Exclusive to Saxton.

He is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Woolworths, Chairman of Insurance Australia Group, a Director of Qantas Airways; and Chairman of the Australia Council for the Arts.

A keen sportsman in his own right, from mountain climbing to scuba diving and riding motorcycles, he is also a Director of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation. His business career has spanned industrial relations, law, mining, political lobbying, aviation, the liquor industry, retailing and insurance. One of his higher profile roles was as CEO of Qantas.

He was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for his services to business and commerce; and to the Arts. His many other awards include being awarded the Australian Centenary Medal for contributions to aviation and the arts, the Sir Charles McGrath Award for Excellence in Marketing, and the Smithsonian Institute's Laureate Hall of Fame Award for Commercial Air Transport.

James Strong's special areas of interest in business are strategy, communications, organisational change and people. An articulate and focused speaker, he provides straightforward, invaluable lessons for senior management and all manner of wider group.

Dr David Morgan is the former Chief Executive Officer of Westpac Banking Corporation (where he held the position from 1999 to 2008) and former Chairman of the Australian Bankers' Association. He is currently a non-executive director of BHP Billiton Ltd and a partner of the US-based specialist investment firm JC Flowers. He is also Chairman of the company's Australian operations. Prior to joining Westpac, Dr Morgan worked at the International Monetary Fund in Washington in the 1970s and the Federal Treasury in the 1980s. He headed all major areas of the Treasury before being appointed the Senior Deputy Secretary. Dr Morgan holds a Bachelors degree in Economics (Honours), and also received a Master of Science in Economics (Distinction) and a Doctor of Philosophy (Economics) from the London School of Economics. He is an articulate, powerful and highly motivational speaker with a wealth of business experience.

As the former CEO of an organisation operating across eighty nations with 122 thousand members and 300 thousand student members, few have the depth and breadth of experience that Allen Blewitt holds. Audiences across the globe have drawn upon his passion and knowledge.

He drove the global strategy and growth of the ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants), developing its international network, including key political and stakeholder relationships. He is renowned for diverse global projects, including restructuring entry programmes, reviewing and refocusing student marketing strategies, streamlining new offerings and instituting new committees for member input. His influential and visionary style led to the revamping of the overall organisational strategy and long term strategic planning. He is an engaging and charismatic speaker whose ares of expertise include business sustainability, business in Asia, strategic planning, and running a global organisation. As a speaker, his experience, style and skill ensure an unforgettable learning and thought-provoking experience.

Alastair Campbell is arguably the most famous press secretary the UK has seen. He was appointed as Tony Blair's official spokesman in 1994 and from then up until the announcement that he was leaving his government post, the two men were regarded as so close that his words have often been interpreted as carrying the full authority of Mr Blair. Despite opting for a more behind the scenes role as communications chief in recent times, Alastair Campbell has proved that he is capable of making the news in his own right. In 2000 Alastair Campbell gave up daily briefings to Westminster lobby journalists to concentrate more on long-term strategy. In 2007 he published his first book on his time with Tony Blair, The Blair Years, extracts from his diaries from 1994 to 2003: an instant Sunday Times #1 bestseller. His first novel, All In The Mind, was published in November 2008. He is a sought after speaker at events around the world, specialising in strategic communications, politics, the media, and change.

In recent months Saxton has facilitated a range of international speakers for its clients including Gregory David Roberts, John Cleese, Al Gore, Bob Geldof, Mike Chinoy, Jamling Tenzing Norgay, and many more. Interested in that special international? Then please contact us.

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Melbourne Corporate Luncheon

A capacity Melbourne Corporate Luncheon audience enjoyed a thoroughly memorable final luncheon for 2008, featuring some of the best entertainment Australia has to offer. Footage from the day can be found by clicking on the video icons below.

The Rat Pack's Back, Nigel and More Nigel

Tracy Bartram, Amanda Gore, Leo Sayer

The first MCL for 2009 featured the celebrated economist Craig James who treated us to a fascinating and most entertaining insight into the domestic an international economies. His Lewis Carrol-themed Australia through the Looking Glass gave us an excellent perspective on the global challenges and portrayed a refreshingly positive outlook for the future.

