CEO Roundtable
In the Arena
Leadership finds you wherever you are, but never leaves you where it found you
Being the CEO can be lonely, but it doesn't mean you have to be alone
Join a select group of 12 CEOs from diverse backgrounds who understand the unique challenges that come with the top leadership role.
CEO Roundtable
In the Arena
Leadership finds you wherever you are, but never leaves you where it found you
Being the CEO can be lonely, but it doesn't mean you have to be alone
What does the role expect of me?
To create the conditions that enable this group to perform at its best.
This is truly a different kind of conversation about the craft of leading from the top position. In an intimate setting, we'll share honest accounts of navigating complexity, aligning ambition with capability, and building the trust that enables high performance.
Few understand the weight of organisational decisions better than those who sit in the CEO chair. We are gathering 12 such leaders to explore the fundamental question:
"What does the role truly expect of me?"
“The value comes not just from what I share from my 25 years as a CEO in elite sport, and having been invited into the inner lives of CEOs as their coach and mentor for the past decade, but from the collective wisdom of those who, like you, must face up to leadership's most demanding challenges every day,” commented Cameron Schwab.
"That was truly epic. I loved every minute as it resonated completely with me."
What does the role expect of me?
To create the conditions that enable this group to perform at its best.
This is truly a different kind of conversation about the craft of leading from the top position. In an intimate setting, we'll share honest accounts of navigating complexity, aligning ambition with capability, and building the trust that enables high performance.
Few understand the weight of organisational decisions better than those who sit in the CEO chair. We are gathering 12 such leaders to explore the fundamental question:
"What does the role truly expect of me?"
“The value comes not just from what I share from my 25 years as a CEO in elite sport, and having been invited into the inner lives of CEOs as their coach and mentor for the past decade, but from the collective wisdom of those who, like you, must face up to leadership's most demanding challenges every day,” - Cameron Schwab.
"That was truly epic. I loved every minute as it resonated completely with me."
Never trust a leader without a limp
This isn't another networking event – it's an opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue about the craft of leading from the top role.
The strongest leaders carry wisdom from their struggles and setbacks. The leader's limp represents the authentic experience of facing challenges, making mistakes, and emerging not unscathed but stronger. It's the visible evidence that you've been tested in ways that matter, and have done the internal work required for genuine growth.
Together, we'll share honest accounts of:
Navigating complexity and creating clarity when the path forward isn't obvious
Aligning ambition with capability to deliver on your organisation's promise
Building the trust that enables high performance, especially during times of change
Maintaining personal effectiveness when the stakes are highest
The discomfort of 'not knowing' marks the place where leadership is most needed. With fellow CEOs who understand the weight of the role, we'll explore practical approaches to turning these moments of uncertainty into opportunities for growth.
Jeremy and Cameron understand the value that will come not just from what we share, but from the connections formed with fellow leaders equally committed to their development.
Event Details
Held at Eclat, a luxury workspace and a members' lounge in Hawthorn East, with time afterwards for food, drinks and meaningful connection.
There is no cost to attend. We believe in the value of connecting CEOs and sharing experiences.
Wednesday 19 August 2026
3:45pm arrival for a 4:00pm start, concluding at 8:00pm
Eclat, 4 Monteath Avenue, Hawthorn East, Victoria
With limited spots remaining, secure your place today.
Join us ‘In the arena’
The forge of high-performance leadership demands both courage and wisdom. This forum is deliberately limited to 12 participants to ensure depth of conversation and meaningful connection.
We’ve seen first-hand how these conversations create insights impossible to reach in isolation. When leaders who understand the true weight of organisational stewardship come together, the exchange transcends the ordinary.
Would you join us at the table? Your perspective would be invaluable.
About your hosts, and a special guest
Suzie McInerney - CEO/ MD of Six Degrees
Suzie McInerney is the CEO, Shareholder and Board Member of Six Degrees Executive, a leading independent executive search and recruitment firm operating across the Eastern Seaboard of Australia. Now in her 16th year with the business and CEO since 2019, Suzie has played a key role in shaping the company’s growth, culture and leadership capability.
With a background in consumer brand marketing and hospitality, Suzie began her recruitment career as a consultant and quickly progressed into senior leadership roles. As Victorian State Director, she also led strategic initiatives including the firm’s DE&I agenda and the development of its business and account planning frameworks.
Suzie is deeply passionate about developing strong leaders and creating a values-led, high performance culture underpinned by inclusion, holistic wellbeing and continuous learning. She has built a widely respected executive leadership team and more recently has steered the business through a cultural transformation, embracing hybrid work while staying anchored to the company’s core values.
She holds a Bachelor of Business (Marketing), a Bachelor of Arts (Sociology), and is a graduate of the AICD Company Directors Course (2023). Suzie is also a former hospitality entrepreneur, having owned and operated a hatted 200-seat restaurant, and is a proud mum to Louis (10) and Ivy (13).
