WHO WILL be there
At Cars, Watches and Legacy, you will meet 200 people who have lived, built, failed, rebuilt and created with intention. These are not surface-level conversations. These are founders, doctors, creatives, leaders and everyday heroes who carry stories worth sharing.
It’s not about status, it’s about character. Every person in this community has overcome something difficult, contributed something meaningful or stood for something that matters. This is the kind of room where you feel inspired just by being there. A room full of people who value meaning, effort and heart.
Here are the people featured in Vol 2 of this year’s book.
Paul Finn
Paul is the creator of Cars, Watches and Legacy and the founder of Staunch Digital. He spends his life building brands, telling stories and bringing good people together. His work is grounded in meaning, emotion and shared passion rather than surface-level networking.
Paul sees cars and watches as the perfect way to make connections easier and more human. He is someone worth meeting because he creates spaces where relationships grow naturally and opportunities appear without forcing them.
Dr Dinesh Palipana
Dinesh is a doctor, lawyer and researcher working in emergency medicine and spinal cord injury research. His life changed after a devastating accident, yet he rebuilt everything with quiet strength and unwavering purpose.
He works across medicine, advocacy and innovation, using his experience to improve lives for others. Dinesh brings a rare blend of depth, resilience and humility into every interaction. Spend five minutes with him and you walk away with a clearer sense of what really matters.
Mick Vidler
Mick built one of Queensland’s largest garage door companies before becoming CEO of a national group and later taking over Dynamic Bradview Roofing. His story is full of risk, sacrifice and the kind of determination that comes from building a business with no safety net.
He brings sharp instinct and genuine grit to every conversation. People appreciate him because he talks straight, listens well and doesn’t waste time. Mick is someone you want to connect with if you value honesty and real experience.
Yiota Athousis
Yiota is the founder of Ola Digital, a web design studio built on integrity, creativity and genuine care for clients. Her career began in a small agency where she was pushed to lie to customers, a moment that forced her to draw a line and walk away because it clashed with her values. That experience became the fuel for a new kind of business, one built on transparency, heart and treating people the way she wished the industry would.
She helps clients feel safe in a world where tech can be confusing and predatory, making websites feel human and empowering rather than intimidating. Spending time with Yiota leaves you feeling grounded and understood because she leads with warmth, honesty and genuine connection.
Sharon Phillips
Sharon is a powerful sales and leadership coach known for her energy, charisma and sharp instinct. She brings humour and confidence into every room she enters. Her work focuses on helping people perform at a high level while staying true to themselves.
Sharon leaves people feeling stronger, braver and clearer. You will want to meet her because she pushes you forward in the best way.
Michael Engeman
Michael leads Ainslie Group with a focus on culture, clarity and long-term performance across multiple locations. His leadership style is calm, methodical and values-driven. He is the sort of person who earns trust through consistency rather than noise.
Conversations with Michael are always grounded, practical and thoughtful. He is someone worth meeting because he earned his position through hard work and dedication.
Gayan Konara
Gayan is Head of Sales at Connected Platforms and one of the youngest senior leaders in the IT industry. His career is shaped by resilience, loss, and a powerful sense of focus forged early in life. Gayan carries himself with a presence far beyond his age and brings maturity into every room.
He asks good questions, listens deeply and makes people feel understood. You’ll want to meet him because he combines real ambition with genuine character.
Chad Arenson
Chad is a long-standing figure in the car community whose reputation is built on relationships rather than horsepower. His approach to business is people-focused and straightforward, centred on trust, consistency and showing up for others. He has spent years building genuine networks across automotive circles, earning respect through his calm presence and steady values.
Chad brings an ease to conversation that makes people feel comfortable immediately. He is the kind of person worth meeting because he turns every interaction into a stronger connection.
Eric Cheshire
Eric is the founder of Connected Platforms, one of Brisbane’s most respected IT and cybersecurity providers. He built his business slowly and intentionally, focusing on reliability, culture and long term client relationships.
Eric is known for being calm, strategic and quietly brilliant. His conversations spark ideas and often shift how people think about business and life design. He is someone worth meeting because he represents what steady, grounded leadership looks like.
Clint Coker
Clint Coker is the CEO of Live Life Pharmacy and has a great relationship with Westpac. His path into pharmacy and business wasn’t linear, but every turn shaped the leader he is today. He brings curiosity, steady confidence and a practical approach to solving problems. Clint’s outlook on work and life is shaped by real responsibility and service to others.
People enjoy speaking with him because he makes complicated topics feel clear and manageable. He is worth meeting if you appreciate thoughtful, grounded conversation.
