Australia's Most In-Demand Business & AI Keynote Speaker
Business Speaker
Business Speaker
Keynote Speaker
You’re not just looking for a speaker. You’re looking for a catalyst. You need someone who can walk on stage and instantly connect with every person in the room—from the CEO in the front row to the aspiring leader at the back. You need an experience that leaves your audience not just motivated, but equipped.
For over twenty years, I've been on a mission to do just that.
Book Naomi SimsonFor over twenty years, I've been on a mission to do just that.
As an entrepreneurial leader, business owner, media personality I have been called on by event organisers and business owners to inspire their people, entertain their customers, or inform their people leaders as a keynote speaker. Some of my recent clients include:
Naomi Simson OAM, is a much sought after keynote speaker – speaking on a variety of topics. She listens intently to the client brief and builds her presentations based on how the client is wanting to impact the audience.
You might know me from Shark Tank Australia, or as the founder who bootstrapped RedBalloon from a spare room in 2001. But my real passion is stepping on stage. Every keynote I deliver today has AI running through it — not as a separate topic bolted on, but as the context in which every business, leadership, and growth decision is now being made. I listen deeply to the brief and always deliver.
When you choose me for your event, you're not just booking a name — you're investing in a guaranteed result. Here's what makes the difference.
"Naomi has a unique ability to connect strategic thinking to practical tools and tactics that both large corporates and small businesses can implement. Taking people on a journey and telling ... keep reading."
City of Sydney
She Speaks From the Arena, Not the Stands Everything I share on stage I have lived. I've built businesses, broken things, fixed them, and done it all again. I was a marketer at IBM, Apple, and KPMG before I became a founder. That lived experience is what makes the difference between a speaker your audience forgets and one they quote for years. She Understands AI From the Inside Out I'm not just talking about AI — I'm actively working with it, on boards, in business, and in my own practice. I've sat in rooms with global business leaders grappling with the accountability gap in AI adoption. When I speak about AI, I speak about it the way your audience needs to hear it: plainly, practically, and without the hype. She Connects the Room From the CEO in the front row to the aspiring leader at the back — I pitch to the whole room. I have a gift for making complex ideas feel simple and making people feel seen. That's what 25 years of genuinely caring about the people in front of you looks like. She Delivers What She Promises I take every brief seriously. I do not arrive with a generic deck. I research the organisation, the audience, and the moment — and I build a keynote that meets it.
Naomi Simson OAM
Entrepreneur
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Keynote Topics:
AI now runs through every keynote Naomi delivers — not as a separate subject, but as the context in which all business, leadership, and growth decisions are being made.
She speaks on entrepreneurship, leadership, customer obsession, AI strategy, business growth, and personal purpose.
While every presentation is tailored to your specific theme and audience, here are some topics often requested.
She speaks on entrepreneurship, leadership, customer obsession, AI strategy, business growth, and personal purpose.
While every presentation is tailored to your specific theme and audience, here are some topics often requested.
What to expect:
When Naomi takes the stage, she is prepared — not in the 'glanced at the briefing on the flight' way, but in the way of someone who has spent decades caring deeply about what the audience needs to walk away with. Her dynamic, relatable delivery draws on lived experience: not just from building RedBalloon and Big Red Group, but from active board roles across multiple industries, the Shark Tank boardroom, and being a genuine student of the forces reshaping business right now.
Every keynote is meticulously tailored to the client’s specific theme, audience, and desired outcomes. Ultimately, Naomi inspires action by equipping her audience with practical frameworks and memorable storytelling that resonates long after the event is over.
Every keynote is meticulously tailored to the client’s specific theme, audience, and desired outcomes. Ultimately, Naomi inspires action by equipping her audience with practical frameworks and memorable storytelling that resonates long after the event is over.
Introduction:
For more than 25 years, Naomi Simson has been bringing people together — through her experience businesses, her keynote speaking, and her writing. She is one of Australia’s most passionate advocates for business owners and entrepreneurs.
