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Anneli’s on a mission to humanise the leadership landscape and change the conversation culture at work.
Anneli Blundell is different. She talks to strangers for fun, loves to haggle for a bargain and isn’t afraid to tell people they have food in their teeth. But then again, she’s obsessed with conversation and connection, so it’s to be expected, right?
For over 20 years she has been fascinated with communication dynamics at work, and her passion for creating cultures where dialogue drives results, makes her one of Australia’s most sought-after speakers, mentors and leadership experts in communication and connection.
Known for her dynamic and engaging style, Anneli disarms her audiences with her natural charisma and cheeky banter. A skilful and fresh presenter, Anneli draws her audiences into a carefully crafted fabric of stories, insights and practical wisdom. She works hard to understand the challenges of her audience and tailors her unique presentations accordingly. Humour, relevance and a knack for practical reality are keys to her high levels of audience engagement and consistently outstanding feedback.
Anneli is the author of several books on shifting human behaviour including the popular, Developing Direct Reports: Taking the guesswork out of leading leaders, a reference guide for developing leadership on the job and The Gender Penalty: Turning obstacles into opportunities for women at work, a handbook for navigating gender equality at work.
A highly awarded professional, Anneli won the prestigious L&D Professional of the Year Award from The Australian Institute of Training and Development and won a Gold Stevie Award for Female Entrepreneur of the Year, along with multiple awards for her book, The Gender Penalty, including Book of the Year.
Anneli is also a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) and has served on the National Board of Professional Speakers Australia (Director for CPD and Events), charged with the ongoing professional development of speakers across Australia. Dedicated to the craft, Anneli doesn’t just deliver keynotes — she engineers experiences. She sees every event through the eyes of the audience, ensuring her sessions are as engaging as they are insightful. Her talks don’t just inform; they connect, captivate and stay with people long after the applause.
Her client list spans across industries and includes organisation like Mercedes-Benz, Ernst and Young, Telstra, Victoria Police, Australia Post, JB Hi-Fi, BUPA, Circana, Sigma Healthcare, Alfred Health, NAB, ANZ, The Good Guys, and many more. She has been published across multi-media outlets and was featured in the 8-part docuseries ‘Transcending the gender narrative’ as an expert commentator.
Incidentally she’s also a nifty parallel parker, a keen hiker and a salsa dancing enthusiast who loves any meal cooked by someone else!
Speaking topics
Keynote One: The Leadership Lens: How Perception Shapes Performance
Great leadership starts with how you see your people. This keynote reveals the unseen biases that distort perception and limit performance, and shows leaders how to shift their lens to unlock value, trust and contribution. When you change the frame, you lift the game.
Keynote Two: Breaking The Sound Barrier: A Leaders’ Guide to Creating Containers of Conversational Safety
People speak up when they feel it’s safe, not when they’re told it’s safe. This keynote explores how leaders create the conversational conditions that invites voices in or shuts them down. You’ll learn how subtle habits shape whether voices are heard or held back.
Keynote Three: The Coach Approach: Why Questions Outperform Instructions for Accountability, Ownership and Outcomes
If you want people to think for themselves, you need to lead with coaching questions. This keynote shows leaders how to shift from telling to asking, using questions to build capability, accountability and stronger outcomes. Less bottlenecking, more empowered problem-solving.
Keynote Four: Leading Women: The Invisible Forces That Shape Women in Leadership
Gender equity is not about fixing women; it is about understanding the forces that shape their experience at work. This keynote unpacks the everyday habits, systems and double binds that limit opportunity and confidence. Leaders learn what genuinely shifts the dial in practical, inclusive ways.
Keynote Five: Maximising Communication Impact - Turning Complex Thinking into Clear Communication
Unclear communication is costly and causes people to lose time, traction and trust. This keynote teaches leaders and specialists how to translate complex thinking into clean, compelling communication that busy stakeholders grasp quickly. Clear communication becomes your strongest influence tool.
Keynote Six: Engaging Meetings Online
Online meetings are easy to schedule but hard to make matter. Too often they fall flat: one-way, low-energy, and quickly forgotten. This keynote gives leaders and teams a simple, practical framework to lift energy, spark contribution, and keep people genuinely engaged, so your meetings become not just convenient, but compelling.
Keynote Seven: The Power of Presence: Amplifying Authority in Moments That Matter
Authority is built in moments, not milestones. This keynote helps leaders recognise the micro-behaviours that weaken impact and shows them how to communicate with presence, persuasion and power. Small shifts can transform how others read your confidence and credibility.
Keynote Eight: Critical Conversations
Avoiding tough conversations doesn’t protect relationships; it slowly erodes them. This keynote gives leaders a practical approach for turning awkward, uncomfortable exchanges into constructive, trust-building discussions. You’ll walk away with the motivation, mindset and method to say what needs to be said.
Keynote Nine: Managing Challenging Behaviours: Why Small Moments Matter Most
Challenging behaviour is rarely about difficult people; it’s about difficult moments. This keynote uncovers the pressure patterns that cause behaviour to escalate and shows leaders how to spot early signals before they turn into conflict or disengagement. Leaders learn simple, timely interventions that reset the tone and help people return to their best selves.
“To say Anneli’s presence was a high point of the conference is an understatement. Over the past ten years I seen over 500 presentations and Anneli’s was definitely above the 95th percentile. Anneli was very well prepared, extremely knowledgeable and highly engaging. The response from delegates was very positive. We would gladly have Anneli speak at one of our conferences in the future. I would also like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank Anneli and her team for being part of the event, they were a joy to deal with.”
“At our annual AAPO conference, we had the pleasure of hearing Anneli Blundell present. Anneli’s presentation was very entertaining and professional. Some of the feedback received from our delegates was “passionate, energetic, relevant, and valuable”. Anneli’s passion for her topic was much appreciated and we would have no hesitation in recommending Anneli to other organisations who are looking for a great presentation in the future.”
“As the current Managing Director of the largest professional association for Coaches in Australia and New Zealand and the former Director of Learning and Development for AIG and AIA, I have developed an extensive network of high caliber speakers, trainers, coaches and facilitators.
There are many professionals in the network who excel in one or more of these modalities, but there are few like Anneli who are able to excel across all of these areas. I invited Anneli to provide a keynote presentation at our recent National Coaching Conference and she was a standout highlight amongst her peers and a clear top-of-the-pack leader against the other 21 speakers at the event.”