On 21 April 2026, Ecycle Solutions brought together an extraordinary group of minds at The Squire's Landing, Circular Quay, Sydney — for an evening unlike any other in our calendar. Excellence in Motion was designed around a single, powerful conviction: that the principles driving world-class athletic performance and those driving high-performing organisations are not merely similar. They are the same.

Guided throughout by Master of Ceremonies Sam Lane, the evening wove together three distinct perspectives — ESG strategy, sustainability leadership, and elite sport — into a cohesive and compelling exploration of what excellence demands, in any arena.

The Connective Thread

From the opening welcome to the final remarks, every conversation on the night circled back to four shared attributes — the qualities that define high performance regardless of context: discipline, focus, resilience, and continuous improvement.

These were not abstract concepts. They were lived experiences, brought to life through the stories and insights of four exceptional speakers.

Our Speakers

Lee Stewart — Author, How to Build Sustainability into Your Business Strategy

Lee reframed ESG from a compliance obligation into a genuine strategic differentiator — showing how organisations that embed sustainability at their core are better positioned to perform, compete, and lead in an increasingly complex marketplace. His practical, strategic lens challenged the room to stop treating ESG as a cost and start treating it as a competitive advantage.

John Gertsakis — Principal, Product Stewardship Centre of Excellence (PSoE)

John brought a deep practitioner's perspective on leadership and performance in Australia's evolving sustainability and product stewardship landscape. His session covered the global significance of product stewardship, the current state of circularity in Australia, and the innovation and leadership required to drive meaningful, lasting change across sectors.

Gout Gout — Elite Australian Sprinter

One of Australia's most electrifying athletic talents, Gout spoke with candour and clarity about the daily discipline, mental focus, and competitive mindset required to perform at the absolute highest level — and what it means to keep raising the bar when the expectations on you grow with every race.

Peter Bol — Olympic 800m Runner

Peter's insights on resilience, long-term vision, and performing under pressure resonated deeply with the business leaders in the room. He drew powerful parallels between the preparation required in elite sport and the commitment required to lead thriving organisations — particularly around how to navigate setbacks and stay aligned to a long-term purpose.

An Evening of Parallels

What made the evening so memorable was not simply the calibre of the speakers — it was the clarity of the connections between them. Sam Lane brought these threads together masterfully, helping the audience see that Lee's argument for bold, strategic ESG thinking, John's call for genuine leadership in sustainability-led markets, and Gout and Peter's account of elite preparation were all expressions of the same underlying truth.

Excellence is not an event. It is a practice — built in the quiet moments, sustained through discipline, and renewed through the willingness to keep improving even when you are already ahead.

Whether the conversation turned to structured training blocks or strategic planning cycles, to managing race pressure or navigating regulatory complexity, to the role of a support team in athletics or the importance of member partnerships in business — the parallels were not forced. They were self-evident.

This is precisely the spirit Ecycle Solutions sought to capture with the event: that the organisations and individuals who lead their fields are not defined by the sector they operate in, but by the standards they hold themselves to.

Watch the Event Recap

A full video recap of the evening is now available to watch. Whether you joined us on the night or are hearing about Excellence in Motion for the first time, we invite you to experience the conversations that made the evening so compelling.

Watch here: https://youtu.be/sJmPxcMTvXg

About Ecycle Solutions

Ecycle Solutions is Australia's largest Co-regulator of the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme (NTCRS), operating the nation's most extensive reverse logistics network and reaching more than 97% of the Australian population. A business unit of QLS Group, Ecycle Solutions is committed to supporting its members beyond compliance — delivering insight, strategy, and genuine partnership to help them strengthen performance, build capability, and achieve long-term sustainability.

Excellence in Motion reflects that commitment — not as a one-off event, but as an ongoing conversation about what it means to lead with purpose, perform with discipline, and grow with intention.

About the NTCRS

The National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme (NTCRS) enables Australian households and small businesses to drop off eligible televisions and computers for free recycling. Ecycle Solutions, as the scheme's largest Co-Regulator, plays a central leadership role in ensuring the scheme operates with excellence, reach, and integrity across the country.

For more information, visit www.ecyclesolutions.net.au or contact [email protected]