Episode 13: Michele Mattiuzzi - Policing, Prime Time & Building Empires

Michele Mattiuzzi has built a career that is anything but conventional.

At 21, he joined a specialist tactical operations and counter-terrorism environment within the Australian Federal Police, where he was involved in protecting Prime Ministers John Howard and Kevin Rudd and became a weapons instructor. Just a year later, he made another extraordinary career move - into television.

For more than a decade, Michele was a recurring character on Australia’s Home and Away, later working across other major productions. But while acting gave him a public profile, Michele's real passion was building businesses - often from behind the scenes.

He went on to help build a Harvey Norman IT business from the ground up to approximately $200 million in just two years, while working with major global technology brands including Lenovo, Microsoft and Intel. He has since worked across technology, automotive, luxury and consumer businesses, helping owners and organisations identify opportunities, solve problems and scale.

Michele's experience has given him a rare perspective on both the mechanics of business and the human factors that can make or break it.

His journey hasn't been defined by success alone. After experiencing extreme pressure, burnout and profound personal and professional setbacks, Michele was forced to rebuild his life from the ground up.