Conference Speakers in 2018

Speakers at The Corporate PA Summits are a mixture of celebrity speakers, inspirational professional speakers and leading EAs. Bios and photos of confirmed speakers will be posted on this page.

The Corporate PA Summit attracts a fantastic mix of inspirational speakers and successful case study speakers. The 54th Corporate PA Summit will build upon this tradition, with an agenda packed full of exceptional speakers. Below you will find the speakers confirmed so far for 2018:

Carmen Braidwood (summit MC)

Anh Do

Anh Do is an accomplished author, actor, producer and comedian, a man who went from being a starving refugee at the age of three to one of Australia’s best-loved entertainers, an ncredible story detailed in his multi award-winning and enormously popular memoir The Happiest Refugee.

Anh completed degrees in Business and Law at the University of Technology, Sydney, but declined offers from several law firms in favour of what he knew to be his true passion: comedy. After bagging every comedy award in town, including Sydney Comedian of the Year, playing to sell out crowds at the Melbourne Comedy Festival and The Sydney Opera House, and appearing on Rove Live, Spicks & Specks, Thank God You’re Here, Dancing with the Stars and The Footy Show, Anh Do turned his hand to acting, film producing, writing and the speaking world, where he has proven an incredibly popular MC, motivational keynote speaker and corporate entertainer.

He co-produced The Finished People (described by Margaret Pomeranz as “one of the best Australian films of 2003”), wrote the script for Footy Legends in which he acted alongside an all-star Australian cast including Angus Sampson, Claudia Karvan and Emma Lung, and has been a sketch writer for SBS’s Life Support and Sitcom Head Writer for Westy Ninja.

An accomplished actor, he was a regular on Channel 9’s Don’t Blame Me and has appeared in guest roles on Seachange, All Saints and Pizza.

The Happiest Refugee: A memoir was published in 2010, winning numerous awards including 2011 Australian Book of the Year, Biography of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, as well as 2011 Indie Book of the Year and Non-fiction Indie Book, and being shortlisted for the 2011 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards and the Community Relations Commission Award. It describes how his entire family came close to losing their lives at sea as they escaped from war-torn Vietnam in an overcrowded boat, facing murderous pirates and the imminent threat of death by hunger, disease and dehydration, to Anh’s current status as one of Australia’s best-loved personalities.

Peggy Grande

President Ronald Reagan chose Peggy Grande to work at his side for 10 years, and together they created a powerful partnership. Serving as his post-presidency Executive Assistant, Peggy was the liaison between Ronald Reagan personally and his staff, the public, local dignitaries and world leaders. She ensured that his events, travel, personal and political relationships and day to day operations were handled efficiently and effectively. She had a front row seat to history and got to know Ronald Reagan the man, not just the president.

She drafted and managed correspondence for his original signature, reviewed invitations, scheduled visitors, appointments and phone calls and attended to a wide range of office and personal needs. Peggy traveled with him regularly and was also his post-presidency official photographer which gave her a behind the scenes view of his private interactions with everyone from the general public to heads of state, including Gorbachev, Margaret Thatcher, Brian Mulroney, Helmut Kohl and even a saint – Mother Teresa. Peggy witnessed first-hand leadership on display at its highest and best. It was the honor of a lifetime for her to have known and worked closely with one of the greatest political figures of our era.

As a keynote speaker, she shares principles of leadership and excellence with corporations, non-profits, C-Suites, political groups, students and executive assistants. She is a certified consultant for the Fascination Assessment, and uses it to help individuals and companies discover and articulate their highest value.

Peggy is a graduate of Pepperdine University with a degree in Organizational Communications and Business. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their four diverse and accomplished children.

Peggy is the author of “The President Will See You Now: My Stories and Lessons From Ronald Reagan’s Final Years”

Nadine Champion

Nadine Champion is a truly inspiring keynote speaker, martial arts Sensei (teacher), author and entrepreneur. She is a thought leader on courage, inner strength and resilience, having engagingly presented for a wealth of notable companies such as Facebook and Telstra.

