins, you'll hear Jody share her experience in gauging the success of change programs working for Service NSW in the early days when they were establishing the three channels for service delivery in the state, how mindset and EQ play pivotal roles in preparing the workforce for the future, the biases that organisations need to overcome to ensure our workplaces are inclusive and equal for all, and how leaders throughout her career have inspired her to become the leader she is today.

It's a great episode that will leave you with some great takeaways to reflect on, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Listen to episode two:

Also available through Apple Podcasts and Spotify:

Find out more about this Trailblazer:

Jody Grima

Chief People Officer

NSW Department of Customer Service

As Chief People Officer for the Department of Customer Service (DCS) Jody is focused on growing a diverse and inclusive workforce to build out the experiences we offer for both our people, and our 8million+ customers across NSW. With extensive experience in transformation, service delivery, governance, and people development, Jody is committed to driving initiatives that foster transparent ethical behaviours, enhance employee engagement, and equip teams with future-ready capabilities. 

Jody has a wealth of experience across the NSW public sector, where she has been instrumental in championing transformation, supporting workplace wellbeing, and promoting an inclusive, speak-up culture. Jody’s background is leading significant reform in service provision and running large multidisciplinary teams in complex environments, including in Family and Community Services, and Service NSW, and more recently as Chief Operating Officer of DCS. 

Jody oversees strategic people initiatives that align with the Department’s commitment to delivering exceptional customer service. In 2020, Jody was recognised with a NSW Public Service Medal for outstanding public service to the community. 

Please tune in next week as we speak to Dr Rachel Bacon, Deputy Commissioner, Integrity, Reform and Enabling Services at the Australian Public Service Commission, as she joins us in discussing a growth mindset approach to change.