Always Business Class

What if the biggest competitive advantage in business isn't AI, but curiosity?

In this episode of Always Business Class, Steve Hui and Steve Pirie-Nally sit down with innovation strategist, author, speaker, and Wonder & Wonder founder Sarah Pirie-Nally to explore the intersection of technology, human behaviour, travel, and the power of wonder.

Sarah shares lessons from her years leading innovation initiatives at Commonwealth Bank, her work helping organisations embrace emerging technologies, and why curiosity remains one of the most valuable skills in a rapidly changing world.

The conversation explores how AI can become a genuine business advantage, why human-centred design matters more than ever, and how travel creates the pattern interrupts that lead to better ideas, stronger relationships, and happier lives.

This is a conversation about innovation.
About designing experiences people genuinely want.
And about using technology to create more freedom, more creativity, and more meaningful travel experiences.

Sarah Pirie-Nally
Founder, Wonder & WonderAuthor, Speaker & AI Strategist
Flights Club Membership
https://iflyflat.com.au/membership/
Accor Plus Explorer Membership
https://www.accorplus.com/explorer-membership/

00:00 Why Travel Activates Wonder
01:45 Meeting Sarah & The Origins of Wonder
04:10 Innovation, Curiosity & Better Questions06:45 From Corporate Innovation to AI Strategy
10:00 Why Businesses Need Wonder More Than Ever
12:05 AI Is Not Your Strategy
14:00 Understanding Human-Centred Design
17:05 Building Products People Actually Want
18:30 How Travel Changes The Way We Think
20:00 Pattern Interrupts & Everyday Wonder
23:00 AI, Customer Experience & Business Growth
26:10 Building Your Business Operating System
29:00 Creating A Second Brain For Teams
32:00 Using AI To Simplify Family Life
35:00 Buying Back Time With Technology
36:20 Why Travel Creates Better Humans
38:40 AI, Wonder & The Future Of Business

What if your groceries, fuel, Uber rides, takeaway coffees, and family expenses could fund your next holiday?

In this episode of Always Business Class, the team sits down with travel and points expert Deena, founder of Committed to Collect, to unpack how everyday Australians can turn normal spending into free or heavily discounted travel experiences.

After more than 30 years in the travel industry, including 25 years at Flight Centre, Deena shares the moment that completely changed how she viewed points, loyalty programs, and travel freedom.

From redeeming more than $100,000 worth of flights in a single year to helping teenagers fly to Bali on points alone, this episode breaks down the psychology, systems, and practical strategies behind modern points collecting.

If you've ever thought points were too complicated, only for big spenders, or just a “credit card game”, this conversation will completely shift your perspective.
SponsorsFlights Club MembershipAccor Plus Explorer Membership

In this episode:
How Deena redeemed over $102,000 worth of flights using everyday family spending
Why most Australians massively underuse their loyalty programs
The “Get Appy” method for simplifying point collection
Why points are not just for business travellers or high earners
How households can “triple stack” rewards across multiple systems
The emotional power of travel and family holidays
Why travel points can improve workplace wellbeing and reduce burnout
The difference between earning points and strategically using them
How teenagers are now flying internationally on points from normal spending habits
Why Dina believes holidays become “more affordable and more frequent” with points

What does it take to go from doing customs forms by hand at Australia Post to running a $100M+ global fashion brand?

In this episode of Always Business Class, Steve Hui and Steve Pirie-Nally sit down with Jane Lu, founder of Showpo, to unpack the real story behind building a global brand from her parents' garage, why naivety is a founder's greatest asset, and how backing yourself is the only strategy that matters.

They also get into delegation, content creation as a CEO, the aisle vs window seat debate, and why business class is the best investment a founder can make.

We cover:
Why entrepreneurs need naivety to take the leap
How a trademark crisis nearly wiped out everything she built
Building Like Minded Bitches Drinking Wine to 180,000+ women
Why delegation changes everything
The aisle vs window seat debate, settled
What is still on the bucket list

This is not just about travel. It is about building something you love and choosing to do it in style.

Guest: Jane Lu Founder and CEO, Showpo
Sponsors: Flights Club: https://iflyflat.com.au/membership/ Accor Plus Explorer Membership: https://www.accorplus.com/explorer-members...

What really makes a loyalty program work?

It’s not just discounts.It’s not just points.And it’s definitely not just perks.

In this episode of Always Business Class, we go behind the scenes of one of the most successful travel membership programs in the world.

From rebuilding after COVID to scaling to 500,000 members, this conversation breaks down how loyalty, psychology, and experience design come together.

We cover:
Why subscription is the future of travel

The psychology behind loyalty programs

How small group dining became a breakthrough feature

Why emotional connection beats transactional rewards

Lessons from relaunching a global program

How partnerships drive growth and retention

Why travel creates better ideas and better business outcomes

Practical travel hacks like choosing the best seat every time

This is not just about travel.
It’s about how great businesses build loyalty that lasts.

Guest: Henrik Berglind - Accor Plus

Chapters
00:00 Business Class in the Sky & On the Ground
01:33 Behind the Loyalty Program Growth
02:56 30 Years in Hospitality
04:09 COVID & Industry Reset
05:33 Loyalty Program Relaunch
06:16 Winning Best Loyalty Relaunch
07:49 Real Value of Membership Benefits
08:46 Why Travel Sparks Better Ideas
09:40 The Power of Face-to-Face
11:14 Designing Dining Experiences
12:43 The “Small Group Dining” Breakthrough
12:58 Lessons from the Relaunch
14:22 Global Expansion of Benefits
15:02 Why Change Doesn’t Kill Businesses
17:03 Behavioural Science in Business
19:15 Boutique vs Large Hotel Experiences
20:27 From Discounts to Loyalty Culture
22:44 Building a Global Loyalty Ecosystem
26:17 Innovation & Scaling Challenges
27:22 48 Brands, One Ecosystem
28:35 Travel Habits & Seat Hacks
31:18 Subscription Model Explained
34:43 Reducing Decision Fatigue in Travel
36:23 The Future of Travel Curation
38:33 Partnerships & Experiences Strategy
41:58 Sales Channels & Growth
44:10 Key Benefits of Explorer Membership
46:27 Flights Club Explore Launch

What if the most powerful thing you could do for the planet…
…was simply go there and witness it yourself?
 
What if exploration was never really about the summit?
 
In this episode of Always Business Class, Peter Hillary, explorer, mountaineer, and son of Sir Edmund Hillary, joins Steve Hui and Steve Pirie-Nally for a live fireside chat with over 400 Accor Plus Explorer members — and shares what 43 trips to Antarctica, a crossing to the South Pole, and a lifetime on the world's highest peaks have taught him about the only thing that actually matters.
 
Peter unpacks why the hardest part of any expedition is never the cold, the food, or the terrain. It is the psychological and emotional battle between your ears. And why that lesson applies just as much in business and in life.
 
He makes the case for why going to Antarctica is not a luxury. It is an act of stewardship. Because when people witness a place — really witness it — they want to protect it. And places that go unseen get exploited.
 
This is a conversation about what exploration really means.
Not whether it has been done before. But whether you have done it.
Because once you stand on that ice, something shifts. And you come back asking a different question. Not what can I get. But what can I do.
 
Guest
Peter Hillary: Explorer, Mountaineer, Son of Sir Edmund Hillary
Sponsors
Flights Club
Accor Plus Explorer Membership