Keynote Speakers for Leading Through Change in Australia in 2026

Change leadership is not a single skill. A merger, a technology rollout, a restructure and a culture reset each ask leaders to do different work, so the right keynote speaker should match the change your people are actually facing.

The case for choosing carefully is practical. Prosci reports that excellent change management met or exceeded objectives in 88% of projects, compared with 13% for poor change management, making the stronger approach about seven times more likely to succeed. Prosci's current change management research is a useful reminder that the people side of change is not decoration around the project plan.

There is also a wider workforce challenge. Gallup's 2026 global report says employee engagement was 20% worldwide in 2025, while the World Economic Forum expects 39% of workers' core skills to change by 2030 and says 59 out of every 100 workers will need reskilling or upskilling. A keynote will not solve those conditions on its own, but a well-matched speaker can give a leadership group shared language, a sharper question and a practical first move.

What to look for in a change keynote

Start with the change problem, not the speaker's fame. Ask whether your people need to understand a new direction, recover from change fatigue, build confidence with new technology, lead through uncertainty or turn a strategy into different daily behaviour.

The best fit also depends on what must happen after the room finishes. A speaker who leaves a memorable idea may suit a national conference. A speaker with a practical framework, workshop option or strong leadership-development focus may suit an executive offsite where the goal is shared decisions and follow-through.

Psychological safety matters here. Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson describes it as “a sense of permission for candor” in this Harvard Business Review conversation. That is a useful test for any change event: will the session help people say what they are worried about, or only ask them to sound positive?

John P. Kotter's change principles make a similar point about ownership. His official methodology says people need to “not just carry out someone else's directives” in a successful change. Kotter's change principles are a useful companion to a keynote brief because they keep attention on what leaders and teams do next.

A compiled directory, not a ranking

The providers below are presented as a compiled directory, not a ranking. The selection is based on a clear public connection to change leadership, transformation, resilience, future of work, leadership or the human side of organisational change. The descriptions are a starting point for fit checks, not a substitute for a current briefing conversation, proposal or reference check.

Ciara Lancaster, Reimagine Change

Ciara Lancaster's public work focuses on change fatigue, resilience and the people side of transformation. Her Reimagine Change profile describes her as an accredited change leadership expert and notes experience in workplace change and transformation, including work at Deloitte.

She is a likely fit when people have lived through several changes in a row and are tired of being told to simply embrace the next one. Ask how she would adapt the message for your workforce, what practical behaviour should follow the keynote and whether a workshop is available for the leaders carrying the change.

Holly Ransom

Holly Ransom's Messages That Matter keynote page centres on the way leaders communicate when the environment is complex, uncertain or changing quickly. Her public work spans leadership, difficult conversations and future-facing themes.

She is a likely fit for a large conference or leadership event where the brief needs energy and a strong message about navigating disruption. Check the balance between inspiration and application, especially if the audience needs a shared action after the event rather than only a memorable session in the room.

Jason Clarke, Minds at Work

Jason Clarke is the founder of Minds at Work. His public profile describes work across creativity, problem solving, leadership and culture change with clients in Australia, including government and organisational settings.

He is a likely fit when the change challenge is partly a thinking problem: people are stuck in old assumptions, the strategy feels abstract or the organisation needs a fresh way to discuss adaptation. Ask for examples of how the session turns new thinking into choices your leaders can make.

Friska Wirya, Future Fit Ventures

Friska Wirya's public profile connects her work with change management, transformation and building organisations that can remain fit for the future. It also identifies her as the founder of Future Fit Ventures and a speaker on change.

She is a likely fit for organisations dealing with digital transformation, structural change or the need to update culture while the business keeps moving. Ask how much of the keynote is tailored to your change story and what leaders will be expected to do differently the next day.

Sonia McDonald, LeadershipHQ

Sonia McDonald is a keynote speaker, author and the founder of LeadershipHQ and Worksparks. Her public profile focuses on leadership, culture and capability, with a strong emphasis on the human side of leading people.

