Today we’d like to introduce you to Peter Bryant.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am a son of refugees. My mum was a Holocaust survivor and, with my dad, migrated, under the refugee program, from Israel to New Zealand (NZ) in 1948. As an adult, I then migrated to Australia after 3 years as an auditor with Coopers & Lybrand in NZ with $200, one bag, and no job! Within 18 months, I had pivoted from accounting to the emerging enterprise software industry, becoming one of the first employees in Australia of Boston-based Software International, then owned by GE. It was then sold to NY-based Computer Associates (CA) who had no presence in Asia Pacific – we grew quickly, and before I knew it, I was COO whilst still in my 20s. I had a wonderful mentor who gave me chances because he believed in me and not because of my resume. Looking back now, I realize what I was most passionate about and good at was creating and growing new businesses – at that time in the corporate world, which was highly competitive and, some would say, the ‘cutthroat’ software industry of the 80s and 90s.
In 1996, the opportunity to start a new business for CA in the US was compelling, so I migrated again, and after a couple of years at CA, I went on to run a couple of early-stage software companies. Since 2006, I’ve been a founding partner and am now currently Board Chair of Clareo, a firm that provides expert advice to the mining and energy sectors. At the same time, I co-founded the Kellogg Innovation Network (KIN) at the Kellogg School of Management. My work with KIN and Clareo also led to an opportunity to lean into my passion of transforming the mining industry and resulted in my co-founding the nonprofit Development Partner Institute, focused on improving social and economic outcomes for communities from resource development projects.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Has this journey been without challenges – definitely not! My journey has involved many risks and failures along the way, as most do. I took many risks personally and professionally, which can be scary, but the sense of freedom and achievement far outweighs those risks – and the many failures along the way have been important learnings for me. My mum instilled the spirit of resilience and risk-taking, and my dad instilled curiosity. My mum told me to always walk through an open door, and don’t overthink it like most people! And even though it may not be the right door, the path to the right door may lie just beyond that door. I never knew this clearly until about 10-15 years ago, that she was guiding me to be an entrepreneur.
Here’s a specific example of one struggle along the way that I learned a lot from. I was CEO of a software company that had developed a breakthrough business process automation platform, and we were about to close our first major software deal with a UK insurer – it was a $35m multi-year deal. However, delays caused the firm to hit a cash crunch, and we did not know how we were going to meet payroll. I was living in Denver at the time, so I flew and met with all our shareholders, including in London – and I remember the feeling of dread walking around with cap in hand seeking bridge funding and the enormous pressure not to fail the team of 50 people back home. Eventually, some investors agreed to provide short-term funding at relatively easier terms than the other investors. It came at a huge price, and I always say you are never truly an entrepreneur until you have experienced the dread of not being able to meet payroll.
Several months later, I sat in a lounge at Heathrow Airport after camping out in the UK for a few weeks and signed that software deal over breakfast with the CIO of that insurance company!
I went from a very big low to a significant sense of achievement and learned from this to never give up, be creative, and seek advice from everywhere. As leaders, we don’t have all the answers.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I and Clareo provide expert advice to companies in the mining and energy sectors on key areas like key minerals strategy, optimizing innovation performance, ESG strategy and approach, and how to navigate a just transition to a materials-based energy system. I speak globally at conferences and on behalf of organizations on sustainability, the energy transition with a focus on a just transition & the criticality of the minerals value chain, and more broadly on innovation and digital transformation. We bring a unique perspective to our work, merging best-in-class industry knowledge with an approach to catalyze new innovations and bring new thinking to the forefront. Increasingly, our work has involved all parts of the mining and energy value chains, which is an exciting shift from sectors that have typically “stayed in their lane.” We’re sparking collaboration between industry and company and working on the biggest problem of the 21st century – the energy transition. This has included increasing collaboration with governments from Saudi Arabia to the US Federal government.
I love the world of venture and start-ups and stay connected by being on the Board of Advisors for the leading VC Fund, Foundamental, and various emerging tech companies including Lilac Solutions and Symboticware plus I recently joined the board of the Critical Minerals International Association… In addition, I have served on the Innovation Councils for multiple mining and energy companies.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
Books:
The Choice by Dr. Edith Eger
How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates
Leadership by Henry Kissinger
Podcasts:
Deep Dives with DPI
Unlocking Us with Brene Brown
Honestly, with Bari Weiss
Contact Info:
- Website: www.peter-bryant.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-bryant-71b12/
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/peterjbryant
- Other: www.clareo.com, www.dpimining.org
