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Testimonials

"Michelle’s presentation was brilliant. She addressed the key issues around decision making. It is so poignant at the moment in leadership within schools coming out of a COVID lockdown and remote learning. Attendees all commented on how relevant and timely it was. They also made comments about her interaction and how engaging she was. She was highly engaging, provoking and you could hear a pin drop. No one was checking their emails either so you knew she was exceptional!"

Rhys Coulson, Principal, Templestowe Heights Primary School, Chair of the Monash Manningham Principals and Deputy Principals Meeting

"We invited Michelle to run a zoom workshop with our academic and professional staff as part of our UniSA (University of South Australia) Women's Development program. Michelle's session - Be the Leader of Your Career - provided an opportunity for the participants to reflect on and consider practical steps to progress and elevate their careers and included a useful workbook for them to download and use during and after the session. Feedback from the participants was highly positive. Michelle is an engaging presenter and facilitator, sharing personal stories and insights, which helped to create a safe space for attendees to share and learn. Michelle amplified my understanding of how to build my professional career and feel confident."

Justene Knight, Senior Consultant: Organisational Development, UniSA (University of South Australia) People, Talent & Culture

"We were delighted to have Michelle present to our members on the topic of "Courageous Conversations". The presentation was highly relevant to our audience, and Michelle’s engaging and energetic delivery was very well received. Her content is not only informative and insightful, but really relatable. I would highly recommend her."

Rachael Corby, Head of Member Services, FINSIA

"Michelle ran a session for the leaders of our Customer Care Business on “Finding your Leadership Edge”, and it was one of the most successful masterclasses of the year, it was incredibly well received by our people. I find that Michelle’s experience in leadership across different organisations and industries has meant her insights are incredibly meaningful, but importantly practical. The true test of a great development session is whether people talk about it afterwards and start putting things in place that they’ve learnt and this is what I saw after Michelle’s session, a great testament to a skilled presenter. Michelle is an engaging and responsive presenter, she managed to achieve fantastic engagement and conversation with over 80 of our leaders around the country in a virtual session – many working at home."

Danielle Edwards, Head of Strategy and Relationship Management, Customer Care, Westpac Group

"Michelle has presented to the Compliance Risk Executive Women (CREW) forum on many occasions. Her extensive corporate experience means she understands the challenges and opportunities of the working world, and so her sessions always hit the mark. They are insightful, instructive and inspirational. Her most recent session – conducted online – was one of the best zoom presentations I have seen. Michelle is a delight to work with, and I am looking forward to welcoming her back."

Penni James, Non Executive Director and Convenor of CREW

"Michelle was a keynote speaker at the International Confederation of Principals Conference in Shanghai in 2019. Her speech - ‘Finding your leadership edge’ – set the right tone, message and energy for the audience, and we received tremendous feedback on her presentation from the international delegates. Michelle engaged exceptionally well and her attendance at other events that were part of the conference schedule was an added bonus. The delegates really valued her spending time with them in social settings. The delegates appreciated her content and style, but also her genuine interest in them. Comments such as how amazing, friendly, clever, and down to earth she is were made. If you are looking for a leadership speaker who engages, challenges and inspires delegates, is committed to delivering an excellent outcome and customises her work to your delegates, then I would highly recommend her."

Sheree Vertigan AM, Executive Secretary, International Confederation of Principals
Alta van Heerden, President, International Confederation of Principals

We invited Michelle to present at the 2019 Corporate PA Summit in Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland.  Sharing her wisdom, insights and practical advice about how to keep your career turbo charged into the future, she left our delegates feeling inspired, motivated and engaged to take positive action in their career, and life.  We received fantastic feedback across the three events.  Michelle was a delight to work with, and we are looking forward to working with her again.

James Matthews, Founder, Think Tank Media

"Michelle Gibbings was brilliant. Michelle was able to craft a message for our audience that combined her body of expertise with their direct needs. By combining humour, examples, and an informal but highly focused presentation, Michelle demonstrated a knowledge of ‘decision making for the future’. True learning took place. The audience left feeling excited and motivated with some very useful take-ways."

Rob Clarke, LearnX foundation

"We are always looking for new opportunities to provide our staff with tips on career development and how they navigate their own careers. Michelle recently ran a careers workshop for our staff on how to reinvent and future proof your career which was really well received. Michelle paints a realistic picture without overwhelming you. Her balance of theory and practice made the session easy to follow and relevant for our staff. I would definitely recommend Michelle as a speaker. She engages and adapts well to her audience and was professional and friendly to work with."

