active CEO Podcast #51 Chris Robb Money Can’t Buy Experiences

Chris Robb Mass Participation World Money Cant Buy Experiences
Chris Robb – Founder Mass Participation World

On this episode of the active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns speaks with Chris Robb about mass participation sport events, growing the Standard Chartered Marathon to over 60,00 participants, being the course manager for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games marathon, and changing people’s lives through money can’t buy experiences. We also delve into the immense power of pause, coping with it being lonely at the top as a CEO, collaborative leadership, inspiring others to make a powerful impact on the world and serving a tennis ball into the back of Sir Richard Branson’s head.

Chris Robb – Money Can’t Buy Experiences.

Chris is an international authority on iconic large-scale mass participation events; a humble, loyal and curious leader; and a passionate family man now living in Bali, Indonesia. He is an enabler of people to have an active and healthy lifestyle, author of Mass Participation Sports Events and Better business Better Life Better World, is a high impact consultant and a champion of Buy 1 Give 1.

Growing up in Zimbabwe, he studied a Bachelor Commerce and Bachelor of Agricultural Management at the University of KwaZulu-Nattal. Getting his first taste of event management while at high school, our guest has over 30 years experience organising and leading events. During his career he has been at the helm of events for more than one million participants in the likes of Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Zimbabwe, South Africa and India.

He established Spectrum Worldwide in Australia in 1992, where he worked on the 2000 Sydney Olympics, before establishing himself in Singapore at the commencement of the Asian health and fitness boom in the 2000’s. In 2015 he established Mass Participation Asia, an annual conference for event stakeholders, before selling Spectrum Worldwide to IRONMAN, in 2016.

Chris talks about:

  • Life growing up on a farm in Zimbabwe, during the independence war.
  • Having a rich upbringing from life experiences, even though they were financially poor.
  • The importance of embracing circumstances you find yourself in.
  • Being an 800m and 1500m runner training on farm tracks and dirt roads.
  • Planning to go back and run the family business on the farm.
  • Being involved in organising the Comrades Marathon while studying at University.
  • Changing people’s lives through money can’t buy experiences.
  • Getting parents out and getting active with their kids.
  • Getting more governments globally to recognise the value of sport especially the social and health impact.
  • Organising the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon with over 60,000 participants.
  • Expanding the JP Morgan corporate challenge running events into Asia.
  • Partnering with Dave Hansen from Supersprint Events and Robbie McEwan.
  • Going from zero to sixty thousand customers within 6 months.
  • Ramping up from a team of 30 to more than 5,000 people over a 3 month period.
  • A mindset expecting that there is going to be a curveball will be thrown at you.
  • Collaborative leadership where you are always looking for a solution.
  • Surround yourself with a great group of mentors much like an athlete has.
  • Having ritual’s and keeping yourself mentally and physically in shape.
  • Helping make it easier for our future leaders to grow in the industry.

Active CEO Wellness Tip

Life Is Not A Dress Rehearsal – It is important that you turn up, show up and be present right now. It’s not about what you did yesterday or what you plan in the future. It is all about this one second, one minute, one hour or even one day and you are ready to go.

Tweets

“Connecting with a community and a tribe and doing training and things together and taking you into the outdoors. It’s crucial for the health and wellbeing of the world.” Chris Robb talking about the power of sport and events on bringing people together, on the active CEO Podcast.

“I love putting that jigsaw together and making sure that everyone knows what they are doing, but also empowering them to make decisions.” Chris Robb on leading people, on the active CEO Podcast.

Resources Mentioned in this show:

Chris Robb LinkedIn
Chris Robb Facebook
Chris Robb Website www.chrisrobb.asia
Chris Robb Email chris@chrisrobb.asia
Mass Participation World www.massparticipationworld.com
Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon www.singaporemarathon.com
NRG2Perform www.nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns craig@nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns LinkedIn

Recommended Reading:

Mass Participation Sports Events Chris Robb
Better Business Better Life Better World Chris Robb

Mike DeNoma (KBZ Bank) Part #2 – Creating an Earthquake

active CEO Podcast #9 Mike DeNoma Creating an Earthquake

activeCEO Podcast #9- Mike DeNoma
Mike DeNoma – CEO KBZ Bank

On this episode of the active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns and Ben Gathercole speak with Mike DeNoma, delving into being the CEO of KBZ Bank, 20,000 staff with no job descriptions, being the first country in the world to have loving-kindness as the number one value of a company, rewarding managerial competence, and spending a lot of time in meetings with translation. Mike DeNoma then gives us an exhilarating insight into taking up Ironman, Ultra-running and other extremely challenging endurance events at the age of 50; why getting married and having a family has had the greatest impact on his life; and preparing for his latest challenge the Moab 238 Mile Ultra-marathon event, which he has 88 Miles left to complete, as this episode goes live to the Podcast world.

