Latest news with #MoneyTalks
NZ Herald
3 days ago
- Business
- NZ Herald
The secret to being a good company director from Wayne Boyd, the man who's been on 167 boards
Speaking on the Money Talks podcast, we ask Boyd to explain what a company director does in a way a child (his grandchildren, perhaps) would understand. 'Well, you have to first persuade them that you're not the CEO of the company because that's their immediate default position,' he says. But his definition is very much to the point: 'Keeping an eye on managers, just as simple as that really.' Boyd grew up working-class in Wanganui. His father was a cooper (barrel maker) at the local freezing works. His mother worked at the hospital as a nurse's aide. It instilled a strong understanding of the value of money, which he carried with him as a director. 'I saw myself as a steward of other people's money. I made a decision to invest in the companies that I was chairing. And so I took that responsibility heavily. You want to get them an appropriate return for the investment they made.' Since stepping down from Vulcan Steel last November, Boyd, who was named a companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the King's Birthday Honours List, has been enjoying retirement. Boyd was never interested in management. His career started with a job as a lawyer in Hamilton for 16 years. A love of hockey led him to become the coach of the New Zealand women's team for the Olympics in 1984 and the World Cup in 1986. That experience inspired a career change to investment banking in Auckland in 1987 – not exactly the greatest timing. But he stuck with it and eventually his skills led to being offered board roles by the Government of the day. As an adviser first to the NZ Māori Council on the first major Treaty of Waitangi settlement, the 1992 'Sealord deal', he came to know Sir Tipene O'Regan and was a close adviser to Ngāi Tahu Holdings. Corporate roles followed. So what makes a good company director? 'You've got to have an open mind,' Boyd says. 'You don't learn the business by just reading the board papers.' You've got to get out and talk to the staff and ask them what keeps them awake, he says. 'You've got to have the ability to bring a diverse group of people at the board table together so that they're in a safe environment where they can actually say what they really do want to say about whatever the issue is of the day. 'I've always said you've got to have the courage to speak up.' Listen to the full episode to hear more from Wayne Boyd. Money Talks is a podcast run by the NZ Herald. It isn't about personal finance and isn't about economics – it's just well-known New Zealanders talking about money and sharing some stories about the impact it's had on their lives and how it has shaped them. The series is hosted by Liam Dann, business editor-at-large for the Herald. He is a senior writer and columnist, and also presents and produces videos and podcasts. He joined the Herald in 2003. Money Talks is available on iHeartRadio, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
‘I made €247,000 in tennis... so not a lot': Conor Niland on the true cost of competitive sport
It's the number that stops Conor Niland in his tracks, the same number that represents his career high rank in the incredibly competitive – and potentially extremely lucrative – world of tennis. Today, Niland (43) works in commercial property, in addition to recently becoming a celebrated author – his memoir The Racket won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award in 2024. 'I started in commercial property at 31, 32… All that stuff was new to me. Everything about the working world – even the office printer and scanner – was new to me,' he tells Katie Byrne on the latest episode of the Money Talks podcast. 'I didn't know any of that stuff. I'd never had to do it. Writing emails to clients, calls in an open-plan office… You know, with your boss not listening in but obviously sitting beside you and can't not listen.' Niland also gives listeners an insight into prize money and the highest-paid players in tennis. 'We have billionaires in our sport,' he says. 'The likes of Roger Federer and Serena Williams, who are able to earn incredible money after they finish their [careers]. True sporting icons, not just tennis icons. 'But then, obviously, you have this big pyramid or bottleneck in tennis where you've got the very, very tip who are earning an awful lot of money and then it goes quite quickly to a very wide base of players who are really struggling to make ends meet and make money week to week.' During his career, Niland earned approximately €247,000 over the course of seven or eight years. 'Not a lot of money', he notes, while speaking candidly about his decision to call time on his playing career at a young age. 'I definitely reconciled with myself at a certain period of my career that I was unlikely to be coming out of this with a pension and a nest egg and an awful lot of money. 'When I was hitting 27, 28 years of age my goal became 'I want to play in the Grand Slams' so I can give myself context and achieve a dream. 'And I was getting to a point where my career was washing its own face – at #150 in the world, #200 in the world, I was sort of making, give or take, what I was spending, with a little bit of help from various quarters. That made it a lot easier – but then, it's no coincidence that I stopped playing at 30 years of age.' You can listen to stories from Niland's days on the court as well as how he successfully transitioned away from the sport and into a more traditional nine-to-five role on the latest episode of Money Talks or wherever you get your podcasts.
