Speaking
Keynotes that make a room think, and then go and do something about it.
I speak on marketing, leadership, communication, creativity and making things amazing. Practical and a bit provoking, built on real-world experience, with stories, tools and ideas people can actually use the next morning. Sometimes the talk is even user-generated - built live by the room, in a Pick-a-Page session.
Pick a Page, the More th&n a book Session
No slides. No script. The audience chooses a page, and the pages shape the conversation. Drawing on the freshly published More th&n a book, Heidi opens up a lively, unscripted conversation about work, people, decisions and the things that get in our way. It is for leaders at every level, teams navigating change, and anyone who could use a fresh lens on what they do and how they do it. We pick a page, we read, we laugh, we think and we talk. Every session is different because every audience chooses a different path.
The Gift of Gut in the Age of Data
We are surrounded by more data than ever before, and expected to use it to make better decisions about almost everything. But data is only part of the picture. In this lively keynote, Heidi explores intuition as a critical counterbalance: the knowledge we build through experience, observation and pattern recognition. She looks at how we can recognise, articulate and apply what feels “on” or “off” when making decisions about ideas, strategy, people and leadership. For anyone making decisions in a data-saturated world, this is a reminder that there is more than one way of knowing.
Cake & Grace
Great work doesn’t necessarily make great relationships, but great relationships can make great work. Cake & Grace is a warm, candid and practical exploration of two ingredients that help brands, clients and agencies thrive. “Cake” is Heidi’s well-known metaphor for building something distinctive in a world awash with seas of sameness. It helps people look beyond an often-undifferentiated product, rediscover what makes their brand special and fall in love with it again. “Grace” is about how we show up: with generosity, participation, courtesy and care. And grace, Heidi is quick to point out, is not weakness.
Brand x Performance
The evidence is growing: strong brands make performance marketing work harder. This talk unpacks how brand building creates the distinctiveness, preference and demand that multiply the impact of short-term activity. Grounded in the latest thinking and evidence, it leads audiences beyond the brand-versus-performance debate to one inescapable conclusion: it’s not either/or. It’s both/&. And it lays the foundation for more constructive conversations with CEOs and CFOs.
FROM THE STAGE
What attendees say.
"She wasn't afraid to challenge three founders - all actuaries - to realise that marketing is about more than formulas."
Ernest North · Co-founder, Naked Insurance
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"I love attending Heidi’s talks - they are relaxed and fun; you almost don’t realise how many pearls she is sharing until you find yourself quoting them later."
Sam Wilson Späth · Former Head of Digital Media at Woolworths, now Founder at Lucky Fox
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These are just some of my talks...
Tell me about your audience and the day, and we'll find the right talk.