She is a likely fit when a change programme depends on courageous leadership, trust and better conversations, rather than only a new system or structure. Ask how she would make the content useful for the leaders who must carry the message into their teams.

Andrew May, Performance Intelligence

Andrew May is the founder of Performance Intelligence and a keynote speaker whose public work covers performance, mental skills, leadership and behaviour change. His profile describes work with leaders and high-performing teams.

He is a likely fit when change pressure is showing up as reduced focus, lower resilience or inconsistent leadership behaviour. Ask which ideas are evidence-backed, how the session avoids blaming people for normal stress and what small practice leaders can use after the keynote.

Kim Seeling Smith

Kim Seeling Smith's public speaker profile focuses on the future of work, workforce relevance, artificial intelligence and employee engagement. Her speaker page positions her as a business futurist and keynote speaker.

She is a likely fit for a people or leadership event where technology, workforce expectations and engagement are changing at the same time. Ask how the message will connect future trends to decisions your leaders can make now, rather than leaving the audience with a long list of predictions.

How to match a speaker to the change in front of you

Use a simple decision test. If the main challenge is exhaustion after repeated restructures, look for a speaker with a clear change-fatigue or resilience lens. If the challenge is digital transformation, look for practical experience translating technology or structural change into leadership choices. If the challenge is alignment, look for someone who can help people have a more honest conversation about what the change means.

The delivery format matters as much as the topic. A keynote creates a shared starting point. A workshop gives people time to apply the ideas. An executive offsite may be the right choice when a small group needs to name trade-offs and decide who owns the next move. Do not book a workshop because it sounds more substantial if the audience only needs a clear opening message, and do not expect a keynote to do the deeper work of an offsite.

When I work with leadership teams, I start by making hidden tension discussable. A change plan can be technically sound and still stall if people are using polite language to avoid the real concern. That principle is also a useful question to ask every speaker: what will this session make easier for people to say, decide or do?

Questions to ask before you book

Ask the speaker what they need to know about your change before they tailor the message. Ask what the audience should remember a week later. Ask what the session can and cannot change in one sitting. Ask whether they offer a workshop or follow-up option, and ask how they will keep the examples relevant to Australian leaders and your specific audience.

Ask for a clear outline rather than a list of broad themes. A good outline should show the central message, the practical application and the bridge between the keynote and the work your leaders must do next. It should also make clear whether the speaker is offering a keynote, facilitation, consulting or coaching, because those roles solve different problems. This guide to the difference between facilitators, consultants, coaches and speakers is useful when the brief is still unclear.

Limitations and how to use this page

This directory is based on public information reviewed on 4 August 2026. Public profiles change, and a speaker's current availability, format, location, topics and fit can only be confirmed directly. The page does not publish a universal ranking, fee guide or claim that one provider is right for every organisation.

The list is intentionally selective rather than exhaustive. It does not include every Australian speaker who could contribute to a change conversation, and inclusion here is not an endorsement of a particular commercial arrangement. Use the links as a research starting point, then request a current outline and check the fit against the change your people are living through.

A practical next step

Write one sentence that starts with “Our people need to…” and finishes with the behaviour or understanding you want after the event. Send that sentence to each shortlisted speaker and compare the specificity of their response. That small test will tell you more than a generic list of topics.

In full transparency, I offer this service myself, so I have kept my own work separate from the directory above. If you need a practical keynote or leadership session that helps people make sense of change and use the ideas on Monday morning, that is exactly the kind of team I specialise in helping. You can contact me at jonno@consultclarity.org.

About the author

I'm Jonno White, a Brisbane-based leadership consultant, keynote speaker and Certified Working Genius Facilitator, certified through Patrick Lencioni's Table Group, and the author of Step Up or Step Out, with more than 10,000 copies sold. I host The Leadership Conversations Podcast and work with schools, corporates and nonprofits around the world.