Now in its 6th season, Strategy Bites shares candid conversations with senior leaders in strategy and transformation. Hear real stories, career insights, and practical advice for anyone looking to grow and succeed in the world of strategy.
Publisher
Anika Stokes of Oaktree Talent Group and Future State Consulting
The First 90 Seconds: Kieran White on Passing Your Case Interview
A strong structure might get you started, but it won't necessarily get you across the finish line.
In the first episode of Season 7 of Strategy Bites, Anika Stokes sits down with Kieran White, former Bain consultant and senior strategy leader at Australia Post and NAB, to unpack what really makes candidates stand out in case interviews.
Drawing on his experience across engineering, consulting and corporate strategy, as well as his work teaching at Melbourne Business School, Kieran explains why memorising frameworks is not enough. The real skill lies in understanding the business, tailoring your approach to the problem, defining what success looks like and using your structure to drive towards a practical recommendation.
They also explore how to prepare effectively without wasting hours on repetitive practice, why Australian market knowledge matters, and how to use AI as a tool to sharpen your thinking without relying on it during the interview.
In this episode, you'll learn:
Why a clean structure can still fail to impress an interviewer
How to move beyond generic frameworks and demonstrate genuine problem-solving ability
What effective case interview preparation looks like over three to four weeks
Why quality practice and targeted feedback matter more than quantity
How to build Australian business knowledge and apply it to real-world cases
Where AI can help you prepare, and why using it during an interview can backfire
How to manage nerves and make a strong impression in the first few minutes
What consulting teaches you about critical thinking, decision-making and delivering results in a corporate environment
Whether you're preparing for your next consulting interview, moving from consulting into corporate strategy, or looking to strengthen your problem-solving skills at work, this episode offers practical insights you can apply well beyond the interview room.
🎧 Listen now to learn how to turn case interview preparation into a skill that lasts throughout your career.
Kieran White's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kieranwhite47/
Case Notes: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/case-notes-7463415696010584064/
4 Feb 2026
From High Dive to Boardroom: Melanie Kansil's Leadership Lessons as CSO and Founder
🎙️ New Strategy Bites episode is live!
Last week, I sat down with Melanie Kansil (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mqkansil/), Chief Strategy Officer at MECCA Brands.
Melanie started her career at McKinsey, then went on to build startups, work across multiple sectors, and now shapes strategy for one of Australia’s most loved consumer brands.
We talk about:
✨ What the CSO role really looks like day to day
✨ What consulting prepares you brilliantly for (and what it doesn’t)
✨ The messy reality of moving from advising to owning strategy
✨ The career advice she wishes she’d had earlier
✨ The reality of consulting vs start-ups vs leading inside a top brand
If you’re a consultant wondering whether industry, start-up, leadership, or a CSO role might be in your future, this episode is a must-listen.
15 Dec 2025
From Titanic to Turnaround: How Foxtel Rewrote Its Future
Today on Strategy Bites, I’m joined by William Loh, Executive Director of Strategy at Foxtel.
Foxtel has pulled off one of the most impressive transformation stories in Australian media over the past decade.
William has been there for the entire journey, starting as a commercial analyst and rising through the ranks to lead the group’s strategy.
We dig into:
what it was really like inside Foxtel when many saw it as the Titanic heading for the iceberg
the bold strategic decisions that changed the company’s future
how the team shifted from survival mode to genuine innovation
William’s views on loyalty, leadership and building a long-term strategy career
It’s a brilliant conversation with someone who’s lived a transformation most strategists only read about.
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