The next MCL will be held on Friday, 22nd May, and features former Officer in Charge of the Purana Taskforce Jim O'Brien, the man responsible for bringing Tony Mokbel back to Australia and breaking up his and some of the more widespread networks of organised crime in Australia. Jim is a fascinating speaker who combines all the excitement and intrigue of the fight against high profile crime with the elite management techniques of Purana. Join us to hear Underbelly: The Real Story.

Look for the invitation in your e-mail shortly or contact Sue Seletto on 0429 183 401. It's an ideal way to network, entertain your colleagues and clients, hear the finest in speakers and entertainers, and help a most worthwhile cause: Scouts Australia.

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Sydney Corporate Luncheon

A most appreciative Sydney Corporate Luncheon audience were treated to a star-studded line-up at the final event of 2008. If you missed the event but would like to see it, or if you'd like to relive the day, click on the video icons below.

James Morrison, Amanda Gore and Rhythm Untapped


Nicholas Tweedy, Nanette Moulton and Jean Kittson

A delighted Sydney Corporate Luncheon audience were treated to an outstanding address by Roger Corbett AO, entitled Towards Business Sustainability. His 'Big Picture' approach to the issues facing the world and, in particular, social sustainability was incredibly inspiring. He is uniquely placed to speak on the issues facing business today. He received his AO for his services to business and the community. As CEO and Group Managing Director of Woolworths, he was directly responsible for the development and implementation of some of the country's most successful new business acquisitions and strategic alliances. He was also involved in the establishment of the Woolworths Australian Communities Foundation to support the company's ongoing charitable work for local Australian organisations.

He is a Director of Wal-Mart Stores Inc, the Reserve Bank of Australia, Fairfax Media Limited, and Deputy Chairman of PrimeAg Australia Limited. He serves on the board of Outback Stores which provides indigenous Australians in small outback communities with retail facilities. Hosted by the popular media personality Richard Morecroft, Towards Sustainable Business proved to be a challenging yet balanced perspective on what is needed for business success in today's demanding times.

Mark Friday the 24th of July in your diaries for the next Sydney Corporate Luncheon and look for details in your e-mail shortly.

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Amcham / Drake International Corporate Golf Day

The golf course is the boardroom of the new millennium. It is the ideal location for networking and developing relationships with your customers or your team in a relaxed environment without interruption. Great prizes and the opportunity to win an Audi A3 valued at 50 thousand dollars!

The AmCham / Drake International Corporate Golf Day includes green fees, sandwich lunch, on-course refreshments, two-course BBQ dinner with drinks and a gift for every player.

When: 9.30am - 6.00pm, Thursday, 21 May 2009
Where Killara Golf Club, 556 Pacific Highway, Killara
Book online: www.amcham.com.au
For more details contact Charmaine Terry +61 2 8031 9000

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The Top 10 Business Speakers

Following last year's lists of the best-rated speakers in a variety of categories, we now present the top 10 business speakers as voted by you, our clients.

James Strong... leadership, people and change.
Roger Corbett... leadership in international business.
David Morgan... international leadership.
Linda Nicholls... leading director and corporate advisor.
Bob Carr... a master orator.
Rod McGeoch... inspirational leadership.
Stella Axarlis... excellence through empowerment.
Chris Caton... leading strategic forecaster
Craig James... CommSec Chief Economist.
Phil Ruthven... founder and Chairman, IBISWorld.

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Client Comments

David Morgan for Perennial Investment Partners Limited:

"David's presentation was rated an outstanding 4.7 out of 5 by the delegates. It was also appreciated that David decided to open it up to the press with some very favourable results highlighting the strength of our banking industry. David went out of his way to talk to many of our guests and we had many great comments on the feedback forms about his approachability as well. I was impressed with his preparation and attention to detail - he was extremely well received."

Malcolm McLeod for Queensland Motorways:

"Malcolm was very confident, engaging and entertaining. The session was very well received by the participants."

See Malcolm McLeod in action here

Brigitte Muir for Department of Justice, Victims Support Agency:

"Brigitte was very personable, natural and engaging."

Ron Tacchi for Associated Retailers Limited:

"As expected, Ron's opening left a lasting impression on the audience. All the delegates were talking about the great presentation for the remainder of the conference. Ron's presentation was the highlight, and the delegates left the conference motivated to implement the points raised by Ron."

