Dara Simkin Book as a speaker/entertainer for your next event

Key Points for Dara Simkin

  • Dara Simkin is Director of Organisational Play at the National Institute for Play and a leading global voice on play in the workplace.
  • She helps organisations strengthen human capabilities including adaptability, creativity, learning agility and connection in rapidly changing environments.
  • Dara has designed and delivered international workplace programs in partnership with organisations including IKEA and Sesame Street Workshop.
  • Her presentations combine research, behavioural science and practical strategies that help leaders and teams embrace uncertainty and perform at their best.

Topics for Dara Simkin

  • The human premium
    Why curiosity, imagination and experience are the only things AI can't replace
    Knowledge is now democratised. Everyone has access to the same information, the same tools and the same AI. What commands a premium, and always will, is curiosity, imagination and experience.
    But knowing that isn’t enough. The question leaders are actually grappling with is harder: how do you build the conditions where those capabilities flourish? How do you create the fertile environment where imagination runs free, curiosity stays alive and bold ideas actually make it into the room consistently, not just occasionally?
    This keynote is not a celebration of humanity in the abstract, it’s a practical framework for identifying what is distinctively human in your organisation and amplifying it deliberately — so that the premium your people represent actually compounds over time.
    Every business wants to believe they have a human premium. But you have to invest in it to make it valuable and sustainable.
    Because in a world where knowledge is free and execution can be automated, the only sustainable edge is a deeply human one.
    Key takeaways
    • What makes human curiosity, imagination and experience irreplaceable in an AI-shaped world.
    • How to build the conditions where those capabilities flourish consistently.
    • Why the organisations pulling ahead aren’t working harder, they’re thinking more humanly.
  • Don't fear change, play with it
    How to turn uncertainty into curiosity, confidence and capacity
    Disruption is no longer an event. It’s the operating condition. And our nervous systems, built for a very different kind of threat, are struggling to keep up.
    The old response was to analyse, plan and wait for certainty before acting. That worked when problems were complicated. Most of the problems we face now are complex — meaning there is no right answer waiting to be found. There is only action, feedback and adaptation.
    This is where play becomes a serious business imperative.
    Play is how humans practise acting without knowing the outcome. It’s how we develop the improvisational capacity to make the next move before the full picture is clear, to stay curious under pressure, treat failure as data rather than verdict, and build the bold, experimental relationship with change that actually moves things forward.
    This keynote makes the science-backed case for why play isn’t a distraction from navigating disruption. It’s the most important capability you can build for it.
    Key takeaways
    • Why our biology wasn’t built for this pace of change — and what to do about it.
    • How complexity reframes the way we make decisions under uncertainty.
    • Concrete tools for building the improvisational boldness to act, adapt and thrive when the outcome is unknown.
  • Playful intelligence
    Why play is the antidote to mediocrity
    Adults don’t lose the capacity for play. We suppress it socially, culturally, and through decades of learning to fit in, conform and perform the version of ourselves that feels safest in the room.
    Conformity is a survival strategy. It’s how we belong. But it comes at a cost. When we stop playing we stop taking risks, experimenting and being willing to look ridiculous in pursuit of something real. We don’t just become less creative or less productive, we become less ourselves. And a life spent being less yourself is, by definition, a mediocre one.
    Mediocrity isn’t dramatic. It’s the quiet accumulation of small surrenders like the idea you didn’t pitch, the conversation you didn’t have or the version of yourself you kept in reserve for someday. And in a world where conformity can now be automated, mediocrity doesn’t just lead to dissatisfaction. It leads to irrelevance.
    Play is the antidote. Not the ping pong table in the office or team building afternoon. The real kind, where the willingness to act without guaranteed outcomes, to try without permission and be boldly, inconveniently, stubbornly yourself.
    Think of it like a muscle. Not atrophied, just severely undertrained. The capacity is still there. It just needs more reps.
    This keynote isn’t about career advancement. It’s about something bigger: what it means to be a human being who actually shows up for their own life — with intention, with boldness, and with the playful intelligence to know that the biggest risk isn’t failure. It’s never having tried.
    Key takeaways
    • Why we suppress play — the social and cultural forces that trade boldness for belonging.
    • Why conformity leads to mediocrity and mediocrity leads to irrelevance in a world being reshaped by automation.
    • How to rebuild playful intelligence as a practice in your work, your relationships and your life.
  • Full stack human
    The five capabilities that matter more than any productivity hack
    There is no shortage of advice on how to perform better. Optimise your morning routine. Master your inbox. Use AI to do more in less time. The productivity industrial complex has never been louder — or less focused on what actually matters.
    Because here’s what the hacks can’t fix: if the fundamentals are broken, the optimisation is just noise.
    In a world being reshaped by technology, the leaders and teams who thrive aren’t the ones running the best systems. They’re the ones who have got the human fundamentals right — the deeply human, stubbornly irreplaceable capabilities that determine how well you think, adapt, connect and perform under pressure.
    There are five of them. And most organisations are accidentally dismantling all of them at once.
    Drawn directly from the Wiley-published book of the same name, this keynote gives audiences a framework for understanding, diagnosing and rebuilding the leadership capabilities that no algorithm can replicate, not as a self-improvement project, but as a fundamental operating system upgrade for the way they work and lead.
    Key takeaways
    • The five human capabilities: Serious Play, Strategic Hope, Intelligent Optimism, Radical Curiosity and Embodied Adaptability and why they matter more than any tool or technique.
    • A personal diagnostic to identify which capabilities need the most attention right now.
    • Concrete practices to start rebuilding them, not someday, but this week.

