Natasha Exelby
Natasha is a journalist with 20 years’ experience reporting from more than 50 countries on many of the biggest stories of her generation.
From weathering multiple media storms to being in the midst of countless terror attacks, and dodging bullets, bombs and rockets while working in war zones, Natasha is well versed in resilience.
Natasha’s keynote speech entitled “In The Firing Line” explores the double entendre of being fired at by an actual bullet …. And fired by a TV Executive…. And bouncing back from both.
Natasha shares tales from her time in war zones, disaster zones, refugee camps and the inspiring people she’s met along the way. All experiences that have compelled her to look at life through a different lens.
Natasha began her career in regional Queensland before moving to Canberra as a Political Correspondent and then Sydney as a Senior Journalist and Anchor.
Since working in Parliament House, she’s continued to foster her relationships with all sides of Federal Government granting her direct access to some of the most powerful people in the country.
As the United States Correspondent, Natasha covered major stories including the assassination of Osama Bin Laden. She also became a member of the highly prestigious CNN World Fellowship.
Natasha spent two years in Turkey as a Foreign Correspondent. It took her to the front line of the world's most war-torn nations including Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq.
In 2015 her own home was sprayed with bullets during Turkey’s attempted coup where her newsroom was raided by the military, hundreds of journalists were arrested and many jailed. Yet the veteran reporter continued to lead the 24-hour broadcast on the unfolding catastrophe, where 265 people were killed and thousands more injured.
The same year she made the harrowing journey from Syria, across the Aegean Sea to Northern Europe with thousands of refugees fleeing war zones.
The highly esteemed presenter has has been an anchor for an international news channel, the presenter of Ten News First, regular co-host of Studio 10 and the The Project , as well as a guest on many entertainment shows including Can Of Worms and The Cheap Seats.
In 2019, she ventured to South Africa to take part in I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here. In doing so, she raised funds for Fearless - a PTSD Charity she is a proud Ambassador for.
As a former war correspondent and presenter in the public eye, Natasha has been in the firing line both figuratively and literally.
Natasha's ability to handle high pressure life and death situations, combined with experiencing the media spotlight herself, is what truly sets her apart from other media consultants.
She’s candid about her uncanny knack for very public career setbacks. From being the shortest serving breakfast host in Australian history - to the momentary lapse in concentration on live air that went viral, creating headlines around the world.
Natasha is also very passionate about mental health and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. She firmly believes normalising mental health, education, and encouraging people to seek help is the way forward to reduce the number of people suffering, and smash the stigmas.