Gregory David Roberts for National Australia Bank:

"Gregory David Roberts was brilliant! We received fantastic feedback from clients and staff."

See Gregory David Roberts in action here

Russell Mark for Local Government Finance Professionals:

"Russell arrived in plenty of time, was very relaxed and spoke very well. Our delegates were very interested in just sitting back and listening to his story - a great way to finish our conference."

Graeme Joy for EA Forum:

"Thank you for your inspiring presentation at the EA forum. Since Wednesday I've had quite a few of the EAs email me about how great you were. One of them stated 'Graeme was an absolute joy to listen to and had lots of great ideas'. We all loved the way you added value to your stories with the concepts that we can implement into our public sector lives."

See Graeme Joy in action here

Tim Cope for CPA Australia:

"Tim was like a breath of fresh air, so nice to know that Saxton have all types of speakers, and not just high powered business professionals."

See Tim Cope in action here

Nicholas Tweedy for Howards Storage World:

"Nicholas Tweedy was the most outstanding performance of the conference; 'amazing' is an understatement! We had people offering marriage proposals to him. People were still discussing his performance until they departed on the last day. His impact on people was incredible, far outweighing what our intentions were. He is a fantastic performer, and we may use him again in the future. Fantastic!"

See Nicholas Tweedy in action here

Dr Sally Cockburn for Conrad Treasury Brisbane:

"Sally was very easy to deal with. Some of the comments we received from delegates were: 'I felt Dr Sally was only talking to me, not 150 other women' and 'Can we have her back next year?'"

See Dr Feelgood in action here

Arron Wood for Curtin University of Technology:

"This is the second time I have booked Arron - he is perfect for our forum, judges the audience well, is interesting, funny and informative. I intend to book Arron again for the same conference next year in March."

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Sales Tips from Ian Stephens

How to Recession-Proof Your Revenue Target

As consumers or clients tighten the belt, sales professionals step up! Ian Stephens, Australia's No. 1 sales specialist and peak performance coach, and author of The 7 Universal Laws of Sales Success, says sales professionals go back to basics and take ownership, accountability and responsibility for making the revenue result happen.

When the going gets tough, true sales professional man the O.A.R. (take Ownership, Accountability and Responsibility), lean harder into the opposing current and double the rowing tempo. They implement four strategies to secure their revenue targets:

1. Get 'active' and up the ante on the key activities which drive results;
2. Know key conversion ratios and expect them to drop by approximately 30%;
3. Adjust your marketing direction to include recession-proof segments; and
4. Re-hone your 'Consultative Selling Skills'.

Let's explore each...

To see Ian in action please click here. If you would like to know more about Ian's talent retention training or engaging Ian as a speaker (and he was voted one of the top ten motivational speakers in Australia!) phone +61 3 9811 3500 or email us.

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The Future By Us

The Future By Us, a collection of essays by ten outstanding young Australians, was recently released by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who wrote the book's foreword. Mr Rudd has praised the authors for presenting important new ideas for policy consideration. The book features ideas such as a new university degree based on the best international academic work via the internet, a personal credit card that calculates your own carbon footprint, and an IQ score based on knowledge of language, history and world cultures. Available from most major bookstores, the book's authors are...

Chloe Adams
Nick Bearlin-Allardice
Matthew Albert
Katie Dunlop
Hugh Evans
Samah Hadid
Simon Moss
Tom O'Connor
Anna Rose
Alex Rafalowicz

Contributor Samah Hadid, co-author of 'Country of the world: citizenship, multiculturalism and immigration' and Hugh Evans, co-editor, were recently featured on LifeMatters on ABC Radio National. You can listen to Samah here and to Hugh here.

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William Ellis Green: In Memoriam

It is with great sadness that we mourn the passing of William Ellis Green or, as he was affectionately known, "Bill", or WEG. He passed away peacefully on the morning of December 29th. WEG was one of the original group of speakers who joined with Joan Saxton in 1965 to form the Joan Saxton Speakers Agency and much of the history of the company (including hundreds of presenters) has been meticulously recorded by him.

