Episode 23: Collaborating together can make the impossible possible with Paul Axup

Leadership Amplified by Dr Karen Morley

In the first of 2022’s episodes of Leadership Amplified, I speak with Paul Axup, CFO at Programmed, about his leadership story and in particular why diversity of thought and the importance of enabling expression of different views sits at the heart of his leadership. Paul is a Senior Finance Executive with 25 years’ international experience in complex listed and private environments.He has strong financial and operational skills with proven leadership developed across a range of senior leadership roles at Programmed, Aurecon and Lendlease, and which was founded on 12 years at PwC as a trusted advisor to key clients.Paul has a successful track record in driving transformation and growth, and led key digital, finance and business transformations while at Aurecon and Lendlease. He has a proven ability to quickly transition into new roles and new sectors. He is enthusiastic about building high performing teams and strong business partnering models, with a leadership style that is open and collaborative. Despite the heavy hitting CV, Paul’s approach is truly humble as he shares early experiences with family and business leaders who taught him that having a diversity of views and multiple options always leads to a stronger strategy. As he says ‘A group of amazing, diverse people, melding their views together leads to a stronger strategy’ and it is through this kind of collaboration that the impossible becomes possible. When team members are encouraged to express their views, they feel valued and it boosts morale. He says that a ‘no politics’ approach leads to an empowering workplace. He’s also passionate about: ✔️ avoiding the typical pigeon-holing of finance people ✔️ elevating the importance of questions ✔️ giving people information first-hand ✔️ challenging thinking ✔️ having multiple mentors – they should be as diverse as the team is Have a listen in, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.