Testimonials for Dara Simkin

I saw Dara present at a McKinsey conference. Her session made a real impression on me and I had plenty of laughs along the way. Dara provides plenty of practical tools and tips that executives can take back to their teams. One of my favourites is "yes, and". We have been using this technique in our teams since the conference and it has helped shift our dialogue in significant ways.
Group Executive
ANZ

Dara created a real spark. Our leadership team now lives by ‘Yes, And’ and multiple teams have introduced play into their organisational rituals.
Former CFO
Chevron

The feedback from attendees was fantastic. The event was run several times and I was stunned by the impact that the play based activities had.
Director
PwC

Dara was a breath of fresh air and a natural fit for us here at CRG. We came with an ambitious outcome and not only did she accept the challenge but she upped it, and then delivered. Dara was easy to work with, aligned to the outcomes we needed to see as a business, and adaptable to our business context. The session we co-designed was received incredibly by our senior leaders, many of whom said it was 'our best event yet'.
Head of Org Development
Country Road Group

Dara’s session created a relaxed, energising environment where our leaders felt comfortable being honest about the behaviours that shaped our year. The activities were smart, engaging and surprisingly powerful — they shifted perspectives and led to meaningful conversations that wouldn’t have happened in a traditional workshop. She helped us turn reflection into momentum, with clear insights we could carry straight into 2026. Our team left aligned, motivated and genuinely excited about working differently.
Senior Learning & Capability Business Partner
Melbourne Airport

The energy in that room could’ve powered a small city.
People Experience Partner
Carman’s Kitchen

Working with Dara has been a game-changer for our organisation. She inspired us to think differently and find innovative ways to engage our people leaders on their transformation journey. Her thought leadership and support were instrumental in bringing a comprehensive program together. The feedback from our participants has been incredible, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Dara to anyone looking to drive meaningful change within their organisation.
Chief Marketing Officer
AGL

The session was fun, interactive and engaging and many of the leaders have used the tools they learned with their teams. The unexpected part of the session was that we all learned a little bit more about each other and sometimes ourselves in a really fun way.
People & Organisation Director
Royal Canin Pacific

Dara has been incredibly influential to my approach to corporate life, in particular idea generation, change management and leading my teams. Her energy is infectious, her purpose is clear and she is next level passionate about helping people challenge the status quo and learn a new way of thinking. This is critical for any organisation in a world of growing complexity and constant change. In order to build an organisation that can shift, stretch and respond rapidly, you need a workforce that can deliver it. Dara's workshops are the instrument to achieve this change in thinking.
Partner
KPMG

You often hear about resilience, perseverance, relentless.....not often you see all of them in one single individual. Dara has a relentless optimism that is infectious, the resilience of someone with purpose and belief, and the perseverance of those that never give up. I have been touch by her magic and I am grateful for people like Dara, she brings fresh thinking that translates in action. She walks her talk and has a clear purpose and direction that makes you want to be part of the journey. The impact of her work is not only at a personal level, developing into the playful creative director of your life, it also touches organizational culture with magical moments where creative confidence drives innovation. If you want to experience what means to be fully alive, see Dara, she will not disappoint.
Medibank

Thank you for all the hard work, collaboration, and fun leading up to and organising the conference. Your dedication and playfulness were evident in every aspect of the event. Thank you for infusing the two days with your amazing energy and playfulness. Your dynamic presence and innovative ideas truly added a special touch to the conference, creating a memorable experience for all our leaders.
Australian Foundation for Disability