Mike DeNoma

This is part 2 of the active CEO Podcast interview with global leader, Mike DeNoma. Mike has held senior executive roles across the globe, including managing multinational teams across North America, Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East. Over the past 20 years he has led large teams in the emerging markets banking sector with CEO and Leadership roles in CitiBank Singapore, Taiwan’s Chinatrust Commercial Bank, Standard Chartered Bank Singapore, and his current role at KBZ Bank in Myanmar. Awarded Global Retail Banker of the Year in 2008, he has also held senior roles in well-respected companies such as GLH Hotels, PepsiCo, Proctor and Gamble, and Asia Foods Limited. It is a highly entertaining, thought-provoking and insightful chat. Enjoy listening to the show.

If you missed Episode 8 – Mike DeNoma (Part #1) Your Strengths Are What Energise You, please click here

Mike talks about:

  • Myanmar being closed off to the world for 50 years
  • Casualties of Myanmar being closed off are that is they didn’t build any institutions and a dismantled a superb education system
  • Arriving at KBZ Bank where not one of the 20,000 employees had a job description, an objective or a personal performance review.
  • The value of loving-kindness.
  • Why these people and this company are worth fighting for.
  • Rewarding managerial competence rather than linguistic competence.
  • If you do the right things in the wrong order you will fail.
  • Why the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children is important to Mike.
  • Taking up physical endurance challenges at 50 years old,
  • Why Mike found something that there was no way on earth I could finish.
  • The first conversation with Brendon Downey, and Endurance Coach from New Zealand.
  • Wanting to do something to show that you can be a beginner and be terrible, but if you are willing to be a beginner and struggle through it you can achieve a lot.
  • Why Ironman wasn’t enough and giving ultra-running a crack.
  • Riding in Death Valley for over 48 hours with no sleep, hallucinations and loss of motor control in his hands.
  • Prepping for the Moab 238 mile ultra-run in October 2018.
  • Life is short and then you die.
  • Using meditation every day and why it helps you to become a better executive.
  • CEO’s aren’t allowed to have a bad day, that’s just how it is.
  • Why getting married and having a family had the greatest impact on his life.

Tweets

Mike DeNoma takes us on an inspiring journey into leading 20,000 staff at KBZ Bank in Myanmar. You can listen here

“There is a 100% non-cynical desire to learn. They really do want to learn if you were to teach them”. Listen to Mike DeNoma on the active CEO Podcast

“These people and this company are worth fighting for”. Taking leadership to a whole new level with Mike DeNoma on the active CEO Podcast.

Resources Mentioned in this show:

http://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-denoma-a155635/

www.moab200.com/

http://www.kbzbank.com

http://www.gallupstrengthscenter.com

http://www.pepsico.com

https://us.pg.com

http://www.sc.com

http://www.ironman.com

https://singaporemarathon.com

http://www.wharton.upenn.edu

http://www.citibank.com

http://www.ctbcbank.com

www.nrg2perform.com

craig@nrg2perform.com

www.linkedin.com/in/ceo-corporate-wellness-perform

Recommended Reading:

Better Than Winning – Ben’s best selling book

www.nrg2perform.com/portfolio/book

Previous active CEO Podcast Episodes:

#8 – Mike DeNoma (KBZ Bank) Part #1 – Your Strengths are What Energise You link
#7 –
Trina Gordon (Boyden World Corporation) – Recruiting World Leaders link
#6 – Indiran Padayachee (RentCorp) – Winning Only Matters link
#5 – Suzie Hoitink (Clear Complexions) – Enemy of a Great Life is a Good One link
#4 – Rene Zondag (PBI) – People Are Our Greatest Asset link
#3 – Anne Gripper (NSW Office of Sport) – 6 C’s of Leadership link 
#2 – active CEO Intro (NRG2Perform) Part 2 link
#1 – active CEO Intro (NRG2Perform) Part 1 link