He was arguably the world's fastest caricaturist and was an enduring fixture in Australia's print landscape since the 1940s. Despite warnings from his mother that "you'll starve if you become a cartoonist", WEG joined the Melbourne Herald in 1946 and stayed there until he retired 40 years later! He is well known for his Grand Final Posters, the sales of which have raised in excess of two million dollars for the Royal Children's Hospital. In 2001 he received the Medal of the Order of Australia for his services to art and the community.

For over half a century WEG was in great demand as a caricaturist for corporate functions. He will be remembered as an entertaining and amusing speaker whose key presentation, 'Spitting Image', detailed his amazing story as a cartoonist. We fondly remember WEG and our thoughts are with his family.

Farewell WEG, and thank you.

- The Team at Saxton.

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Saxton News

Operation Angel, founded by Jacqueline Pascarl in 1997 to assist the women and children the war-torn regions including the Balkan states, was reinvigorated by the devestation caused by the recent Victorian bushfires. A rapid response, community and volunteer support organisation, it had by the 4th of March distributed or organised over 900 thousand dollars of new humanitarian relief supplies to the survivors of Australia's worst-ever natural disaster. We are enormously proud of Jacqueline and her tireless work in support of this cause.



Keep an eye out for the May edition of Women's Weekly magazine, in which Jacqueline and her family will be the main feature. Jacqueline has also been invited to speak in August in Nova Scotia at the World Congress Childrens Rights conference; the partron of the event is Michelle Obama.



Peter Fisk's new book, Customer Genius: Becoming a Customer-Centric Business was released last month. You can read Peter's article 'Advantage Asia in Times of Crisis and Change' here or pick up a copy of Customer Genius at all good bookstores.



Congratulations to Jon Dee who was recently featured on 60 Minutes, addressing the environmental implications of bottled water. You can read a transcript of the interview here.

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Speakers on the Move

Jimmy Pham: Australia, May 26th to 31st.

Dr Danah Zohar: Australia, June.

Mike Chinoy: Hong Kong, June.

Alison: Australia, June 28th to July 9th.

Gordon Ramsey: Australia, late September.



For regular updates on travelling speakers please go to Speakers on the Move.

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2009 Tri Nations series

The 2009 Tri Nations is nearly upon us again, with the first match to be held between the All Blacks and the Wallabies in Auckland on the 18th of July. Hosting an event that is near this competition? Then you'll be pleased to hear that there are still opportunities available for booking some of Australia's leading rugby union speakers. Nick Farr-Jones, Peter FitzSimons, Rod Macqueen, Phil Kearns, John Eales and Wendell Sailor are all excellent options who can highlight your business theme.

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'The Gun' Behind the Beaconsfield Mine Rescue

Explosives expert Darren Flanagan received a call at 9.30pm one evening and was asked if he could blow a tunnel into solid rock 1km underground (approaching from underneath) and not kill two men who were trapped. The mine owners sent a Lear Jet to Nowra to pick him up at midnight - he loaded the jet with explosives, flew to Beaconsfield and became the focal point of a team of over 100 rescuers who brought the Beaconsfield miners to the surface. Darren had to lay almost 70 charges, each precise to the millimetre... Read on here or contact us for more on Darren.

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Quotable Quotes

This month's quotes are taken from a number of addresses by the 44th President of the United States of America, the former Senator from Illinois who was recently inaugurated to become the first African-American president, Barack Obama.

"When we have faced down impossible odds; when we've been told that we're not ready, or that we shouldn't try, or that we can't, generations of Americans have responded with a simple creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can."

"That is the true genius of America - a faith in simple dreams, an insistence on small miracles."

"Greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom."

"We will need to remind ourselves, despite all our differences, just how much we share: common hopes, common dreams, a bond that will not break."

"I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you."

For more great quotes go to Quotable Quotes.

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Win This

According to Dr Peter Ellyard, former Executive Director for the Australian Commission For The Future, we are at a tipping point in history, and, despite the much-publicised gloom, we are currently in a unique position in the design of societies that are sustainable, diverse, and prosperous. His latest release, Designing 2050, is a blueprint for future makers, and we are this month giving away three signed copies of the book.



Simply e-mail us with the name of another of Peter's books to be in the draw.

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