Apr 29, 2026
“I remember being a young bloke as Lord Mayor and I was almost reticent to ask my small team to do the job. I felt guilty. Over time I realised that delegating is actually giving people opportunities.”
In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I speak to David Borger, Executive Director for Business Western Sydney and former NSW Politician, on Building alliances with your enemies, finding your executive courage, and championing legacy projects.
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David is the Executive Director of Business Western Sydney, where he champions the growth, infrastructure and innovation precincts shaping one of Australia’s most important regions.
A former Lord Mayor of Parramatta (the youngest ever at just 30), David has also been the State Member for Granville and Minister for Roads and Housing, and has has spent his career bringing people together around big ideas and getting things done.
He has served on a range of Boards across government, business, transport, culture and urban development, including NRMA and the Powerhouse Museum.
David is still as passionate as ever about ensuring that all communities are great places to live, regardless of where they are located.
In this Masterclass, we talk about:
✅ Building alliances around ideas, by communicating even with your enemies.
✅ Finding the courage to speak up when you first get elevated to a senior position.
✅ Advocating for large projects in small decision time windows, and
✅ Championing Western Sydney’s infrastructure, innovation precincts and legacy projects.
Stay epic,
Greg
Connecting with David Borger
You can connect with David via LinkedIn.
Books and Resources
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Freedom's Forge - by Arthur Herman
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The New Geography of Jobs - by Enrico Moretti
Similar Episodes from Business NSW
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Paula Martin, Executive Director, Regional NSW and Visitor Economy, on Learning from everyone, adapting to shorter strategy cycles, and genuinely receiving feedback
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Paul Nicolaou, the Executive Director of Business Sydney, on The 3Ps of building an insanely valuable network, daring to be different, and making people happy
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Zaklina Craig, Executive Director – People, Culture & Workplace, on Optimising role design for peak performance, managing differences in confidence between men and women, and navigating the decision to fire someone
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