Blair Cornwel-Smith, Talent Specialist, ​University of Technology Sydney

"Michelle delivered a keynote presentation at the 2018 HR Summit on change leadership and employee engagement. The quality of her presentation was excellent, and we received tremendous feedback from attendees. Comments such as: 'Michelle is wonderful, truthful and has great advice', 'What an awesome presenter - energy, enthusiasm and passion!' 'Great speaker', and 'Quality of presentation was astounding'. I would highly recommend her".

Stephanie Campanale, Executive Producer – HR Summit

"Michelle Gibbings spoke at three Gartner International CFO and HR Directors Forum conferences in August 2018, giving keynote presentations on the keys to better decision making.

The conferences were Gartner’s “Future Finance Leaders” and “HR Teams” events, the peak annual gathering for members of the International CFO and HRD Forums and their direct reports in Sydney and Melbourne, with 260 attendees across the events.

Michelle’s presentations were highly engaging, lively and informative, and she also adeptly answered questions from attendees as well.

Michelle and I spent some time beforehand discussing the needs of each event, and her presentations were clearly tailored and highly relevant to each group.

Michelle’s presentations were extremely well received on the day, and in feedback surveys conducted after each event, Michelle was rated as the top speaker by a number of attendees across the three events.

On a personal note, Michelle and her team were a pleasure to deal with, and I would have no hesitation in recommending Michelle for similar events in the future.

Neal Woolrich, Director, Gartner International CFO & HR Directors Forums

"Michelle was a presenter at SOPAC® 2018, sharing her insights on how to disrupt yourself and thrive in a changing and complex world, we received tremendous feedback from the attendees. Comments such as, ‘ Great presentation by a great presenter’; ‘Insightful and giving hope for dealing with modern challenges’; ‘Very helpful insight both personally and organisationally’; and ‘Well run, engaging and practical’. We were delighted with the feedback and have invited Michelle to present again at our SOPAC® Highlights Conference."

John Harmata, Professional Development Manager, IIA-Australia

"We engaged Michelle as the keynote speaker for our Brisbane 2017 Executive Update. Michelle's presentation was inspiring and unforgettable. We could not have asked for a better keynote speaker. In addition to Michelle's obvious expertise, experience and insights, Michelle connected with her audience, delivered her message and provided practical examples. Personally I found her insights invaluable and thought provoking. Feedback from our clients both on the day and since then has been overwhelmingly positive. Several have mentioned it was the best keynote that they had seen. Our team found Michelle professional, easy to work with and flexible in tailoring her presentation to our needs and audience. I would highly recommend her."

Barry Dunphy, Partner in Charge, Clayton Utz, Brisbane

"We invited Michelle to speak at our Women in Credit luncheons in Sydney and Brisbane. Her speech on The Art and Science of Negotiating Wisely really resonated with the audience. Michelle has a wealth of experience and very readily shares her insights and personal experience. She is able to connect with the audience intellectually and emotionally – leaving the audience feeling uplifted, but also with clear ideas on what they can do to progress their careers. We’ve received tremendous feedback from the events."

Nick Pilavidis, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Institute of Credit Management

"Given Michelle's expertise in leadership and change we invited her to host a panel at the HR Summit. She was delightful to work within the lead up to the event, and expertly led the discussion on how to best balance commercial and employee interests. She is an engaging leadership speaker, adept at encouraging audience participation and able to roll with the flow of an event."

Jane Maloney, Event Coordinator, Key Media

"As part of our commitment to add value to our contract and consulting communities we partnered with Michelle who ran a series of evening presentations on "Effective Influencing skills". These sessions were focused on helping them understand how to influence senior stakeholders and build a strong presence. Michelle is a consummate professional and a highly engaging speaker. I received fantastic feedback from attendees, who walked away inspired, equipped with new insights and ready to take action. If you are looking for a speaker who delivers an outstanding and memorable presentation I would highly recommend her."

Louise Langridge, Managing Director, Morgan McKinley

"Michelle presented at the 2017 PMI Conference in Sydney. Her session encouraged the audience to move beyond a technical focus to their role to a behavioural focus. With case studies, stories and personal insights Michelle ensured the audience walked away with a new perspective on what they need to do to accelerate the progress they make. Her presentation was entertaining, insightful and memorable. We received great feedback on the session. Thank you for helping make the PMI Australia Conference 2017 such a success."