Mike DeNoma (KBZ Bank) Part #1 – Your Strengths are What Energise You

active CEO Podcast #8 Mike DeNoma Your Strengths Are What Energise You

PCB Vol 8- Mike DeNoma
Mike DeNoma – CEO KBZ Bank

On this episode of the active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns and Ben Gathercole speak with Mike DeNoma, getting a fascinating insight into a driven leader, someone with a huge amount of resilience who is inspired to take on the world’s toughest endurance challenges to raise funds for very important charities. We delve into ambition, flying a plane through clouds, the difference between a written and a presentation culture, leading in different cultures, creating a higher purpose, understanding that your strengths are what energise you, and what drives Mike DeNoma to get out of bed every day.

Mike DeNoma

We have the pleasure of bringing you a highly motivated, exceptionally organised and a passionate leader. Mike DeNoma has held senior executive roles across the globe, including managing multinational teams across North America, Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East. Over the past 20 years he has led large teams in the emerging markets banking sector with CEO and Leadership roles in CitiBank Singapore, Taiwan’s Chinatrust Commercial Bank, Standard Chartered Bank Singapore, and his current role at KBZ Bank in Myanmar. Awarded Global Retail Banker of the Year in 2008, he has also held senior roles in well-respected companies such as GLH Hotels, PepsiCo, Proctor and Gamble, and Asia Foods Limited. It is a highly entertaining, thought-provoking and insightful chat. Enjoy listening to the show.

Mike talks about:

  • Writing a letter that led to working in the Amazon jungle with Billionaire Daniel Ludwig
  • Having three careers at Proctor & Gamble
  • Taking a leave of absence from the Wharton Business School
  • Ambition – “the spark that makes you challenge your destiny at any point in your life”
  • Why he thought business world was like altitude when he first started
  • The differences between the working cultures at Proctor & Gamble and Pepsi Co.
  • The pro’s and con’s of a written versus a presentation culture.
  • A brilliant concept during a performance review at Pepsi Co.
  • Most employees are much tougher on their own performance than you are as a CEO
  • Cultures are more similar, than different, across the world
  • The need to work for a company that has a heart, that I believe in and generally has good intentions.
  • Making Grandma dance at Standard Chartered bank
  • The dynamics of transformation when working with wealthy family owned businesses.
  • Once the organisation has transformed, then you need to realise that the family is the CEO.
  • Why Mike likes to mobilise thousands of people
  • Why sponsoring the Singapore Marathon and Ironman events was important
  • Your strengths are what energise you
  • The power of the Gallup Cliftonstrengths finder to mobilise your team, understand what each others strengths are, and how they compliment each other and determine where the gaps are.
  • Powerful way to use it, is to take the team and you do the profile of all the strengths and then figure out where are the gaps
  • What Mike’s strengths are and how he uses them to lead every day
  • Why Mike likes challenges that require 10,000 people to step to the left and create an earthquake

Tweets

“I like challenges that require 10,000 people to step to the left and create an earthquake.” with Mike DeNoma. You can listen here

“Ambition, the spark that makes you challenge your destiny at any point in your life”. Listen to Mike DeNoma on the active CEO Podcast

“Your strengths are what energise you”. Leadership by strengths, with Mike DeNoma on the active CEO Podcast.

Resources Mentioned in this show:

Mike DeNoma LinkedIn

www.kbzbank.com

www.gallupstrengthscenter.com

www.pepsico.com

https://us.pg.com

www.sc.com

www.ironman.com

https://singaporemarathon.com

www.wharton.upenn.edu

www.citibank.com

www.ctbcbank.com

www.nrg2perform.com

craig@nrg2perform.com

www.linkedin.com/in/ceo-corporate-wellness-perform

Recommended Reading:

Better Than Winning – Ben’s best selling book

www.nrg2perform.com/portfolio/book

Previous active CEO Podcast Episodes:

#7 – Trina Gordon (Boyden World Corporation) – Recruiting World Leaders link
#6 – Indiran Padayachee (RentCorp) – Winning Only Matters link
#5 – Suzie Hoitink (Clear Complexions) – Enemy of a Great Life is a Good One link
#4 – Rene Zondag (PBI) – People Are Our Greatest Asset link
#3 – Anne Gripper (NSW Office of Sport) – 6 C’s of Leadership link 
#2 – active CEO Intro (NRG2Perform) Part 2 link
#1 – active CEO Intro (NRG2Perform) Part 1 link