Penny speed meets... Damien Coates, CEO, Dual International

What was your first ever job -and were you any good at it?
A milkman at 14. I had to jump off the truck and run the milk up to each house. I was a total natural at it

If an MP3 player could hold only three tunes, what would you select for the ultimate soundtrack to your life?
Better Man by Pearl Jam - my power song when I'm running; Beautiful Day by U2 - my first dance; and my kids and I do a great Mr Brightside by The Killers

Who was your top teenage pin-up?
My all-time hero - Steve Waugh

My colleagues won't know this about me but...
I'm a pretty open book, and what they don't know is probably best left that way

Favourite book of all time?
Anything on the Kennedys

What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?
Make decisions. Sometimes they'll be wrong, but you won't get anywhere if you don't make them

What would be your chosen superpower?
I'd like to be able to teleport, so that I can nip home to play football with the kids

If you could be Prime Minister for the day, what change would you instigate and why?
I'd put the medics back in charge of the NHS - a simple solution for an institution the world envies

How would a typical school report about you read?
Damien has trouble sitting still

My top tip for climbing the insurance career ladder is...
Work hard and be honest. There's no magic to it

What's the most annoying thing people do in your office?
Email instead of call each other - the art of conversation is dying and it's what keeps businesses alive

My last supper would comprise...
A chicken tom yum soup, followed by king prawn Thai red curry and coconut rice, all washed down with a cold Singha beer or three

Who has been the most influential person in your life?
My wife, Alex. After 10 years of marriage and three great kids, there's no pretending anyone else is that important

When I'm not working I like to...
Do anything active, especially when it ends with going for a drink with friends. I climbed Mount Almanzor in July. It is a rite of passage in Spain, and was pretty special

Last film you saw?
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - on a plane from London to Sydney

If I wasn't working in insurance I would probably be...
A sports commentator - don't care what sport, I love them all

Name your five ideal dinner party guests (dead or alive) noting what they bring to the party
JFK, Richard Branson, Steve Waugh, Nelson Mandela and Stephen Fry - for their histories, humour and genius

Marmite: foods of the gods or work of the devil?
Don't you mean Vegemite?

Career highpoint to date?
Aside from being the best milkman in town when I was a kid, my greatest achievement is the start-up of Dual Australia in 2004, and its growth into a A$100m business

If you could travel back in time, where would you go?
Back to watch Donald Bradman play

Finish this sentence: Insurance is a great industry to work in because...
It's full of good people, and somewhere that a blend of personality and geekiness goes a long way

Would you like to be probed by Penny on one of her speed meets? Get in touch via lynn.rouse@incisivemedia.com.