A near-fatal experience caused by a stingray, a long trek in Nepal and possibly the worst employee feedback in history are the life-changing events revealed by the chairmen of Telstra, Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Woolworths.

John Mullen from Telstra, Catherine Livingstone (CBA) and Gordon Cairns (Woolies) opened up about personal matters during a “chairman–unplugged” session at the Australian Shareholders’ Association Investor Conference in Sydney on Tuesday.