CELEBRITY SPEAKERS - Key Persons
Allie was just amazing - she really impressed the delegates at the conference. Her presentation was fun and everyone learnt a lot from it to apply to both their personal and business lives. Allie worked incredibly well with other presenters too, ensuring a seamless fit to the entire conference. She is wonderful to work with - very professional and lots of fun. We look forward to working with her again in the future.
Allie has been great as always, she has been inspirational and entertaining, staff have thoroughly enjoyed listening to her and learning from her. Fantastic!
Allie Mooney went out of her way to provide an excellent presentation at our Staff Conference. We were looking for an inspirational speaker and she certainly fulfilled this role plus much more. Allie had done her research of our Association before the event and was in communication with our team beforehand. Allie is a very warm, friendly person and everyone felt comfortable with her right from the start. Allie relates well to all personality types. We could have listened to her for hours. Very entertaining and we were able to have a good laugh at ourselves. We all gained a lot from her presentation. We would highly recommend Allie for any event.
Allie Mooney was the most impactful speaker I've seen in my 20 years in Entrepreneur's Organization. Her presentation has launched dozens of conversations with my family, colleagues, and friends . She helped me understand some people I found difficult and to radically improve my relationship with my son. Allie Mooney was scattered, unorganized, charming, and brilliant.
An international speaker of vast experience, Allison has not only gained respect, but built a powerful brand, inspiring many high profile companies. She is valued for her ability to engage an audience and give practical effective business tools that ensure buoyancy and resilience. Her presentation style makes for a fun and entertaining program, and more importantly, the uncomplicated content generates greater retention and application. The topic is universal in its content so can be applied across all industries, professions and cultures.
Amanda Gore is CEO of The Joy Project, an author, speaker, Huffington Post columnist and business woman. She is one of 4 Australians inducted into the USA Speaker Hall of Fame.
She works with small and large organisations like Flight Centre, McDonalds, Westpac, AMP, MDRT, CBA, Google, Remax, Disney, Hilton, The Direct Selling and many other associations, hospitals and schools to help them create cultures of joy and engagement and to bring the humanity back into their organisations.
As a communications and performance expert, Amanda believes success in business is always about feelings - the the way we feel about a product, organization or person influences how we behave and informs our decisions about how we spend, or who we conduct business with.
Her presentations are engaging and very funny experiences that embed powerful and relevant messages that are tailored to your desired outcomes.
Amanda Gore at the Saxton Sydney Corporate Luncheon November 2008 Amanda Gore is CEO of The Joy Project, an author, speaker, Huffington Post columnist and business woman. She is one of 4 Australians inducted into the USA Speaker Hall of Fame.
Amanda Gore brings a level of energy, enthusiasm, humor, and intelligence far above the conventional 'motivational speaker' you may be seeking for your next meeting. If you want to make your ... keep reading meeting memorable, and I do mean memorable (attendees are still talking about her presentation and message), and send people home on a high note, Amanda is the speaker for you. American Association of Diabetes Educators
A tribute to your magnetic presentation was when so many of the participants willingly danced around and interacted. I have never been so pleasantly surprised by how you were able to enlist eve our most 'standoff-ish' participants.
Amanda Millar is an in-demand MC and facilitator - drawing on her journalism skills to deliver in a very professional and seamless way.
Expertise
Topics
Andrew Dickens is a legend in Auckland radio after a 13 year stint as the breakfast host of Classic Hits. For seven of those years, his show was the number one music breakfast show and was three times nominated as best breakfast show at the New Zealand Radio Awards. Thousands of Aucklanders welcomed him into their homes every morning.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Lord Mayor
- Master of Ceremonies Saxton Speakers / Deputy
- Sustainable Business Expert
Arron Wood is a sustainable business expert and former Deputy Lord Mayor for the City of Melbourne, and is a News Ltd Telstra Micro Business Award winner.
At the pulse of what makes Melbourne an incredible city, Arron is Chair of the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute and currently serves on the South East Water Board, and previously Chaired the Melbourne Ecocity World Summit Advisory Board and was a member of the Fisherman's Bend Ministerial Advisory Committee.
In 2020 Arron was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to local government, to the environment, and to the community of Melbourne.