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Conor Niland: ‘In tennis, you can be talking €100,000+ in yearly expenses'
It's the number that stops Conor Niland in his tracks, the same number that represents his career high rank in the incredibly competitive – and potentially extremely lucrative – world of tennis. Today, Niland (43) works in commercial property, in addition to recently becoming a celebrated author – his memoir The Racket won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award in 2024. 'I started in commercial property at 31, 32… All that stuff was new to me. Everything about the working world – even the office printer and scanner – was new to me,' he tells Katie Byrne on the latest episode of the Money Talks podcast. 'I didn't know any of that stuff. I'd never had to do it. Writing emails to clients, calls in an open-plan office… You know, with your boss not listening in but obviously sitting beside you and can't not listen.' Niland also gives listeners an insight into prize money and the highest-paid players in tennis. 'We have billionaires in our sport,' he says. 'The likes of Roger Federer and Serena Williams, who are able to earn incredible money after they finish their [careers]. True sporting icons, not just tennis icons. 'But then, obviously, you have this big pyramid or bottleneck in tennis where you've got the very, very tip who are earning an awful lot of money and then it goes quite quickly to a very wide base of players who are really struggling to make ends meet and make money week to week.' During his career, Niland earned approximately €247,000 over the course of seven or eight years. 'Not a lot of money', he notes, while speaking candidly about his decision to call time on his playing career at a young age. 'I definitely reconciled with myself at a certain period of my career that I was unlikely to be coming out of this with a pension and a nest egg and an awful lot of money. 'When I was hitting 27, 28 years of age my goal became 'I want to play in the Grand Slams' so I can give myself context and achieve a dream. 'And I was getting to a point where my career was washing its own face – at #150 in the world, #200 in the world, I was sort of making, give or take, what I was spending, with a little bit of help from various quarters. That made it a lot easier – but then, it's no coincidence that I stopped playing at 30 years of age.' You can listen to stories from Niland's days on the court as well as how he successfully transitioned away from the sport and into a more traditional nine-to-five role on the latest episode of Money Talks or wherever you get your podcasts.
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Money Talks: ‘Everything about the working world – even the printer – was new to me': Tennis pro Conor Niland on his transition to an office 9-5
It's the number that stops Conor Niland in his tracks, the same number that represents his career high rank in the incredibly competitive – and potentially extremely lucrative – world of tennis. Today, Niland (43) works in commercial property, in addition to recently becoming a celebrated author – his memoir The Racket won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award in 2024. 'I started in commercial property at 31, 32… All that stuff was new to me. Everything about the working world – even the office printer and scanner – was new to me,' he tells Katie Byrne on the latest episode of the Money Talks podcast. 'I didn't know any of that stuff. I'd never had to do it. Writing emails to clients, calls in an open-plan office… You know, with your boss not listening in but obviously sitting beside you and can't not listen.' Niland also gives listeners an insight into prize money and the highest-paid players in tennis. 'We have billionaires in our sport,' he says. 'The likes of Roger Federer and Serena Williams, who are able to earn incredible money after they finish their [careers]. True sporting icons, not just tennis icons. 'But then, obviously, you have this big pyramid or bottleneck in tennis where you've got the very, very tip who are earning an awful lot of money and then it goes quite quickly to a very wide base of players who are really struggling to make ends meet and make money week to week.' During his career, Niland earned approximately €247,000 over the course of seven or eight years. 'Not a lot of money', he notes, while speaking candidly about his decision to call time on his playing career at a young age. 'I definitely reconciled with myself at a certain period of my career that I was unlikely to be coming out of this with a pension and a nest egg and an awful lot of money. 'When I was hitting 27, 28 years of age my goal became 'I want to play in the Grand Slams' so I can give myself context and achieve a dream. 'And I was getting to a point where my career was washing its own face – at #150 in the world, #200 in the world, I was sort of making, give or take, what I was spending, with a little bit of help from various quarters. That made it a lot easier – but then, it's no coincidence that I stopped playing at 30 years of age.' You can listen to stories from Niland's days on the court as well as how he successfully transitioned away from the sport and into a more traditional nine-to-five role on the latest episode of Money Talks or wherever you get your podcasts.
Irish Independent
30-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Sonya Lennon: ‘I stood in a pharmacy and cried because I didn't have €7.99 to pay for a foot exfoliator'
'I had three start-ups on the go – I had Dress for Success, FrockAdvisor, and Lennon Courtney, all in start-up mode,' she says. 'And I stood in a pharmacy and cried because I didn't have €7.99 to pay for a foot exfoliator. I couldn't justify spending that money because things were so tight.' Told with a knowing chuckle on the latest episode of the Money Talks podcast, the memory stands as a salutary tale for the popular business leader, social entrepreneur and fashion icon. Lennon, who later had to close down FrockAdvisor, also talks about bouncing back from entrepreneurial defeat. 'We had an extreme failure with FrockAdvisor… it hurt like hell, but that's OK,' she tells host Katie Byrne. ' But over time, that emotional response recedes and you're left with the facts. So when you can assess the facts, what happened? What did I learn? What can I do next? 'What opportunities does this unearth that wouldn't have happened otherwise. All of the biggest opportunities that came to me in my life were dressed as challenges and failures.' Elsewhere on the episode, Lennon talks about the Irish cultural awkwardness that comes with discussing money with friends, the financial inequalities of being in a cohabiting couple, and her love of the simple things in life. Money Talks is available wherever you get your podcasts, with new episodes landing on Wednesdays. The content of this podcast is for information purposes and does not constitute investment advice or recommendation of any investment product.
