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Key Points for Kim Seeling Smith

  • Senior and strategic enough for the boardroom, practical enough for the training room
  • Live, bespoke on-stage AI demonstrations built for each audience
  • Former KPMG-trained CPA with a double major in accounting and computer science
  • Recent executive study on AI at MIT Sloan
  • Research base of 5,000+ exit interviews
  • Australia-based, speaks globally
  • Award-winning business futurist
  • Sat at the table with Sir Richard Branson in recognition of her innovative work around the future of work
  • Author of "Mind Reading for Managers"
  • Co-author of "101 Great Ways to Enhance Your Career" with Brian Tracy
  • Frequent media commentator on AI and the future of work: The Today Show (over 30 appearances), Sunrise, Forbes, Fast Company, SmartCompany, CEO Magazine, CNBC Online, the Australian Financial Review and the Sydney Morning Herald

Topics for Kim Seeling Smith

  • How (Not) to Kill Your Business in Three Easy Disruptions
    A wake-up call for senior leadership on the three disruptions quietly deciding which businesses survive the next decade.
    45% of global CEOs believe their business will not be viable in ten years if it stays on its current path (PwC 27th Annual Global CEO Survey). The technology is rarely the reason. AI bets fail at the human level. Talent walks. Leaders lose their nerve, their market position, or both.
    Three disruptions are colliding at once, and each is survivable on its own. Together, they are quietly killing businesses that do not face them honestly. AI is changing what work gets done, and by who. The Polycrisis — multiple crises converging — is forcing every business to become more agile, innovative and creative. And the Rise of the Empowered Workforce is a perfect storm: a critical skills shortage colliding with people who have clearly defined priorities and are willing to vote with their feet.
    This is the keynote that makes senior leadership sit up. It names the strategic risks hiding in plain sight, shows where AI investment is most likely to fail, and gives the C-suite and senior leaders the framework and the courage to lead through radical change without losing their best people.
    To face the three disruptions, the C-suite must:
    • Business — de-risk the AI bet. Most AI strategies fail not because the technology does not work, but because the people do not adopt it, do not trust it, or do not stay through the disruption.
    • Leadership — trade certainty for clarity. Command-and-control leadership is losing its grip. What replaces it is not softness but clarity.
    • Workforce — treat your people as your moat. Your best people are your competitive advantage, and they know it.
      Why attend? Diagnosis — a clear-eyed look at the three disruptions reshaping your business. Direction — the C-suite decisions that separate the leaders who carry their people through disruption from the ones who lose them. De-risking — where AI investment is most likely to fail, and how to protect the bet you have already made.
      Best fit: CEO and board events, executive forums, AICD-aligned audiences, senior leadership conferences, professional-services partner conferences, executive and leadership offsites, strategic planning kickoff.
  • Where AI Strategy Meets Human Reality
    How leaders close the gap between AI strategy and the people who have to make it work.Three disruptions are reshaping work at once: AI, the Polycrisis, and the Rise of the Empowered Workforce. The organizations that win will not be the ones with the best technology. They will be the ones whose leaders can carry their people through it.
    Most AI strategies fail not because the technology does not work, but because the humans do not adopt it. People do not trust the tools, do not use them, or quietly walk out the door somewhere between the strategy deck and the daily work. That is where AI strategy succeeds or fails, and it is the part almost every leader has been told is somebody else's job.
    This keynote gives leaders the framework, the language and the practical levers to close the gap. Anchored by live, bespoke AI demonstrations built for the audience, it shifts the room from talking about AI to leading through it.
    To close the gap, leaders must: understand the human dynamics behind AI adoption; shift from command to clarity; and use AI as a catalyst for reinvention, not just productivity.
    Why attend? Framework — the Three Disruptions Reshaping the Future of Work. Fluency — the language leaders need to talk about AI with their teams without triggering fear, defensiveness or disengagement. Live demonstration — a bespoke on-stage AI demonstration built for the audience.
    Best fit: senior leadership conferences, industry associations, banking and finance, government leadership forums, digital transformation events, internal leadership conferences. 
  • Everyday AI – The Human Advantage
    How to use AI with confidence, clarity and commercial impact.
    AI is no longer a boardroom conversation. It is a daily one, in every role and every team. But most of your people do not need a strategic briefing. They need a practical way in — the confidence to use AI as a co-pilot, the skill to spot where it actually helps, and the human judgment to know what to keep for themselves.
    This keynote closes the gap between fear and fluency. It demystifies AI, gives every professional a working relationship with it, and shows how the human advantage — judgment, creativity, empathy, ethics — grows more valuable as machines do more of the routine work.
    Anchored by live, bespoke AI demonstrations built for the audience, it turns AI from abstract technology into an everyday capability people can carry back to Monday morning.
    To build everyday AI confidence, your people need: the fundamentals, clearly explained; practical tools that fit real work; and the human advantage — judgment, creativity, empathy and ethics.
    Why attend? Confidence — a clear-eyed working relationship with AI. Capability — live, bespoke on-stage demonstrations built for the audience. Advantage — a grounded view of where the human edge lives.
    Best fit: organisations early in AI adoption, professional services, associations, SMEs, leadership teams, capability initiatives.
  • Stay Relevant
    The skills, mindset and strategy to future-proof your career in the age of AI.
    Somewhere between the AI headlines and the daily work, most people are quietly asking the same question: am I still going to be relevant and valuable?
    The answer is not obvious. AI is reshaping roles faster than most workplaces can keep up, and traditional career advice is aging in real time. But the skills that keep people valuable, and the mindset that makes them adaptable, can be built deliberately. Research from the 2026 AFR Best Places to Work awards found that one of the top motivators for Australian employees today is the opportunity to develop the skills they need to stay relevant in a rapidly changing world of work.
    This keynote delivers exactly that. A clear-eyed look at what is changing, the human skills that grow more valuable, and a practical plan each person can take charge of for themselves.
    To stay relevant, you must: see what is changing before it hits you; build the skills that compound; and take charge of your own relevance.
    Why attend? Clarity — a clear-eyed view of how AI is reshaping work. Capability — the skills, mindsets and habits that grow more valuable in an AI-saturated workplace. Control — a practical 90-day plan each person can take home and act on immediately.
    Best fit: professional associations, industry bodies, career and emerging-leader development, internal employee conferences, all-hands and town-hall sessions, workforce-transformation events.
  • 9 Keys to Keep Your Best People From Walking Out the Door: Based on Over 5,000 Exit Interviews!
    Backed by insights from 5,000+ exit interviews, this session reveals why transformation succeeds or fails at the human level, and what leaders must do to keep people engaged, capable and committed through change.




