The Corporate Health and Wellbeing Summit attracts a fantastic mix of inspirational speakers and successful case study speakers. The 2020 summit builds upon this tradition, with an agenda packed full of exceptional speakers.
Further photos and bios of confirmed speakers will be made available on this page in the coming months.
Gemma McCaw was born and raised in Tauranga and is a retired New Zealand Hockey Player. Gemma represented her country from 2008-2016, playing 241 test caps and competing at three Olympic Games. She is also a dual Commonwealth Games medalist.
With a degree in Sport and Exercise Science and a Diploma in Positive Psychology and Wellbeing, Gemma co-founded Performance Wellbeing, working with individuals and groups to enhance their health and wellbeing and achieve their goals both inside and outside of work. At Performance Wellbeing, they combine the science of wellbeing with the tools from high performance sport to help people to thrive and make positive lifestyle changes.
Outside of work, Gemma is the proud patron for the Chalky Carr Trust which raises funds for those affected by cancer and is also a New Zealand Olympic Ambassador, visiting schools and teaching students about the importance of friendship, values and respect in sport and in life.
Dr Michael Carr-Gregg is one of Australia’s highest profile psychologists, author, broadcaster and a specialist in parenting, children, adolescents and the use of technology for mental health.
Michael is the author of 14 best-selling books, including Surviving Adolescents, The Princess Bitchface Syndrome 2.0, Beyond Cyberbullying and When to Really Worry.
Michael has been the resident expert on Channel 7’s Sunrise for over a decade, as well as a social commentator on the Morning Show with Neil Mitchell on Radio 3AW and Sky News. He is a columnist for a number of publications including the Huffington Post, Girlfriend Magazine and the Australian Boarding Schools Association publication LightsOut.
Michael is an ambassador for Smiling Mind, Big Brothers Big Sister, Read the Play and Road Trauma Families Victoria and sits on the National Centre Against Bullying and the Federal Government’s Online Safety Working Group.
Michael is the Commonwealth representative to the Australian Children’s Television Foundation helping to develop children’s television policy and supporting new children’s media.
Jimi is the co-founder of the charity Live More Awesome and is most well known for his work in reducing the stigma around mental health in a distinctly colourful way. He is a Guinness World Record holder, two times TEDx speaker, a regular panellist on morning radio/TV shows and has been the subject of a documentary and two feature episodes of a major US Network show highlighting his unique and highly successful exploits into raising awareness of mental health.
Jimi is committed to affecting radical, positive change in people’s lives through his unique perspective on mental wellness and offers simple, effective life skills and techniques for individuals to implement.
Twice nominated for New Zealander of the Year and finalist in both New Zealander of the Year and New Zealand Innovator of the Year, Jimi provides a very different approach to how we think about mental health and has a gift for weaving his own personal story in a raw, humorous and very relatable way that inspires audiences to take charge of their own mental well-being.
Deeply invested in personal growth, change and developing people past their own self-limiting beliefs, Jimi has presented keynotes to a vast array of audiences and organisations in New Zealand and overseas and his thought-provoking insights into how we can all deal better with our mental health holds relevance in all areas of society.
Simon Dowling is a leading thinker on creating collaborative teams and workplaces. As a speaker, facilitator and educator, he works closely with leaders and teams from some of Australia’s most interesting organisations, equipping them with the inspiration and know-how to build strong, highly engaged teams.
Simon possesses a unique blend of creativity and pragmatism – something reflected in his past experience. He began his career as a commercial lawyer, and is also an experienced
improviser, regularly performing with leading improvisation company Impro Melbourne. He was a regular cast member on Working Dog’s hit TV show Thank God You’re Here.
As the founder and Managing Director of training and development company 2engage, Simon has nearly two decades experience working with senior executive groups to build their communication and leadership effectiveness. He is also a member of the Australian faculty of DukeCE – the executive education arm of the internationally acclaimed business school at Duke University.
Collaborative leadership is a topic so close to Simon’s heart that he wrote a book about it. In Work with Me: How to get people to buy into your ideas (Wiley, 2016), Simon encourages everyone to become a champion of buy-in— a critical skill for ‘small L’ leadership… the essence of any collaborative workplace.
Claire is a qualified nutritionist who has been working in the health and wellness industry for more than 15 years.
Claire’s passion is to help make it easier for others to eat well and live happy, balanced lives. Her approach is real, practical and very down to earth. She balances her work with two young children (aged five and one) so she really knows what it is like to juggle and have to find solutions that work in the real world.
Claire is the Nutritionist for Healthy Food Guide magazine, TVNZ Breakfast and Newstalk ZB as well as featuring in three prime time TV shows. Claire is also the owner and director of the private nutrition practice and corporate wellness company Mission Nutrition.
Claire has published two best sellers with penguin random house: Lose Weight for Life and Feel Good for Life, as well as a wellness diary called It’s a beautiful day.
Paul spends most of his time facilitating leadership and emotional intelligence focused programmes across the private and public sectors. He works with everyone from the Hurricanes to Central Agencies of government. His charitable interests see him visit prisons and act as patron for START Taranaki, which helps at risk young men turn their lives around. Paul is also a regular contributor to the media.
Paul’s presentation style is dynamic, humorous, and deeply authentic. He speaks to the human experience and provides practical insight on topics such as our capacity for change, how to cope with uncertainty, how to build mental toughness and resilience, the importance of self-reflection and personal accountability in growth, how to identify and maximise our potential, and how to turn adversity to your advantage.
Dr Paul Wood has a B.A. in Philosophy & Psychology; an M.A. in Psychology and a PhD in Differential Psychology
However an 18 year-old, Dr Paul Wood was completely off the rails. He wasn’t coping with the impending death of his mother, he was dependent on drugs, and was an unemployed high-school dropout who was committing crimes to feed his habit.
Two days after his mother died he lost control when his then drug dealer attempted to sexually assault him. Paul was convicted of murder for this offence and then spent more than a decade in some of New Zealand’s toughest prisons. During this period Paul became the first person in New Zealand’s history to progress through undergraduate and Masters degrees while in prison. He was also the first person to begin a Doctorate while incarcerated.
Paul’s educational pursuits dovetailed with a journey of personal exploration and change, both of which gave him a profound understanding of the ingredients required to successfully strive towards our potential, deal with the challenges of change, and build the mental toughness and resilience necessary to flourish in adversity.
On his release, Paul was able to translate this knowledge into strategies for improving leadership effectiveness and organisational culture. As a result, Paul rose rapidly through the ranks to become the senior manager responsible for Training and Development within the multinational professional services firm OPRA Consulting Group. Paul now runs his own practice and has served as a committee member and advisor to a number of boards.