Kate Morris, Conference Manager for Project Management Institute's (PMI) 2017 Conference

"Michelle was a key note speaker at the FEW 2017 Leadership Conference. Michelle gave a very insightful session on how to negotiate wisely. Her presentation was flawless and professional. Michelle is very conscientious and committed as a speaker to deliver a great presentation to her audience. Thank you Michelle for sharing your experience with us and providing valuable tips on how to negotiate."

Judith Beck, Founder,  Financial Executive Women (FEW)

"I invited Michelle to present at IBRC’s annual Compliance and Conduct Risk forum.  Her presentation on how to influence in complex environments was exceptionally well received by the conference participants.  Michelle is clearly an expert in her field and she was very generous in sharing her wisdom and insight with the group.  If you are looking for a speaker who will engage and inspire your delegates to take action, then I’d highly recommend her".

Amanda Liversage, Conference Manager, IBR Conferences

"We invited Michelle to present at our annual Not for Profit Conference.  Her presentation on how to thrive in a changing environment was exceptionally well received by the attendees.  She provided practical tips, useful insights and inspiration to take a new approach to managing and leading through change.  Her session was a highlight of the day".

Ryk Eksteen, Audit Principal, Collins &Co

"Michelle’s session for us on self-managing through change could not have been more timely, given the highly dynamic state of the financial services industry and the legal and compliance professions right now. Michelle’s authoritative, compelling and engaging approach to helping our team understand not only their inherent responses to change; but also how to shape those responses by making considered choices and applying simple tools, was highly valued and much talked about after the event."

Head of Knowledge & Development, Major Australian Financial Institution

"We had recently re-organised bringing together technology and consulting teams that had previously worked fairly autonomously. Michelle Gibbings was engaged to facilitate an offsite with the new team and help us begin aligning around our a new strategy/culture and charting the path forward.  She was delightful to work with – flexible, focused and generous with her time.  Running sessions for a diverse audience of 100 people requires expert planning and execution. In addition to the formal objectives we also wanted each individual to leave with some new tools to help develop their careers.  Michelle bought great energy and insight to the day as our speaker.  The event was a huge success.  I highly recommend Michelle as a speaker and facilitator."

Steven Willson, Chief Technology Officer, AMP

"Michelle has presented for The Australian Institute of Management on a number of occasions. She is always engaging and insightful, and uses real life examples to ensure the content is relevant and meaningful for the audience."

Margot Smith, General Manager Membership - Strategy & Engagement, Institute of Managers and Leaders

"Michelle's thought leadership in change and leadership is evident. With an impressive knowledge base, extensive practical experience and an exceptionally engaging style she knows how to connect with and inspire an audience. I would highly recommend Michelle as a speaker and facilitator."

Steven Oesterreich, Managing Director, ARK Group

"The Governance, Risk and Compliance Institute has invited Michelle to speak at our key conferences. She always delivers an engaging, thought provoking and highly informed speech. Members embrace the insights that she shares on behaviours, motivations, leadership and culture, and walk away with new learnings that they can apply in their workplace. She adds tremendous value to the conference program and is a delight to work with."

Martin Tolar, Chief Executive Officer, Governance, Risk and Compliance Institute

"Michelle delivered a thoroughly engaging story at the Waste Management of Australia Women’s Leadership Lunch, drawing on the challenges of her own personal journey across a variety of senior management roles. Michelle’s inspirational words and informal communication style added up to a great experience for the audience."

Stephen Holland, Waste Management Association of Australia

"Michelle Gibbings is an inspiring and engaging thought leader in change and in business more widely. Her wide ranging experience and practical application of skills shines through. She is an excellent communicator who is able to articulate ideas and lead people to outcomes. We have engaged Michelle a number of times at professional development events, and feedback about her presentations and discussions is always excellent. Her extensive knowledge base, and ability to capture and inspire an audience sets her at the highest level of articulate and highly effective speakers and facilitators. I would recommend Michelle Gibbings without hesitation."

Wendy Grimston, Head of Country - Australia, Change Management Institute

“Michelle’s expertise is evident in the knowledge she shares, her engaging facilitation style and her ability to tailor the content to the group’s needs. If you are looking for someone who knows how to captivate the audience’s attention, impart new ideas skills and is a delight to work with then Michelle is your go-to person.”

David Simpson - The Edge Leadership Group

“Michelle’s energy, enthusiasm and presentation were excellent as was her desire to help attendees develop their skills. I have received extremely positive feedback from many of our members including requests for Michelle to present again. I am already planning for when we can have her back to present at another of our PMI events.”

Colleen Pender, Events Director - PMI Melbourne Chapter