He Dropped Out Of Law. Now He's A CFO And Board Director | Damien Hicks - EP173

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He was picking pine cones off the backyard lawn as a kid. Now he's the CFO behind a private equity buyout of one of Australia's fastest-growing IT platforms. Damien Hicks dropped out of law, qualified as a chartered accountant, and became CFO and Board Director of Entag — headquartered right here on the Sunshine Coast. In this episode you'll learn how a modern CFO actually uses AI, what a private equity buyout looks like from the inside, and how he protects two non-negotiable hours a day for his kids.

Get in touch with Damien Hicks - https://entag.com.au/

Damien Hicks's Quick Fire Answers

What does success mean to you?

"Success for me is two-tiered — being the best version of myself, and leaving other people more positively after an interaction with me."

What does happiness mean to you?

"Health is number one, and happiness is literally my family of five, just being together."

What's your normal morning routine these days?

"It's a bit broken with young kids right now — my two-year-old doesn't sleep through the night, so Kayla and I take it in turns getting up early. Then it's breakfast as a family before school and work."

What piece of advice would you put on a billboard for the world to see?

"Keep showing up — you might not win every day, but you'll outlast and you'll learn. And you're either winning or you're learning. There's no losing."

Who would you suggest as a future guest on the show?

"Luke Mountford, managing partner at Hopgood Ganim Lawyers — one of the most pragmatic, approachable people I've met."

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Chapters

(00:00:00) - Introduction

(00:00:40) – Chapter 1 | Picking Pine Cones To Private Equity: Damien Hicks' Path To CFO

(00:17:23) – Chapter 2 | Is AI Overhyped? A CFO's Playbook For Boundaries And Disconnecting

(00:29:23) – Chapter 3 | Inside Entag's Roll-Up Strategy To Become An Australian IT Platform