2026 Impact INTL: Australia/New Zealand Honoree: Matt Gudinski

Matt Gudinski
CEO
Mushroom Group

First Concert: ”By the time I was 5, I was going on the road with Billy Joel, Madonna and Jimmy Barnes.”

After taking over as head of the Mushroom Group following the March 2021 passing of its founder Michael Gudinski at 68, Matt Gudinski has maintained the culture his father created while moving with the times.

In the last year, Mushroom Group’s live sector has run 200 tours and events. It has multiple listings in this issue’s ANZ charts, with Frontier Touring at the top, and MG Live at No. 4.

In his teens, Gudinski had started to inject Mushroom with an urban groove, bringing out Drake, 50 Cent, Khalid, A$AP Rocky and Bruno Mars for their first visits.

Fridayz Live, set up as a hip-hop/R&B festival, drew 48,280 over five cities in its first year. Last year, with a slight format change, it took in 160,000. At 17, Gudinski was made executive director in 2003, his calm considered approach a yin to Michael’s hyper yang. Both shared a penchant for making decisions on instinct, incredible work ethics and passion for Australian music.

“Dad didn’t get that No. 1 hit in America but it’s still a goal,” Gudinski says. “On his behalf I’d like to achieve that.”

Explaining changes in Mushroom’s culture, Gudinski explains, “Part of the strategy as I took over the business was to align the various divisions. That ensured they worked closer together and really trying to harness the various strengths of this amazing collective of 300 people.”

A major step comes early 2027 when the Mushroom Group moves out of its headquarters of 45 years at 9 Dundas Lane in Albert Park. It’s so iconic that tourism buses stop by. “We outgrew Dundas Lane a long time ago,” he says. “Part of the move into the city is to bring 160 employees, currently spread over three buildings into one.”

The strategy is to diversify operations, and expand its brands.

“Everything we do is music talent being at the centre point,” he says. “That has been the case for the last 50-plus years. But as we expand the company we are working with a broader range of talent, whether they be amazing creatives or amazing entrepreneurs.”