Her closing speech for TEDx Sydney 2015 is regarded as one of the most memorable of all time, with a packed Sydney Opera House audience rising to their feet in unison to applaud an outstanding performance from a very natural and gifted communicator. There was barely a dry eye left in the house.

Nadine’s authenticity shines through with her life changing 10 Seconds of Courage message – a powerful call to action challenging her audience to “change their thinking” in order to succeed. Her delivery is humorous, educational and touching in equal measure.

Her book 10 Seconds of Courage: How to Recognise and Embrace Life Changing Moments (Allen & Unwin 2017) covers practical yet dynamic concepts for better handling adverse situations to create positive outcomes, overcoming challenges and moving forward to a more meaningful life.

Nadine has dedicated thirty years of her life to studying martial arts and strengthening the mind. With a Gold Medal at the World Cup of Martial Arts and an undefeated record as a Title holding kickboxer, she embodies the competitive edge. As a woman in a traditionally male dominated arena, she has a unique insight into delivering under pressure and the importance of keeping a sense of humour.

A Black Belt student of a true martial arts Master, Nadine’s passion is telling colourful stories of her Sensei’s Yoda-like wisdom and how it can be applied both professionally and personally to overcome any obstacle. Having herself faced some of life’s biggest challenges such as cancer, she is an authority on facing your fears and negotiating difficult change. Through sharing her deep knowledge with anecdotes from her lived experience, she gives people tools and how to’s while motivating them to move beyond knowledge to implementation.

Described by high profile entrepreneur Naomi Simpson of Shark Tank & Red Balloon in her book Ready to Rise as a “role model, teacher and guide”, Nadine’s “ability to show up and share that 10 seconds of courage is what it takes to get started on the toughest battle- and we all have them”. Nadine is an inspiring speaker with an inspiring story.

Dr Nikki Stamp

Dr Nikki Stamp is a heart surgeon, a champion for women achieving in domains that are traditionally dominated by men and a strong advocate for the importance of self-care and work-life balance.

One of only eleven female cardiothoracic surgeons in Australia, she holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery with Honours from the University of Western Australia, and is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, specialising in cardiothoracic surgery.

Nikki has written for the likes of The Huffington Post, Women’s Agenda and Steel Heels, publishes a popular blog on health and wellbeing and was recently selected as one of Harper Bazaar’s Women of the Year for 2017.

Through her training as a surgeon, Nikki is determined to help educate the public about the importance of heart health and has a strong desire to change the way we think about our health, in particular encouraging professionals to remember to look after themselves, just as much as they priorities their jobs.

As well as being featured in The Huffington Post, Women’s Agenda and Steel Heels, Nikki was a prominent participant in the ‘I Look Like a Surgeon’ and ‘This is What We Look Like’ campaigns, which aim to provide women with strong, positive role models.

A Perth native, she enjoys running and swimming to keep physically and mentally fit and is no stranger to the stage, where she’s often played in bands and performed in musical theatre.

Dixie Marshall

Dixie Marshall walked away from a glamorous 27 year career as a senior television newsreader and journalist, to enter the brutal contact sport of politics.

As the Director of Strategic Communications and Media for the Barnett Government in Western Australia for six years until 2017, working from the Office of the Premier, Dixie oversaw a $50 million dollar advertising budget, advised the Premier and Cabinet on all significant communication initiatives and strategies, and devised, implemented and oversighted a coordinated whole of government communication framework – proactive and reactive, traditional, social and digital, signage and branding…the first time a synchronised framework was ever adopted across the whole of WA Government.

She fundamentally changed the way a state government delivered its stories, and insisted the significance of communications was elevated to the cabinet table.

Dixie drove and developed a number of WA first campaigns – from “Are You Ready?” for bushfire preparedness, to the WA state brand of “Worth Sharing”, and the controversial “Bigger Picture” story which would stretch across all major projects, education, police, planning, regions and transport.

Dixie was in the leadership team for two state elections – one was a landslide victory, the other a thumping defeat.

Along the way Dixie was applauded as an inspiration by many in the local advertising industry, while copping her fair share of criticism from politicians (mostly on her own side) for being too fierce and uncompromising, and perhaps a little disrespectful.

