STEPHEN GOODBURN
When you meet Stephen, you will realise that he is a real optimist. He tends to look at what can be done rather than spending too much time worrying about what cannot. Perhaps that is where his curiosity comes in. He likes to understand things. He asks questions. He listens. He wants to know how it works, why it works and, quite often, whether it could be done better.
That outlook has been part of Stephen all his life.
"I live by an amazingly simple principle: if you keep doing what you are doing, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always got. So, if you want a different future, you must be prepared to do things differently."
Stephen’s professional journey began in 1990 when he joined Waco International. There was no instant transformation into an executive. He started his career as an ordinary employee, an Average Joe and gradually moved through the ranks, learning the business and taking on greater responsibility along the way. Through relentless hard work, long hours of demanding study, and an absolute commitment to his personal growth, he proved that your beginnings do not have to dictate your destination.
His career eventually took him across the world — through South America, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australasia — giving him exposure to different businesses, markets and, perhaps most importantly, different people. Over the next four decades, that relentless work ethic propelled him from the very bottom all the way to the executive boardroom, eventually fulfilling his ambition.
In 2012, he became Chief Executive Officer. Under his leadership, the group’s revenues doubled and its profits quadrupled. July of 2026 he stepped-down as Chief Executive Officer. Now with a new purpose: Developing capable, principled leaders who understand that success is intentional.
"In the end, success is never a solo effort – it’s shaped by those who teach you, and those you choose to learn from."
Today, at 63, Stephen’s life is defined by a much deeper and friendlier truth than the metrics on his corporate resume. He has learned that genuine leadership is never about looking important on paper or enforcing an authoritarian title. Instead, it is about keeping an energetic passion for life and remaining grounded in what truly matters. He thrives on healthy competition and loves the daily growth challenges. He brings that exact same high-energy focus to his personal life.
Outside the intensity of the boardroom, Stephen is a man who finds his ultimate balance in his everyday joys and a deep devotion to his family, who serve as the rock and motivation for everything he builds. You will often find him out on the fairway, soaking in the quiet strategy and precision of a good day of golf, spending time with family - especially his grandsons - and friends, or fuelling his love for performance and engineering behind the wheel of his fast car.
"Because in the end, you don’t build a career by chance – you build it by the choices you make every day."
Read his full story in CEO By Choice →