Vanessa Stoykov

Hello, I'm Vanessa Stoykov, the CEO of the Evolution Media Group and welcome to the latest episode of The Bottom Line. Today we return to CPA Australia's CEO, Alex Malley's exclusive discussion with one of Australia's most well known business and philanthropic leaders, Chris Cuffe about his unique professional journey.

It was announced by the Commonwealth Bank that one of their staff had received a lot of money, which was me. For a week of my life I was on every front page newspaper and every TV station.

From leading Colonial First State to wealth and notoriety to making news headlines for his departure. Business and finance leader, Chris, talks about how this experience changed him and shifted his focus.

Alex Malley

And so what did you learn about you that you didn't necessarily know you had?

Chris Cuffe

Yes, what I learnt about me. Well I learnt a lot of things. I learnt I'm thin skinned. I learnt I could never, if I ever wanted to be a politician which has crossed my mind from time to time, I knew from that day onwards there's no way in the world, I'm just too thin skinned. So that sort of notoriety I thought "well look I want to use that to my advantage" because it was a hurtful time and as time went on I did actually turn that to my advantage particularly with a lot of work I do in the non-profit sector these days.

Alex Malley

There's one more step before that turnaround in your life and that was Challenger and the announcement that you referred to in the media happened post leaving Colonial First State and ...