In Leaders Getting Coffee episode 52, our guest is one of the original partners of advertising agency Colenso and the founder of the Dressmart Outlet stores and man’s brand, Rodd & Gunn, Gary Gwynne.

Gary enjoyed the freedom of life as an only child in pre-sixties Otago. That freedom created a mindset that believed anything was possible and authority was to be avoided.

Fresh out of Otago Boys High School and with an Otago University bachelor’s degree in his toolkit, a young Gwynne headed for the up-and-coming business of advertising, with a goffer’s job organised through the contacts of his father, who was a radio announcer at the time.

Three short years at the so-called “university of marketing”, Nestle, followed. But it wasn’t long before he was asked to return to ad- land, with a company named Colenso. There he stayed for sixteen years, becoming a partner and ultimately joint Managing Director alongside the legendary Roger McDonnell.

But he left all that and mid-career, became an entrepreneur.

During the Leaders Getting Coffee podcast with Bruce Cotterill, we hear of his aspirations and adventures into a wide range of businesses including Men’s apparel, land subdivision and commercial property development.

Gary Gwynne speaks with great affection for the advertising industry and the colleagues he left. But his subsequent story is highly relatable to current or aspiring entrepreneurs. He highlights the challenges of getting established, the need for the right partners, and the importance of brands.

A keen fisherman and hunter, it was only a matter of time before Rodd and Gunn was born as a part of the Outdoor Heritage brand he built. And as Dressmart celebrates 30 years since its launch, we hear what prompted the arrival of outlet stores to New Zealand in the aftermath of a harsh recession.

Recently New Zealand lost another entrepreneur in Sir Michael Hill, and having worked with him for more than 20 years, we are treated to a wonderful tribute to Sir Michael from our guest.

Gary Gwynne’s story is one of a good Kiwi bloke who had a crack and succeeded.

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In Leaders Getting Coffee episode 51, our guest is the founder of one of our most influential public relations firms, Deborah Pead.

Deborah was born in the UK, grew up in South Africa and moved to New Zealand with her young family in the mid 1990’s. She’s earned her resilience the hard way and has thrived despite a bomb blast at her employer’s flagship store, a gun held at her head, and a house fire that robbed her of family mementoes and possessions.

But this one woman force of nature shone through it all to build a new life for her family in New Zealand and an influential firm that specialised in creating brands and building reputations.

With a psychology degree in her toolkit, a young Deborah Pead stumbled into the PR business managing publicity for a suburban department store. Her impact was immediate and resulted in a move to head office where she continued to build her expertise and her influence. That influence eventually saw the establishment her own business in Johannesburg.

But the violence was getting closer, and with a husband and young children in tow, the decision was made to move to New Zealand.

On the Leaders Getting Coffee podcast with Bruce Cotterill, Deborah Pead is refreshingly open about what prompted the move and the challenges of starting over in a new country. But failure was never an option, and after several years establishing a PR arm for a well known advertising agency, she cut her ties and went out on her own once more.

The rest, as they say, is history. The big brands followed her, and she’s been influential in the creating and success of New Zealand Fashion Week, the New Zealand Music Awards (the Tuis), My Food Bag, 42 Below Vodka and even Xbox.

As if all that is not enough, there’s another chapter too. A family farm, 90 minutes drive north of Auckland, where something special is happening with the humane treatment of animals and premium angus beef.

Deborah Pead’s story is one of resilience, family bonds and professional success. You get the feeling there is more to come.

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In Leaders Getting Coffee episode 50, our guest is the Mayor of Auckland, Wayne Brown.

Wayne Brown is probably New Zealand’s most colourful and best qualified city Mayors. His has been a fascinating life, with experiences ranging from building a mine in Australia to chairing not one but three of our District Health Boards.

He grew up in Auckland and went to Auckland Grammar which he says he didn’t particularly enjoy. But an engineering degree from Auckland University set him on a course that would take him around the world and back to New Zealand where his fifty years in business and politics has seen him make a substantial impact.

Along the way, he established his own engineering firm and he was good enough at surfing to participate in competitions and good enough at rugby to play on Eden Park.

Engineering turned into property development and following a move to the north of Auckland, he developed subdivisions and built factories, apartments and commercial buildings.

He developed a reputation for ‘sorting things out’ which led him to chair not one, but three district health boards, a semi political forerunner to him winning the mayoralty of the Far North region, a role he held for two terms.

And then came the big one. He ran for the Auckland Mayoralty in 2022 with a promise to “Fix Auckland”. He won by a margin few had predicted and despite some setbacks, including the Cyclone Gabrielle flooding in early 2023, has made consistent and steady progress against his goals for the city.

During the Leaders Getting Coffee podcast Wayne Brown talks to Bruce Cotterill about a very full life, the decisions he’s made and his hopes for Auckland’s future. He speaks with enthusiasm about two major pieces of infrastructure that will be completed in 2026 – the Central Rail Loop and the Convention Centre at Sky City – both long overdue but both set to make a major impact on the future of the city.

And he talks about a health and fitness regime that sees him going into an election where he is seeking office for a term that will take him into his eighties.

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