10 Dec 2025

Best Leadership Speakers for 2026 Kick-Off Conferences

A New Year kick-off conference is one of the few moments in the calendar where you’ve actually got everyone’s attention. It’s your chance to reset purpose and direction, lift motivation and get aligned before the year starts to get busy. But how can you transform a “nice day out of office” into a true momentum shift? Well, by making sure that you’ve chosen the best speaker to kick-off a refresh!

The right leadership speakers motivate through storytelling. A great speaker will people understand the direction of the year ahead. They motivate staff into an achievement mindset. Best of all, they’ll equip your audience with language and frameworks they can use on Monday. Below, we’ll cover why a kick-off conference matters, the leadership topics that are landing hard with Australian audiences, the different types of keynote speakers for conferences and a shortlist of conference speakers 2026 that forward-thinking planners are booking early.

So, if you’ve already got dates in January or February and you’re exploring leadership speakers, now’s the time to get moving. Kick-off season fills quickly!

Book Your 2026 Leadership Speaker Today

Why Leadership Speakers are Essential for a Kick-Off Conference

A good kick-off conference sets the strategic temperature for the year. It gives teams a shared story that unites people about where you’re headed, why it matters, and what great looks like in real terms. That’s especially true when you’re asking people to change habits, lift performance, adopt new tech or rebuild culture after a big year.

The right leadership speaker can help you do a few things fast:

Set the strategic direction for the year ahead
Inspire teams to embrace change and innovation
Build momentum and enthusiasm after the holiday period
Provide fresh perspectives on leadership challenges
Deliver actionable frameworks that teams can implement

Looking at briefs for our speakers booked for conferences in 2026, the most frequently requested themes including strategic thinking and vision-setting, leadership through change, creating high-performance cultures, innovation and future-forward perspectives, emotionally intelligent leadership and resilience and adaptability through uncertain times.

In other words: the keys to a successful, thriving workplace in 2026.

Types of Leadership Speakers for Your 2026 Conference

Not all leadership speakers land the same way – and that’s a good thing. The best voice for your room depends on your audience, your industry, and how you want people to take action after the kick-off conference.

Corporate Leaders and CEOs

Business-focused speakers are great if you want credibility, commercial reality, and “this is how it actually works” insight. These speakers tend to be strong for strategy, transformation, customer focus, and leading change under pressure. They’re often the most direct match for business conferences, leadership off-sites, and executive audiences.

Sports Coaches and Elite Athletes

Sports speakers are a winning option when you want a high-performance lens: preparation, standards, pressure, teamwork, recovery, and consistency. They can also be a strong option for New Year leadership speakers when you want the room to feel a motivational lift that translates across work and life goals.

Military and Emergency Services Leaders

These motivational speakers bring calm clarity. They’re valued for decision-making under pressure, risk management, teamwork, discipline, and mission focus. They suit industries with high stakes, big responsibility, or major change programs.

Thought Leaders and Authors

If your audience is craving frameworks and fresh thinking, this is your lane. These keynote speakers for conferences are often strongest on future trends, leadership psychology, innovation, and the reality of leading through complex systems.

ICMI has a range of motivational leadership speakers for corporate events for all of the above categories – so you can match the motivational style to your people, not the other way around.

Browse Our Leadership Speakers

How to Choose the Right Leadership Speakers for Your Event

A speaker can be brilliant and still be wrong for your room. The goal isn’t “biggest name” – it’s best match.

Here are the considerations to lock in early:

Audience and seniority: frontline teams, leaders, execs, mixed rooms – different tone, different examples.
Objective: energy lift, strategy alignment, culture shift, capability building, or behaviour change.
Relevance: industry awareness, local context, and credibility with Australian audiences.
Style: inspirational vs practical vs entertaining – and whether you need Q&A, panel work, or a workshop add-on.
Customisation: can they tailor to your theme and priorities without turning it into a corporate advert?
Logistics and timing: for January – February, aim to book at least three months ahead. Kick-off season moves fast, that for high-demand speakers, 4-6 months is even better!

Tip: Your speaker choice also shapes your running order. A strong opening keynote sets the emotional tone; a strong closing keynote creates the “walk out buzzing” moment.

Planning Your 2026 Kick-Off Conference

Now that it’s getting close, we recommend a simple planning rhythm for your kick-off conferences in January or February 2026:

Early December 2025: lock objectives, confirm dates, shortlist and book the speaker, secure venue.
Late-Dec 2025/early-Jan 2026: refine agenda, brief your speaker, confirm AV, coordinate travel, build comms to attendees.
Jan–Feb 2026: deliver the event, capture content (where permitted), turn key ideas into follow-up actions.