Aaron Smith
Aaron builds high-performing sales systems for businesses while being a dedicated father and disciplined leader. His blend of family values and strong commercial expertise makes him both relatable and sharp. He approaches challenges with structure and calm thinking.
Aaron helps people see growth as something achievable rather than overwhelming. You’ll want to meet him because he has a way of motivating you without trying to impress you.
Paul Vincent
Paul Vincent is one of Australia’s most respected forensic accountants, known for nearly forty years of unpacking financial disputes with clarity and precision. His career began unexpectedly when a brutal courtroom cross-examination pushed him to master a profession he had never planned on entering. He went on to found Vincents in 1989, growing it from a small practice into a nationally recognised advisory firm trusted by courts and legal teams across the country.
Outside of his core work, he contributes to public good through roles with Autism CRC and Urban Utilities, bringing the same discipline and thoughtful leadership to community service. Speaking with Paul leaves a strong impression because he combines sharp intellect, curious thinking and genuine warmth, especially when he talks about his grandchildren, his watch and the simple joys that matter most.
Benny Lukacs
Benny built a seven-figure media and acquisitions group in his early 20s, but his story begins far from business success. He grew up watching his single mum clean motel rooms, flipping beds beside her at nine years old to help pay for food. That early struggle shaped a work ethic and hunger that still drives him today, pushing him to learn marketing, branding, tech and design at a rapid pace so he could create opportunities for himself and his family.
His approach to business is refreshing and straightforward: be real, stay grounded, and put people first, even as the cars and lifestyle around him grow. Talking to Benny is energising because he blends ambition with gratitude, and he’s honest about how hard life used to be, which makes his success feel meaningful rather than flashy.
Vas Comblas
Vas is the founder of Thunderbolt Run, a car community built not on luxury but on loyalty, grit and shared struggle. His story begins in government housing with a single pushbike, a Greek migrant mother who fought off thieves for the only fifteen dollars she had, and a childhood that taught him resilience fast. He grew into a nightclub bouncer who talked people down instead of throwing them out, then a gym owner who lost everything twice but rebuilt each time with nothing but determination and a caravan out the back.
The values tattooed on his arm, Love, Honour, Respect, are not slogans. They are the blueprint for how he lives, how he leads and why people trust him instantly. Meeting Vas leaves an impression because he carries the weight of loss, the courage to start again and the heart to show up for others even when life has knocked him flat.
Jack Bailey
Jack Bailey is the founder of Elevate Insurance Brokers, where he helps businesses and families get clarity around risk and protection. He brings a rare mix of precision, communication skills and genuine care, shaped by years of hands-on experience across commercial and personal insurance. His approach is built on translating complex policies into simple decisions that actually hold up when something goes wrong.
Jack is known for showing up, building strong referral relationships and fighting hard to get claims paid when clients need it. He is worth meeting because he combines competence, integrity and confidence in a way that makes people feel protected and understood.
Dr Robert Henderson
Rob is a neurologist with more than 25 years of experience dedicated to treating and researching MND and neuromuscular diseases. His work with the Nerve Connection Foundation focuses on funding the research roles needed to advance breakthroughs.
Rob speaks with clarity, honesty and urgency, making complex medical challenges easy to understand. He brings purpose to the event in a way that inspires action rather than sympathy. Meeting him gives you a sense of direction for making a meaningful difference.
Bran Sri
Bran is the founder of Queensland Luxury Car Rentals and a familiar face in the Queensland car scene. His story blends entrepreneurship with a strong code of ethics, shaped by years of building businesses while staying grounded and connected to the community.
He brings enthusiasm, generosity and a genuine love for people into everything he does. Bran has a talent for making others feel included and appreciated, whether he is sharing a car story or talking business. He is worth meeting because he carries passion and lifts the energy of any room he walks into.
Rory O’Donovan
Rory is a creator whose life is built around a deep, lifelong obsession with cars. He blends art, emotion and engineering into a unique identity he describes as cartism, a way of living where cars are the only thing that matters. His perspective is intense, creative and unapologetically passionate.
Rory brings colour and energy to conversations, making people see cars differently through his eyes. He is worth meeting because he represents the pure artistic side of automotive culture.
Ethan Prestidge
Ethan is a photographer and video creator known for his discipline, structure and attention to detail. He approaches creative work with a business brain, building systems that support clients long after the shoot is done. His calm, focused style sets him apart in an industry often driven by chaos.
Ethan is dependable, thoughtful and deeply committed to producing work that stands the test of time. He is worth meeting because he turns stories into a visual legacy with precision and intention.