John Whitehead - Chief Commercial Officer of Six Degrees
John joined Six Degrees Executive in 2014 to lead the Supply Chain & Procurement team in Melbourne and has since progressed through a series of leadership roles within the Victorian business. Today, as Chief Commercial Officer, he is responsible for the performance of the specialist permanent recruitment business nationally, with a focus on Senior and Executive corporate services appointments.
Over more than a decade, John has played a key role in shaping and growing the Victorian division. He progressed from Manager of Supply Chain & Procurement to Associate Director and head of the Supply Chain & Engineering business, before being appointed State Director of Victoria in 2019. In these roles, he has led Six Degrees’ largest state division, managing teams across Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain, Procurement and Engineering recruitment.
John’s remit has centred on driving commercial performance, developing specialist recruitment capability and strengthening Six Degrees’ position as a leader in the Australian market. He understands that performance and culture go hand in hand, and as a leader, he sets clear expectations, backs his people and invests in developing high-performing teams who deliver consistently strong outcomes for clients and candidates. John values long-term relationships and sees recruitment as a profession built on trust, consistency and accountability.
Cameron Schwab - CEO of designCEO
Cameron Schwab spent 25 years as CEO of three AFL clubs — Richmond, Fremantle and Melbourne — appointed at Richmond at just 24, the youngest CEO in the history of the game, and the second longest-serving CEO of the modern era.
His leadership was forged in clubs at their lowest ebb, playing a central role in major transformations in an environment where results are publicly scrutinised weekly, and failure has nowhere to hide.
As the founder of designCEO, Cameron has spent the past decade invited into the inner lives of CEOs as their coach and mentor, working with senior leaders and their teams across many industry sectors. He holds an MBA and Master of Marketing from the Melbourne Business School, and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.
He explores the challenges he faced as a leader with openness and generosity, bringing not just theories but game-tested wisdom.
Our Special Guest: Neil Craig
Neil Craig’s leadership education began in two of the most demanding environments in Australian sport. A brilliant SANFL player, he played 319 games for Norwood and Sturt — including premierships with Norwood in 1975 and 1978, the Sturt captaincy, and 11 State of Origin appearances for South Australia.
A sports scientist by training, who holds an Honorary Doctorate in Sports Science from Flinders University, he worked under legendary cycling coach Charlie Walsh with the Australian Cycling Team — an apprenticeship in elite performance that shaped his coaching philosophy, one he carried into eight seasons as senior coach of the Adelaide Crows and senior performance roles across the AFL.
Neil now mentors coaches at the Australian Institute of Sport, and has mentored world-class coaches including Ange Postecoglou (Tottenham Hotspur), Brian Goorjian (Australian Boomers), Eddie Jones (Japan Rugby), and Luke Beveridge (Western Bulldogs), bringing extraordinary insights from across elite sporting environments to our conversations about leadership at the highest level.
About your hosts, and a special guest
Suzie McInerney - CEO/ MD of Six Degrees
Suzie McInerney is the CEO, Shareholder and Board Member of Six Degrees Executive, a leading independent executive search and recruitment firm operating across the Eastern Seaboard of Australia. Now in her 16th year with the business and CEO since 2019, Suzie has played a key role in shaping the company’s growth, culture and leadership capability.
With a background in consumer brand marketing and hospitality, Suzie began her recruitment career as a consultant and quickly progressed into senior leadership roles. As Victorian State Director, she also led strategic initiatives including the firm’s DE&I agenda and the development of its business and account planning frameworks.
Suzie is deeply passionate about developing strong leaders and creating a values-led, high performance culture underpinned by inclusion, holistic wellbeing and continuous learning. She has built a widely respected executive leadership team and more recently has steered the business through a cultural transformation, embracing hybrid work while staying anchored to the company’s core values.
She holds a Bachelor of Business (Marketing), a Bachelor of Arts (Sociology), and is a graduate of the AICD Company Directors Course (2023). Suzie is also a former hospitality entrepreneur, having owned and operated a hatted 200-seat restaurant, and is a proud mum to Louis (10) and Ivy (13).
John Whitehead - Chief Commercial Officer of Six Degrees
John joined Six Degrees Executive in 2014 to lead the Supply Chain & Procurement team in Melbourne and has since progressed through a series of leadership roles within the Victorian business. Today, as Chief Commercial Officer, he is responsible for the performance of the specialist permanent recruitment business nationally, with a focus on Senior and Executive corporate services appointments.
Over more than a decade, John has played a key role in shaping and growing the Victorian division. He progressed from Manager of Supply Chain & Procurement to Associate Director and head of the Supply Chain & Engineering business, before being appointed State Director of Victoria in 2019. In these roles, he has led Six Degrees’ largest state division, managing teams across Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain, Procurement and Engineering recruitment.
