In Search Of Greater Success

As The CEO Circle Turns 25, CEO John Karagounis Reflects On His Journey So Far And Considers The Role That The Organisation Will Play In The Future For Its C-Suite Members.

John Karagounis is an unfailingly optimistic person. He’s enthusiastic, passionate and seems to have boundless energy. However, ask him to recall his early days in charge of The CEO Circle and, for a very brief moment, he gives you the look of a broken man. “I took over The CEO Circle on 1 February 2008. I had put everything on the line to purchase it. It was a precarious time for me, both financially and professionally, as it often is when you make a momentous career change. I made the decision to forgo the opportunity to explore a secure, well-paid role in the financial services industry to buy a business that had lost its way,” he says.

In the background during John’s purchase of The CEO Circle was the fomenting cauldron of events that would come to be known as the global financial crisis. While Australia mostly managed to ride out the worst of the GFC, the old maxim that ‘When the US sneezes, Australia catches a cold’ held in many regards.

A few short months after acquiring The CEO Circle, John watched on as Australian companies started showing executives the door. Belts were tightened, budgets slashed. It was not a good time to be in charge of an organisation that relies upon C-suite executives for its membership base. “When the GFC hit, we stood firm. But I’d be lying if I said there weren’t times I questioned my decision to buy,” he says.

“The number of people in transition requiring assistance, guidance and advice increased with every passing day. But that was okay because in adversity there is always opportunity and that’s how I chose to look at it. This was the perfect time to be doing what we do. People needed and wanted to get together around a boardroom table, to connect with like-minded peers, and share, learn and grow. I thought this is when we can really help people. This is why we exist.”

BAPTISM OF FIRE