After a successful corporate career with Apple, KPMG, IBM and Ansett Australia, Naomi founded RedBalloon in 2001, growing it into one of the country’s most loved experience brands. In 2017, she went on to co-found Big Red Group, now the largest platform of experiences across Australia and New Zealand.
Beyond building businesses, Naomi is a prolific blogger at naomisimson.com, the voice behind the podcast Handpicked, and a regular business commentator. Many also know her as the #RedShark from four seasons of Shark Tank Australia.
With more than 2.6 million followers on LinkedIn, it’s clear that when Naomi speaks — people listen. She was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2026 for her services to business, entrepreneurship and leadership.
Please welcome… Naomi Simson.
The Wellbeing Advantage:
The Secret to a Sustainable & Successful Business
Perfect for business owners, leaders, and teams feeling the pressure of burnout.
The most valuable asset in any business isn't on the balance sheet — it's you. In an era of AI-driven acceleration, the pressure on leaders and founders is higher than ever. Productivity tools don't fix exhaustion. Strategy doesn't fix burnout. This keynote shares hard-won lessons on building resilience, mastering mindset, and making wellbeing a business strategy rather than a personal indulgence. Because the leaders who are thriving aren't just working smarter — they're building the physical and emotional foundations that make sustained, high-level performance actually possible.
The most valuable asset in any business isn't on the balance sheet — it's you. In an era of AI-driven acceleration, the pressure on leaders and founders is higher than ever. Productivity tools don't fix exhaustion. Strategy doesn't fix burnout. This keynote shares hard-won lessons on building resilience, mastering mindset, and making wellbeing a business strategy rather than a personal indulgence. Because the leaders who are thriving aren't just working smarter — they're building the physical and emotional foundations that make sustained, high-level performance actually possible.
The New Leadership Playbook:
Leading with Influence, Not Authority
Perfect for current and emerging leaders navigating a changing world.
Command-and-control is dead. The leaders winning right now know how to inspire, connect, and empower — especially when the ground is shifting beneath them. Using my 4 C's framework — Clarity, Capability, Confidence, Commitment — this keynote gives leaders the practical tools to build trust, foster psychological safety, and bring out the best in their teams. We also explore what AI means for leadership: not just the tasks it changes, but the human qualities it makes non-negotiable. Because AI doesn't replace great leadership. It makes average leadership invisible.
Command-and-control is dead. The leaders winning right now know how to inspire, connect, and empower — especially when the ground is shifting beneath them. Using my 4 C's framework — Clarity, Capability, Confidence, Commitment — this keynote gives leaders the practical tools to build trust, foster psychological safety, and bring out the best in their teams. We also explore what AI means for leadership: not just the tasks it changes, but the human qualities it makes non-negotiable. Because AI doesn't replace great leadership. It makes average leadership invisible.
Unforgettable Marketing:
Building a Brand That AI Can't Replicate
In a world where AI can generate content at scale, what can't be replicated is you — your story, your values, the relationships you've earned. The businesses building lasting brand equity right now understand that distinctiveness is a strategy. I take your audience through building RedBalloon from zero to one of Australia's most beloved brands — and translate every lesson into a practical playbook for today. We cover AI's impact on search, discovery, and customer decision-making, including how AI Overviews and agentic search are reshaping how buyers find and evaluate brands, and what that means for how you tell your story and earn trust at scale.
The Entrepreneurial Mindset:
From Idea to Reality
This is my origin story and my playbook, rolled into one. I started RedBalloon from a spare room with a second-hand computer and a credit card — no external funding, no road map, just a belief: if it is to be, it is up to me. We cover finding your why, validating your idea, navigating the early chaos of building, and knowing when to pivot. And yes, we talk about what AI means for the next generation of founders. The barriers to building have never been lower — AI can write your copy, build your prototype, and help you test your market. But the clarity about what you're building, and the courage to keep going when it gets hard, still has to come from you.