Budget line items often missed when booking New Year conference speakers, include:

Speaker fee plus travel and accommodation.
Audio and visual requirements (especially if you want high-quality video and audio recording!)
Extra sessions: workshops, breakouts, panels, MC support.
Internal comms and post-event follow-up (this where the ROI actually happens!)

This is also where choosing the right motivational speakers for your 2026 kick-off conference can save time – because experienced speakers know how to work with briefs, adapt to rooms, and land a message without drama.

Featured ICMI Leadership Speakers for 2026

Below are five speakers who are especially strong for kick-off conference briefs – with a range of expertise across leadership, innovation, AI, resilience and high performance.

Daniel Flynn

Daniel Flynn is an award-winning social entrepreneur and co-founder of Thankyou. He’s sharp on how to challenge the status quo, build momentum, and lead with purpose without losing commercial discipline. Ideal for kick-off conference audiences who need belief, energy, and a reminder that brave moves are made by people who start before they feel ready.
Learn more

Dr Alan D. Thompson

If AI is part of your 2026 story (and for most organisations, it is), Dr Alan D. Thompson brings credibility and clarity. He specialises in how leaders can understand AI’s real impacts – capability, risk, opportunity, workforce implications – without drowning in hype. Great for future-of-work kick-off conference themes.
Learn more

Christine Nixon AO, APM

A standout choice for kick-off conference speakers when you need a steady, credible voice on leadership under scrutiny. As the first female police commissioner in Australia and served as the 19th Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police, Christine Nixon knows all about making hard calls, building accountability, and keeping teams aligned when the stakes are high and the environment is noisy.

Learn more

Professor Veena Sahajwalla AO

Kick start 2026 with a leadership keynote speaker who can lift ambition and make “innovation” feel practical. Professor Veena Sahajwalla links big-picture strategy to real examples of transformation, circular economy thinking and what it takes to lead change at scale.

Learn more

Gus Balbontin

Former Executive Director and CTO at Lonely Planet, Gus is the antidote to vague “future talk”. He’s practical, irreverent, and very good at helping leaders and teams make decisions in complexity. Strong fit for leadership keynote speakers who need to shift mindsets, lift accountability, and move people from planning to action.
Learn more

Dean Boxall

Dean Boxall is a world-renowned Olympic swimming coach known for building elite performance environments. He’s a natural choice when you want energy in the room – but the deeper value is his insight into standards, coaching, consistency, and resilience under pressure. Great for New Year conference speakers when the theme is “lift the bar”.
Learn more

Looking for an industry specific match or a broader mix? Explore:

Leadership speakers

Motivational speakers for corporate events

Business speakers in Australia

MCs and hosts

FAQs on Leadership Speakers and Kick-Off Conferences

What makes a good leadership speaker for a kick-off conference?
A great speaker combines three things: relevance to your audience, a clear message, and practical takeaways. The best leadership speakers can inspire, but also give teams a framework or language they can use immediately.
How much do leadership speakers cost in Australia?
Fees vary based on profile, demand, topic, and travel. As a rough guide, experienced speakers often sit in the $7,000–$15,000 range, with high-demand or high-profile talent running higher – especially in peak kick-off season.
When should I book a speaker for my 2026 kick-off conference?
As soon as possible! The most requested conference speakers for 2026 are often locked in early, especially for prime mid-week dates.
What topics do leadership speakers cover at kick-off events?
Common kick-off themes include direction and vision, change and transformation, innovation, future of work, team performance, resilience, culture, accountability, and leadership behaviours that drive results.
Can ICMI help me choose the right leadership speaker?
Yes. Absolutely! ICMI’s expert consultants have over 35 years of experience matching the perfect speakers to events. We take time to understand your event objectives, audience, budget, and organizational culture and can recommend shortlists quickly when timelines are tight.

Ready to Book Your 2026 Leadership Keynote?

A kick-off conference is an optimal moment to create clarity and momentum – but only if the message lands. The right leadership speakers make strategy feel real, lift energy, and help teams walk out knowing exactly what matters next.

If you’re planning January and February 2026 and want options that fit your audience, budget, and theme, ICMI can shortlist speakers, confirm availability, and keep the process smooth from brief to stage.

Ready to find the perfect speaker for your budget? Call ICMI on 1800 334 625 or contact us online for transparent pricing and expert recommendations.