Arron Wood shares the personal battles he has faced by providing inspiration to anyone who has ever felt as though they're unable to overcome adversity. From facing schoolyard bullies, battling low self-esteem and ultimately having to deal with depression and anxiety while running a business. Arron's path to his current success has been filled with obstacles that many people will have experienced themselves, however he has managed to turn his business (most people think should be voluntary charity) into social entrepreneurism with millions in annual turnover.
Deputy Lord Mayor Arron Wood chairs the Finance and Governance portfolio for the City of Melbourne and is a News Ltd Telstra Micro Business Award winner. At the pulse of what makes Melbourne an incredible city, Arron is council representative on the City of Melbourne's Audit Committee as well as CEO of the Employment Matters Committee. He currently serves on the committee for Melbourne, Victorian Local Governance Association, Melbourne Ecocity World Summit Advisory Board, the Fishermans Bend Ministerial Advisory Committee (as Lord Mayor's delegate) and the Melbourne Art Trust.
Arron Wood is one of those remarkable people who, at 28, make you wonder what the hell you've been doing with your life. This environmentalist is a natural leader, chased by both ends of th ... keep reading e political spectrum. He is best known for founding the International River Health Conference and environmental educational campaigns for children… The Weekend Australian
When I heard the Distinguished Speaker Series was about the environment, I must admit I was not looking forward to it. Yes, it s an important topic but also one that can be very boring. Arron Wood was a great presenter and made it interesting, engaging and relevant. So, thank you guys for having him this semester and making me for once, listen to what is going on with our environment.
Job Titles:
- Professional Presenter Showreel
- Social Analyst
- Social Researcher
Ashley Fell is a social researcher, TEDx speaker and the Director of Advisory at McCrindle. She is the author of two books on leadership and generational insights, titled Work Wellbeing and Generation
Ashley was polished, succinct, poised and in every way, a truly professional speaker that engaged at a deep and personal level with my clients. The content matched the brief perfectly, and o ... keep reading f the 20 speakers I engaged this year, Ashley ranks among the best, if not the best. Financial Institution
Ashley was absolutely amazing. The feedback has been fantastic. Everyone loved her presentation and the way she delivered it. Ashley was informative whilst maintaining a good pace and also injected some humour throughout. She provided great insights for our team. Some comments from attendees: "Terrific insight provided by Ashley with her presentation. Entertaining and very topical. Great choice of speaker" "Ashley was brilliant! " "She was a great presenter and had very useful information for our industry and how we can approach the future of sales and marketing. Loved it" "Very informative and got us engaged with humour and interesting facts. She was so good we will be using her services in the future".
Barbara Kendall achieved international recognition by winning New Zealand's only gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. She was the first Kiwi woman to do so for 40 years. She has had an amazing sporting career spanning nearly 25 years. Having two young children didn't stop her achieving international success.
Barbara has extended this program with her vast knowledge. She addresses different corporate clients in New Zealand to deliver leadership training - including culture, confidence, sustained performance and self-intelligence.
Barbara's natural warmth, vitality and enthusiasm have won the hearts of so many New Zealanders - she has instant audience appeal, whether she is sharing Olympic anecdotes or the secrets to her success.
Her story is one of hard work, goal setting, discipline, motivation, determination and passion. Barbara is a tremendous role model for young and old alike.
Barbara is a relaxed humorous speaker who naturally captured the audience.
Barry Soper has been a journalist since the 1970's with the last two decades spent in the Parliamentary Press Gallery. He is the longest serving member of the gallery and the country's most experienced political broadcast journalist.
Previous experience
Radio and media
Barry came to the gallery as political editor for private radio but during his time he has made frequent appearances on television commentating on politics. He has also fronted Counterpoint for TVNZ, Right of Reply, an interview show in the leadup to the last election for Saturn, and Absolutely Soper, a light hearted weekly feature which was part of TV2's late night news. As well as spending time as a radio talkback host. He also served an unprecedented three terms as chairman of the press gallery.
Through his work he has known and travelled abroad with seven Prime Ministers, the first of whom was Rob Muldoon. He has also met some of the most celebrated world leaders, including Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher, Jimmy Carter, most of the Australian Prime Ministers, among them Paul Keating who once called him a "blow fly", and President Bill Clinton.