It was a massive shift from the role and reputation she had forged as a TV newsreader for the Nine Network, and before that as a sports commentator and the first woman boundary rider for the Seven Network. Dixie has hosted a national TV sports show (with Bruce McAvaney), won awards for journalism across TV and newspapers, and been a Commissioner for Tourism WA.

Dixie is now head of creative and partnerships for the Story Lab, part of the global media agency Dentsu Aegis.

Lisa O’Neill

Charismatic & engaging, Lisa is a well known keynote speaker to audiences in New Zealand and Australia.

Lisa is obsessed with people living the lives that they want to live – to be magnificent in their chosen life domain, honouring themselves by being more of themselves.

Bringing new insights and ideas, Lisa creates dramatic shifts in the lives of many people. Having worked in retail, marketing, branding and as a fashion stylist – Lisa has been empowering people her whole life. A mother of 4 – Lisa is the queen of juggling, a high energy multitasker who has he rare ability to inspire people to take action.

With more than 10 years as a keynote speaker, Lisa speaks of the importance of energy, excellent and enthusiasm, the myth of work-life balance and how to live a magnificent life.

Lisa is the author of three books, ‘Look Gorgeous Be Happy’ (2013) ‘Juggling in High Heels’ (2016), ’The Lickable Third’ (2018).

She believes that we all want to be happy, to have energy and to live fully expressed lives – but so few know how. How to have, be and do everything you want while you are alive.

Lisa’s keynote presentations are guaranteed to leave you feeling motivated, inspired and full of energy.

Dr Adrian Medhurst

Dr Adrian Medhurst is a psychologist, author, and co-founder of the work-life wellbeing tech business – Benny Button.

He is on a mission to optimise performance and wellbeing for people and organisations Adrian firmly believes that when we mindfully live at the intersection of our optimal level of performance and wellbeing, we are on the path to discovering new peaks of our potential.

“We need wellbeing to perform at our best – no exceptions. This means wellbeing AND performance deserve our mindful attention and effort – no exceptions.”

Adrian’s expertise has grown from a doctorate in organisational psychology, over 10 years in corporate consulting, university lecturing, and dedicated ongoing scientific study and practise in performance psychology, wellbeing science, organisational innovation, mindfulness meditation and yoga. He’s based in the coffee capital city of Melbourne, but his work has seen him deliver training programs, facilitated workshops, and keynote presentations right across Australia, Asia, Central and South America, the UK and our New Zealand neighbours.

Adrian has worked with businesses at the big end of town, as well as NFP’s, Government departments, SME’s and startups. Some of which include CBA, Nike, Medibank, Swisse Wellness, Kimberly Clark, Australia Post, Coles, Vinomofo, NAB, Qantas, Fairfax, SBS, Asahi Schweppes, AFL Players Association, AMP, Red Cross, SBS, Novartis, BP, Sugar Australia, Heinz, and Fosters.

In his earlier years, Adrian was a dedicated Australian champion in track and field who competed in the 400m hurdles around the world – a career which gave him his first insights into the power of the mind in optimising performance and the crucial role of wellbeing.

Adrian is an author of the forthcoming book “Meditate on This: The Science of Mindfulness” and has two entrepreneurial ventures – Benny Button and Amelie.ai.

Corrine Smirk, Personal Assistant to the General Manager, Services & Engineering WA, Lendlease

From the commencement of her career at the Australian Society of Accountants, to taking the plunge to own & operate her own franchise Corrine has met many different personalities along the way.  She has worked in real estate, law firms, construction and engineering companies and provided support from her early days as a junior secretary right up to executive level.

In industries where there have been constant changes, Corrine has been committed to supporting her managers whilst in the midst of facing personal challenges herself. Not one to give up, she will be able to share with you, how you can put your best foot forward at home and work, and discover how exciting it can be to learn something about yourself along the way.

Being able to read people is a skill that you can learn and build upon, to help you succeed with relationships you didn’t think were possible.  You may not have all the answers right from the start, but just dive in and surprise yourself in how far you can swim!