Steve Vamos: Former CEO @ Xero, Microsoft and Apple

Steve Vamos is a renowned global technology executive. He led Xero as CEO and previously served as CEO of Microsoft Australia and Apple Asia Pacific.

In his new book 'Through Shifts and Shocks', Steve distills his frontline experience into eight essential actions for leaders facing change.

Hosted by Vidit Agarwal, Founder of Curiosity Center and The High Flyers Podcast.

It’s now time to explore your curiosity.

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In this episode #195, Steve Vamos joins host Vidit Agarwal.

Our host Vidit says "I really wish I had access to someone like Steve early in my career. He is a fountain of knowledge, and real-on the ground knowledge. I’ve met a lot of interesting people on this show over the past 5 years and Steve is one of the top 5 for sure. "

A veteran tech leader, Steve was CEO of Xero, led Microsoft Australia, and ran Apple Asia Pacific—but his journey started far from the boardroom.

Born to Hungarian refugees, he grew up in Sydney as the eldest of four. His dad spent 35+ years at IBM, while his mum, who learned English from TV, was a stay-at-home parent. As a teenager, Steve shares how he and his family moved to the U.S. for high school, where he picked up the nickname Skip, and developed a lifelong obsession with KISS.

His career kicked off at IBM, where he faced a brutal first lesson in leadership—announcing redundancies early in his career. That experience shaped his management style, which evolved further at Apple in the mid-90s when the company was a niche player with just 10% market share. We unpack his ambition, his fear of failure, and how he learned that great leadership is less about knowing the answers and more about coaching others.

Steve and Vidit also explore:

• Steve's time as CEO of 9MSN and lessons on leading through change
• How to create a culture of trust, openness, and care
• The five mistakes leaders make when giving feedback, as covered in Steve's Harvard Business Review article
• Why so many managers chase the title but avoid the hard work of leading people
• Case study and the full story of Steve ended up consulting at Xero before stepping into the CEO role, and how he scaled the business

If you care about leadership, resilience, and navigating change, this episode is packed with insight.

It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!

The High Flyers Podcast is a "meticulously researched audio biography" that uncovers the untold stories of remarkable people and companies—redefining what it means to be a high flyer. Launched in 2020, it has ranked in the global top ten for past two years, with listeners in 27 countries and over 200 episodes released. A flagship product of the Curiosity Center, it has been featured in Forbes, Daily Telegraph, and at SXSW, offering raw, relatable insights from childhood to career, helping listeners become 1% better every day.

200+ guests have joined Vidit Agarwal on the show from 15+ countries, including The CEO's of multi-billion dollar companies like Bunnings, Australia Post, Woolworths; Board Members at Macquarie Bank, ANZ, Reserve Bank; Former Prime Minister of Australia; Globally renowned tech leaders from Google, Microsoft, Xero; Successful Venture Capital and Family Office Investors; CIO's at the world's biggest superannuation funds; Leading Entertainers; Olympic Gold Medal Winning Athletes and interesting minds you wouldn't have heard of that are changing the world.

Our parent company, Curiosity Centre is your on-demand intelligence hub for knowledge, connections and growth to achieve your potential, everyday. Join 200,000+ Investors, Founders, Functional Leaders, CEOs and Emerging Leaders. Learn with the world's best and be 1% better everyday at https://curiositycentre.com