Dr Kirstin Ferguson

• Head and heart: The art of modern leadership
  In this keynote address, Kirstin utilises personal stories, the latest research and highly practical advice to provide audiences with an inspiring and entertaining call to action for audiences to think about their own personal leadership and to becoming modern leaders – regardless of their formal position – who lead from both the head and the heart.
  
  Kirstin believes that while curiosity, analysis, strategy and technical expertise will always be important; humility, insight, courage and empathy is just as vital.
  
  Leading with the head and the heart is the art of modern leadership and is an ethos Kirstin embodies, and inspires others to live by, every day.
  
  Key takeaways from this session include practical advice to help audiences:
  • Understand what applying emotional intelligence, or leading with the heart, looks like as for modern leader;
  • Inspire leaders to consider the legacy they leave as a leader and to understand the impact their actions are already having on others;
  • Explain how to develop a leadership style which encourages people to feel able to speak up in the workplace;
  • Reflect on the choices made during their own career to understand how those choices have shaped the leader they are today; and
  • Be entertained, inspired and moved by stories that will resonate with a wide range of audience members.

Kirstin’s second book, Head & Heart: The Art of Modern Leadership will be published by Penguin Random House.

A typical session will see Kirstin speak for 30 mins followed by a 25 min ‘fireside chat’ including Q&A. These timings can be varied as required.

• Trust and purpose for modern leaders
  In this keynote address, Kirstin inspires audiences to think about the role they play as leaders - regardless of their level in an organisation - in leading a purpose led organisation through ethical leadership.
  
  Focusing on the skills of emotional intelligence, Kirstin uses case studies, current research and personal examples to provide audiences with ways that leaders can lead with purpose, build and maintain trust and lead in a way that ensures all members of their team are motivated to speak up.
  
  Key takeaways from this session include practical advice to help audiences:
  • Understand what emotional intelligence looks like for leaders in the workplace;
  • Consider the lessons of recent corporate failures and the loss of trust by leaders to understand how to recognise those signs and prevent it in your own corporate culture;
  • Understand how to lead a purpose led organisation through the traits of ethical leadership;
  • Understand the benefits for corporate culture when leaders are able to build trust and encourage an environment where people feel able to speak up; and
  • Consider ways in which leading purpose is especially important when leading multi-generational teams.

A typical session will see Kirstin speak for 30 mins followed by a 25 min ‘fireside chat’ including Q&A. These timings can be varied as required.

• Diversity and inclusion for modern leaders
  Kirstin is has been formally recognised for her excellence in women’s leadership, is the author of Women Kind and she is a self-described ‘Accidental Activist’ after she created the widely acclaimed #CelebratingWomen campaign. Kirstin is a senior leader who can bring an incredibly unique, personal experience to any discussion of diversity and inclusion.
  
  Drawing on her own personal experiences as a leader in gender equality as well what she learnt as the creator of the widely acclaimed #CelebratingWomen campaign, Kirstin will inspire audiences to think about the practical ways they can help drive diversity and inclusion through amplifying role models.
  
  Through using personal stories, case studies and the latest research, Kirstin engages and encourages audience members of men and women to consider the role they can play in creating an inclusive workforce and why this is so important for modern leaders of purpose led organisations.
  
  Key takeaways from this session include practical advice to help audiences:
  • Understand why inclusion must be the strategy for diversity initiatives to work;
    Inspire audiences to consider the variety of diverse role models we have around us and why amplifying their stories enhances our workplaces;
  • Consider why diverse workplaces are so important for organisations and why all leaders have a role to play;
  • Understand what emotional intelligence looks like for leaders in the workplace and why this is relevant for helping drive diversity and inclusion; and
  • Consider the ways in which developing a diverse workplace can also help enhance trust.

A typical session will see Kirstin speak for 30 mins followed by a 25 min ‘fireside chat’ including Q&A. These timings can be varied as required.

• Lessons of leadership: From the parade ground to the boardroom
  Dr Ferguson was one of only a small percentage of women who went through the Australian Defence Force Academy in the early 1990s, a period which has come under broad criticism for its treatment of female cadets at the time. Yet Dr Ferguson was able to succeed in that challenging environment and went on to be awarded the highest prize on graduation of her Air Force class before serving as an Officer in the Air Force at an F-111 Squadron.
  
  In this presentation, Dr Ferguson draws on her experience in those early years in the military to discuss how it can be applied in a corporate context. Dr Ferguson is uniquely positioned as one of only a handful of senior Australian business leaders who started their careers in the military and have gone on to have highly successful careers in the corporate world.
  
  In this presentation, Dr Ferguson shows how she has spent her career leading with the head and the heart and the leadership lessons she has learnt along the way. Dr Ferguson inspires those in the audience to consider how they might look back on the advice they would have given themselves at the start of their careers and prompts them to think about the advice they hope to have listened to from themselves in the future.
  
  Through using personal stories, case studies and the latest research, Kirstin engages and encourages audience members of men and women to consider the role they can play in creating an inclusive workforce and why this is so important for modern leaders of purpose led organisations.
  
  Key takeaways from this session include practical advice to help audiences:
  • Understand what applying emotional intelligence, or leading with the heart, looks like as for modern leader;Inspire leaders to think about their own leadership legacy;
  • Reflect on the choices made during their own career to understand how those choices have shaped the leader they are today; and
  • Be entertained, inspired, and moved by stories that will resonate with a wide range of audience members.

A typical session will see Kirstin speak for 30 mins followed by a 25 min ‘fireside chat’ including Q&A. These timings can be varied as required.

• Master of Ceremonies
  Kirstin has established herself as a respected and engaging MC of multi-day industry conferences, gala dinners and other corporate events. Kirstin hosts her events with warmth, humour and professionalism and is able to keep audiences highly engaged whether they comprise more than 1000 people or are much smaller gatherings.
  
  As an avid user of social media, Kirstin works hard to ensure event hashtags are effectively used by audiences where this is to the client. Kirstin finds she is generally able to encourage even usually reserved crowds to start tweeting, taking selfies and posting about the event. On more than a few occasions Kirstin's enthusiasm for audiences to use social media has seen the event trending (and fortunately for all the right reasons!).
  
  As an engaging keynote speaker herself, Kirstin is often invited by clients to provide a brief keynote during proceedings she MCs or to provide commentary between speakers to help audience members link back to the themes of the event. Kirstin also always ensures the event follows closely to time.
  
  Kirstin has been engaged by clients to MC events over multiple days at international industry conferences as well as facilitate and MC much smaller, more intimate corporate events such as a corporate lunch.