Testimonials for Kim Seeling Smith

I would highly recommend Kim for any business keynote. I recently saw her at the Gold Coast Business week and her presentation on the future of AI was exceptional. It was one of 5 AI keynotes I've seen recently and this one definitely carried to most weight with me. There were many practical nuggets of gold that I took away and generally found it a fascinating and highly engaging discussion. Her plethora of knowledge would be highly beneficial to any professional not looking to be left behind in the AI era.
Growth Leader
KPMG

Kim Seeling Smith delivered an unforgettable session at BoldHaus Groove, leaving our global audience of thought leaders and entrepreneurs inspired and energized. Her talk on the future of AI was a masterclass in combining humor, insight, and actionable strategies. She challenged conventional thinking while making a complex topic both relatable and engaging. Our attendees walked away with not only a deeper understanding of AI — but also practical tools and mindsets to future-proof their businesses. Kim is a powerhouse speaker who comes 1000% prepared and sets the bar incredibly high. We’re all still buzzing with ideas and inspiration from her session!
CEO and Founder of BoldHaus
an Inc. 5000-Recognized Company

Kim’s presentation at the 2024 AAC Annual Conference, themed " Building the Future - Innovations in Certification & Building Surveying" captivated nearly 700 delegates. She highlighted the revolutionary role of artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies in reshaping Certifiers professional role. Her presentation was engaging and full of energy!
Events and Training
Association of Australian Certifiers

Thank you Kim Seeling Smith! It was such an inspiring and insightful session! Wella Red customers have now a great toolbox that they can implement in their salons!
Managing Director
ANZ at Wella Company

Kim delivered the opening keynote at our Industry Leadership Forum in November. We gave her a brief to challenge the audience to think differently and she delivered. We were impressed by her industry knowledge, ability to tailor her content to the level of leader and her ability to engage from the stage. Kim was also very easy to work with and got great feedback from the participants. I highly recommend Kim to speak at your conference.
Global Vice President Portfolio Management
Worley

We received all positive feedback from our delegates stating they learnt tools to take back & implement into their businesses.
TABMA 

The Best digital speaker session I’ve been a part of. Kim managed to get the same level of engagement as she would standing in front of us.
Chair & Leadership Mentor
TEC The Executive Connection

By far the strongest results of our entire series of business summits.
Director of Tax & Business Advisory
RSM Australia

Kim was one of only a handful of non-technical speakers we asked to move from our live to virtual Summit at the onset of COVID.
Event Content Project Manager
Atlassian

We could not be more delighted with the impact Kim has made with our business and with our clients.
Group Managing Director
PEOPLE2PEOPLE

If anyone can think of questions while listening to this, they have 2 brains working separately!
Steering Committee Member, Veterans Career Day event
CISCO

I loved the stats used and how Kim tied them to the stories she told.
Keep up the amazing work. I look forward to many more presentations to come.
Without a doubt, the best hour I've spent since the pandemic started.
Packed with so much information but Kim delivered it in a really engaging way.
Fabulous! I'm usually one to be multitasking in the background however I was hooked.
Slides with a little bubble of Kim presenting is the best idea I've seen yet.
Never a dull moment with Kim Seeling Smith.
Program Participants testimonials