The AI Advantage:
Leading Through the Biggest Shift in Business History
Most companies aren't failing at AI — they're failing at leadership. The tools work. The models are extraordinary. What's missing is accountability, clarity, and the courage to make decisions when the outcome isn't guaranteed. This keynote cuts through the fear and the hype. I deliver a plain-English, jargon-free framework for embedding AI in your business with confidence — not just as a productivity tool, but as a genuine strategic advantage. We explore the accountability gap, the difference between FOMO and FOGI (fear of getting it wrong), and what the organisations genuinely winning with AI are doing differently. We also look at agentic AI — the shift from AI that responds to AI that acts — and what that means for how you lead, serve customers, and structure decision-making. Your audience will leave with a clear framework for leading AI adoption, and the confidence to move.
Customer Obsessed:
How to Win Hearts and Build Lifelong Loyalty
The rules of customer engagement are being rewritten. Agentic AI is now making purchasing decisions on behalf of buyers. New web standards — including WebMCP — mean AI agents can interact with your website and your customer service before your customer ever picks up the phone. If your brand experience isn't built to be trusted by both humans AND the AI systems they delegate to, you are already behind. But here's what I also know after 25 years of building brands: the fundamentals haven't changed. Trust is still built one interaction at a time. Loyalty is still earned through consistency, honesty, and making people feel genuinely seen. Your audience will leave with a framework for building real connection in a digital world — and a clear-eyed understanding of what customer obsession actually looks like in the age of AI.
The Growth Playbook:
A Founder's Guide to Scaling Up in Uncertain Times
Growth isn't magic — it's a mindset backed by a system. But the system has to work in the world as it is. Right now that means understanding economic uncertainty, navigating a rapidly shifting competitive landscape, and making AI work for you rather than against you. Drawing on real stories from building RedBalloon and co-founding Big Red Group, and on conversations with some of Australia's sharpest economic minds, this is a high-energy masterclass in entrepreneurial growth. Not just for startups — for any leader who wants to reignite momentum and build a business that goes the distance.
Intentional Leadership:
How to Navigate Relentless Change
They say the next decade will deliver as much change as the past hundred years. I believe it. The leaders who thrive in that environment aren't the smartest in the room — they're the most intentional. This keynote weaves together timeless leadership principles with what AI is now demanding of us: a growth mindset that goes beyond believing you can learn, to actively building the habits and cultures that let you stay ahead. We explore what AI means for the leader-employee relationship — what it automates, what it amplifies, and what qualities it makes non-negotiable. Curiosity. Accountability. The willingness to be wrong and move anyway. Drawing on current research and real boardroom experience, this is a practical framework for leading high-performing teams through perpetual change.
Live What You Love:
From Personal Passion to Powerful Purpose
In the rush of the day-to-day, it's easy to lose sight of what you're actually here to do. This is the keynote for that moment — and for a year where AI is reshaping not just how we work, but why. Part memoir, part masterclass — funny, moving, and deeply motivational. Drawing on my bestselling book and decades of lived experience, this session helps audiences reconnect with what matters, cut through the noise, and find the clarity to play a bigger game in both work and life. In a world changing faster than ever, purpose is not a luxury. It's the anchor that keeps you moving in the right direction.
Keynote Speaker
Shared Experiences
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Boardroom briefing
An intimate, high-impact experience hosted in a private dining room, at an experience venue, or virtually. Following a deep briefing process, Naomi designs the content and experience around the specific outcome the organisation needs. Ideal for leadership teams, executive offsite agendas, or high-value client engagement.
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Masterclass
A three-hour deep-dive for groups ready to do the work. Naomi guides participants through a structured program — from passion to purpose, mission to vision, and planning to big hairy audacious goal — using a workbook and presentation. Practical, energising, and memorable.
Mentor Program
For organisations serious about scaling their people, this is the format that creates lasting change. Three one-hour sessions held two weeks apart, with pre-work and exercises between each. Many leaders struggle to articulate their purpose or get others genuinely invested in it. This program changes that.