15 Minutes with the Boss What being made redundant taught this CEO about leadership
21 snips
Mar 9, 2026 Lisa Chiba, CEO of Momentum Energy and seasoned energy-sector leader, reflects on a career-defining divestment that taught resilience. She discusses communication and transparency during upheaval. She also covers balancing family and executive life, the value of soft skills, and hiring to uncover candidate self-awareness.
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Diary Autonomy Lets Me Make Kids' Dinner Most Nights
- Lisa balances CEO responsibilities with family life using diary autonomy and flexible, unscheduled work to prioritise kids' dinners and bedtime swaps.
- She aims to be home for her children's 5:36pm dinner, divides bedtime duties with her husband, then finishes work later if needed.
Made Redundant While Pregnant During A Divestment
- Lisa Chiba was hired as customer services director at a small UK energy retailer and soon after the parent company decided to exit the UK market.
- The business migrated customers to a buyer, closed, and made the entire workforce redundant while Lisa was pregnant during the pandemic, prompting her return to Melbourne.
Overcommunicate During Crisis To Preserve Trust
- In crisis moments, Lisa found that relentless communication and transparency were essential to preserve trust with employees and customers.
- The executive mantra became "there's no such thing as over communicating" and the team set aside egos to support people through uncertainty.