John’s remit has centred on driving commercial performance, developing specialist recruitment capability and strengthening Six Degrees’ position as a leader in the Australian market. He understands that performance and culture go hand in hand, and as a leader, he sets clear expectations, backs his people and invests in developing high-performing teams who deliver consistently strong outcomes for clients and candidates. John values long-term relationships and sees recruitment as a profession built on trust, consistency and accountability.
Cameron Schwab - CEO of designCEO
Cameron Schwab spent 25 years as CEO of three AFL clubs — Richmond, Fremantle and Melbourne — appointed at Richmond at just 24, the youngest CEO in the history of the game, and the second longest-serving CEO of the modern era.
His leadership was forged in clubs at their lowest ebb, playing a central role in major transformations in an environment where results are publicly scrutinised weekly, and failure has nowhere to hide.
As the founder of designCEO, Cameron has spent the past decade invited into the inner lives of CEOs as their coach and mentor, working with senior leaders and their teams across many industry sectors. He holds an MBA and Master of Marketing from the Melbourne Business School, and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.
He explores the challenges he faced as a leader with openness and generosity, bringing not just theories but game-tested wisdom.
Our Special Guest: Neil Craig
Neil Craig’s leadership education began in two of the most demanding environments in Australian sport. A brilliant SANFL player, he played 319 games for Norwood and Sturt — including premierships with Norwood in 1975 and 1978, the Sturt captaincy, and 11 State of Origin appearances for South Australia.
A sports scientist by training, who holds an Honorary Doctorate in Sports Science from Flinders University, he worked under legendary cycling coach Charlie Walsh with the Australian Cycling Team — an apprenticeship in elite performance that shaped his coaching philosophy, one he carried into eight seasons as senior coach of the Adelaide Crows and senior performance roles across the AFL.
Neil now mentors coaches at the Australian Institute of Sport, and has mentored world-class coaches including Ange Postecoglou (Tottenham Hotspur), Brian Goorjian (Australian Boomers), Eddie Jones (Japan Rugby), and Luke Beveridge (Western Bulldogs), bringing extraordinary insights from across elite sporting environments to our conversations about leadership at the highest level.
From CEOs who have experienced our sessions
I’ve had the privilege of listening to Cameron talk about leadership and life twice now. I was so impressed the first time that I asked him to present to my Leadership Team.
You could have heard a pin drop on each occasion and everyone, sports enthusiast or not, got so much out of the session.
Cameron tells a powerful, entertaining and deeply personal story that resonates with everyone who has experienced change and challenge.
Joe Barr, Chief Executive Officer | John Holland
It was truly incredible to sit in the energy of a room of people completely captivated by your storytelling
Your vulnerability and the art you have mastered in weaving your personal story into some incredible lessons for leadership and life.
Thank you Cameron for a very moving and insightful session, very grateful.
Suzie McInerney | CEO | Six Degrees Executive
You will be learning from the very best I have seen.
Rodrigo Pizarro, Managing Director | L'Oreal Australia & New Zealand
My role as Principal of Caulfield Grammar School affords me the privilege of observing many outstanding leaders and speakers from a number of sectors. Cameron sits right in the top echelon.
I value authenticity and humility above all other leadership attributes and Cameron exudes both. He develops trust in his session quickly and shares raw and vulnerable stories of his own journey.
The human side of Cameron is there for all to see.
The care and attention to detail in all elements of the evening showed me that he genuinely cares for his participants.
Cameron has the academic background and lived experience adding integrity to his presentation. His delivery is in plain speak, he cuts to the chase and he has high expectations of his participants.
When you invest in this way, you want tangible learnings to use in your own context and the session delivers this in spades.”
Ashleigh Martin, Principal | Caulfield Grammar School
Cameron Schwab’s presentation was raw, passionate and insightful.
I was taken aback by his engaging style and willingness to share his own story in a way that was at times raw and vulnerable.
His insights into leadership and the challenges that go with it gave me a lot to think about as I brought his messages back to my own organisation and family.
I would recommend him in a heartbeat. In fact, I already have.
It was the best presentation I’ve listened to in the past 2-3 years.
Jim Mole, Chief Executive Officer | Ameropa Australia
You are an incredibly powerful storyteller and I found myself hanging off every word.
It inspired me to be a better storyteller. That said, there was always a link back to leadership which was very engaging and clever. As a sport lover I resonated with your approach to leadership.
I think the greatest compliment of the day I could provide it that I felt really challenged.
Challenged to think more clearly about who I am, my values and to think about how I lead now and how I want to lead in the future.
Andrew Hewison, Managing Director | Hewison Private Wealth
