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Mark Palmer has had a career most people only dream about - working on aircraft across the globe, before landing at Shield AI as VP of Vision Systems, one of the most exciting defence tech companies operating today.

In this episode, Matt and Mark explore what happens when two businesses with a genuine meeting of minds come together - and why the Shield acquisition of Sentient felt like a natural fit from day one.

We cover a lot of ground in 30 minutes: what scaling businesses consistently get wrong, why culture becomes your most important asset the moment you start to grow, and how to hold onto and develop your best people through periods of rapid change.

Mark also shares his take on autonomy as the future of work, what it actually takes to move into defence tech, and why Australia is rapidly becoming a serious global player in the space - without needing to rely on government funding to get there.

If you're building a team, thinking about your next career move, or just fascinated by where defence tech is heading, this one's worth your time.

The scalr sagecast is proudly brought to you by scalr, a recruitment and talent advisory business headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.

Want to identify potential gaps in your current TA process? Take the free TA Readiness Scorecard or reach out to the team for a free 30-minute discussion.

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This week on scalr sagecast, I sat down with Sam Young, founder of SIID Labs.

Sam is a counsellor and psychotherapist with frontline experience in mental health and addiction - and he’s using both professional and lived experience to build something different.

SIID is a personalised, AI-powered micro-guidance companion designed to support people in the moments that matter most - those brief spikes of anxiety, overwhelm, rumination or task paralysis that can derail focus and momentum.

Many people either can’t access mental health systems, don’t engage with them, or don’t get support when they actually need it. SIID is designed to bridge that gap.

In this episode, we explore:

• What “micro moments” are and why they’re so important
• Why traditional support models often fail in real-time situations
• How AI and wearable tech can enable proactive, pre-emptive support
• The role of personalisation in improving outcomes
• And how Sam’s lived experience has shaped the product and its intent

A raw and honest conversation about mental health, technology, and building more human solutions.

The scalr sagecast is proudly brought to you by scalr, a recruitment and talent advisory business headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.

Want to identify potential gaps in your current TA process? Take the free TA Readiness Scorecard or reach out to the team for a free 30-minute discussion.

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Joining this week's scalr sagecast is Vanessa Raath - global sourcing expert, AI commentator and one of the most engaging speakers in the talent industry.

V’s career journey spans South Africa, London and Thailand, with a decade in tech consulting before building her current business and becoming a recognised voice on sourcing, AI and innovation.

In this episode, Matt and V explore:

• V’s unconventional path into tech and sourcing.
• Where TA and AI are truly converging.
• Why sourcing capability is back in demand.
• What stage we’re really at in the AI journey.

It’s a high-energy, wide-ranging conversation packed with insight on the future of talent acquisition.

The scalr sagecast is proudly brought to you by scalr, a recruitment and talent advisory business headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.

Want to identify potential gaps in your current TA process? Take the free TA Readiness Scorecard or reach out to the team for a free 30-minute discussion.

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Craig Harman has spent years leading within agency recruitment - and along the way, he noticed a persistent, expensive problem: organisations underutilising the strongest networks they already have.

In this episode, Craig shares why he built mployd, a platform focused on helping businesses create structured, effective referral programs that actually work.

We explore:

• Why referral hiring is one of the most cost-effective channels available
• How poor or informal referral approaches end up wasting money
• What a strong referral culture looks like in practice
• And simple ways leaders can get started without adding complexity

A practical conversation for anyone responsible for hiring, cost control, or building stronger internal networks.

The scalr sagecast is proudly brought to you by scalr, a recruitment and talent advisory business headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.

Want to identify potential gaps in your current TA process? Take the free TA Readiness Scorecard or reach out to the team for a free 30-minute discussion.

Send a text

Gemma Toogood’s career started in a place you’d never expect - as a broker for paparazzi photos - before a series of twists led her into entrepreneurship, then into tech, and now into building Neoma, a platform helping people and organisations navigate alternative pathways into the industry.

In this episode, we unpack:

• Why Australia is on track to be 600,000 tech workers short by 2030
• Which roles are most exposed to AI disruption
• The huge upside of developing AI literacy at every level
• Why reskilling costs less than half of making someone redundant
• And what business leaders need to know about when (and how) to begin the skills transition

It’s honest, sharp, and refreshingly human - an entertaining look at one of the biggest challenges facing businesses today.

The scalr sagecast is proudly brought to you by scalr, a recruitment and talent advisory business headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.

Want to identify potential gaps in your current TA process? Take the free TA Readiness Scorecard or reach out to the team for a free 30-minute discussion.

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New episode of scalr sagecast with career coach, Aditya Rajagopalan.

Aditya’s career started the way many of ours did: fairly traditional, ticking the expected boxes, following the well-lit corporate path.
But somewhere along the way, he realised that doing what you’re good at and doing what you’re built for aren’t always the same thing.

So he tried things on.
Different roles. Different environments. Different challenges.
And in that process of exploration he found his real calling: coaching - helping people think clearer, lead better, and move forward with confidence.

In this episode, we dig into:

• How a conventional corporate career can become a launch pad for reinvention
• Why exposure to different roles can be the fastest route to clarity
• The moments that pushed Aditya toward coaching as a true vocation
• And why good mentors have become critical in today’s market - where uncertainty, layoffs and shifting expectations have left a lot of people feeling stuck

It’s a grounded, honest conversation about choice, identity and growth - and why we all benefit from having someone in our corner who’s willing to challenge, support and push us.

The scalr sagecast is proudly brought to you by scalr, a recruitment and talent advisory business headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.

Want to identify potential gaps in your current TA process? Take the free TA Readiness Scorecard or reach out to the team for a free 30-minute discussion.

Send us Fan Mail

This episode with Terry Condon gets to the heart of financial wellness: helping people feel good about money again - not in a prescribed way, but in a way that matches who they are, where they’re at, and what they value.

We explore:

• What wealth, “rich” and success mean at different stages of life
• How to optimise your money for your next chapter, not a lifetime
• Why freedom comes from systems and clarity, not discipline
• And how financial confidence starts with identity, not numbers

It’s fascinating, honest, and surprisingly human.

The scalr sagecast is proudly brought to you by scalr, a recruitment and talent advisory business headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.

Want to identify potential gaps in your current TA process? Take the free TA Readiness Scorecard or reach out to the team for a free 30-minute discussion.

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“This is the next big industrial revolution, and leaders will have never experienced this before…”

Annie Johnson has seen the evolution of People & Culture from every angle - in-house, consulting, product, leadership - and she’s now building humaneer, a next-gen AI platform reshaping how HR teams work.

In this episode, we dive into:

• Why 73% of HR’s time is still spent on admin
• The reality that 70% of tasks will be automated in the next 5 years
• How Annie's approach to “practising for the big game” transformed her mindset and performance
• What the future of work really looks like when leaders embrace AI, community, and strategic impact
• And how Mak by humaneer is freeing up HR pros to lead - not just manage

We also chat about how Annie’s rich background (from GE Capital to Virgin Australia to founding The Honest Human) shaped her views on culture, tech, and change.

If you're in HR, TA or leadership - and wondering which bucket you're in when it comes to tech adoption - this one's for you.

The scalr sagecast is proudly brought to you by scalr, a recruitment and talent advisory business headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.

Want to identify potential gaps in your current TA process? Take the free TA Readiness Scorecard or reach out to the team for a free 30-minute discussion.