Travels From Queensland
Speaker Topics
Leading with Impact: Mastering the art of modern leadership
In this highly interactive keynote address, award-winning leadership expert and best-selling author, Dr Kirstin Ferguson AM, will entertain and challenge us to consider whether our leadership approach is still fit for purpose. Through the use of videos, case studies and her down-to-earth style, Kirstin will encourage each of us to think about how we can best role model leading with the head and heart amidst the competing demands on our time, and in an increasingly complex working environment. Using the latest research from her bestselling book, Head & Heart: The Art of Modern Leadership, Kirstin will bring a leadership lens which is guaranteed to inspire you to become the most effective leader you can be.
Key takeaways:
- Overview of the attributes of head and heart leadership
- Personalised Head and Heart Leader Scale report
- Understanding of the ‘art’ of modern leadership and how to develop this, not just in ourselves, but in those we lead
Dr Kirstin Ferguson AM
Author, Columnist and Leadership Expert
Dr. Kirstin Ferguson AM is an internationally acclaimed leadership expert, author, and keynote speaker, recognised as one of the top management thinkers globally by Thinkers50. In 2023, she received the prestigious Thinkers50 Distinguished Leadership Award and was included in the Thinkers50 list of the world’s top 30 “Thinkers to Watch”. With over 30 years of senior leadership experience, Kirsten was also recognised with a Member of the Order of Australia for her significant contributions to business and gender equality
Kirstin’s career began as an officer in the Royal Australian Air Force, where she honed her leadership skills over almost a decade of service. Since then, she has held prominent roles including Acting Chair and Deputy Chair of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, CEO of a global consulting firm, and senior executive positions at a leading corporate law firm. Additionally, over her fifteen-year tenure as a company director, Kirstin served on various boards for large publicly listed companies, private enterprises, and non-profit organisations.
Kirstin's academic credentials include a PhD in leadership and culture, as well as Honours degrees in both Law and History. She can currently be seen serving as an Adjunct Professor at the Queensland University of Technology Business School, where she is a Sir Winston Churchill Fellow, and was named Outstanding Alumnus of the Year in 2020.
A bestselling author, Kirstin has written two influential books. Her latest, Head & Heart: The Art of Modern Leadership (Penguin Random House, 2023), debuted in the top 10 non-fiction bestseller list and has received numerous accolades, including recognition from Thinkers50 as one of the best new management books of 2023. She also co-authored the award-winning Women Kind: Unlocking the Power of Women Supporting Women with Catherine Fox.
Kirstin is a regular columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, where she addresses work, leadership, and culture in her popular weekly column "Got a Minute?", as well as contributing to the Financial Review.
Passionate about diversity and inclusion, Kirstin initiated the viral social media campaign #CelebratingWomen, which honoured 757 women from 37 countries. Her extensive experience and advocacy work continue to have a global impact, while further positioning her as a leading voice in leadership and gender equality,