Barry covered both the Fijian coups in 1987 and 2000, and was the first international journalist to secure an interview with rebel leader, George Speight. He was also the only New Zealand broadcast journalist to stay on in Suva after the shooting started within a week of the coup.
In 2001, Soper was named Individual Radio Journalist of the Year at the radio awards.
Ben Taylor was born in Dunedin in 1988 at the same time his father, Sir Ian Taylor, was founding Animation Research Ltd. Ben spent his childhood surrounded by innovation and unorthodox thinking. Originally nick-named 'seek and destroy' along with his older brother for the chaos they caused at ARL, Ben now uses that same disruptive energy to revolutionise the way we consume some of the biggest sports events in the world.
To the shock of both his parents, at 16 years old Ben declared he was going to boarding school having already completed the necessary transfer paperwork with both Headmasters. He had decided he was going to get a scholarship to play college tennis in the States and being based in Wellington was a necessary step. The most surprising part about all of this was that Ben wasn't that great at tennis. A few years later Ben graduated Florida Southern College summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA and having the 7th best winning record in his school's history.
After college Ben spent 6 years on the road visiting up to 30 countries every year, immersing himself in culture, TV production and innovation. Now Ben oversees ARL's work in Golf, Baseball, Cricket, Sailing and Motorsport where he drives a team of developers and graphic artists to deliver the world-leading graphics we see on our screens every day. Ben is an expert in commercial deals and has successfully negotiated long term contracts with Paramount, Discovery, Disney, Comcast, PGA TOUR, MLB, FOX USA, FOX Australia, Golf Channel and many more.
Ben has three young children and lives in Dunedin with his wife Samantha, where he is a fierce promoter of his city's history and future potential. He invests locally in Dunedin and participates in a number of initiatives focused on securing Dunedin's future as one of the worlds great small cities.
Expertise
Talking Points
Ben and ARL's founding idea almost share the same birthday. Although the company wasn't officially registered until 1990 (Ben born in '88), Ben and ARL grew up side by side. Ian's famous "Bugger the boxing, pour the concrete anyway" was etched into Ben's mind from a young age, so much so that he thought that's how everyone did business. It wasn't until Ben went to University in Florida that he realized how wrong he was.
Ben spoke at our 2024 national conference and what a great story he has to tell made up of many interesting and inspiring moments and experiences. He delivered with great audience connection articulately and with obvious passion. Our delegates were in thrall throughout.
Bethany Hamilton has become a source of inspiration to millions through her story of determination, faith, and hope. At the age of thirteen, the young surfer lost her left arm to a 14-foot tiger shark. With resilience and tenacity, she returned to the water a month later; and within two years had won her first national title. Her remarkable story has been told in a best-selling autobiography and in the 2011 blockbuster sensation film, Soul Surfer. Not satisfied with mediocrity, Bethany has continually pushed her surfing ability and has proven to be one of the leading professional surfers of our time. She has been called the "Queen of Surfing" and her legendary status was confirmed when she beat two of the world's best competitive surfers during a women's pro event in Fiji in 2016. This year she is being inducted into the Surfer's Hall of Fame.
Job Titles:
- Talent & Social Media Coordinator and PA to Louise Ryburn
Job Titles:
- Client Relationship Manager & Trends Analyst
Job Titles:
- Client Relationship Manager
Job Titles:
- Executive Leadership Roles in the Health Sector for over a Decade and Was New Zealand 's Director - General of Health from June 2018 to July 2022
In 2023, Sir Ashley began a new role as a professor at the University of Auckland where he is teaching on public health and leadership and establishing a new Institute to strengthen the impact of the University's world-class research. He is also working on global health with the World Health Organization and is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors, having recently been appointed to the Board of ESR.
Sir Ashley Bloomfield has held executive leadership roles in the health sector for over a decade and was New Zealand's Director-General of Health from June 2018 to July 2022.
Job Titles:
- Client Relationship Manager
Job Titles:
- Client Relationship Manager
Job Titles:
- Sustainable Business Expert and Former Deputy Lord Mayor of Melbourne