Margot Cairnes

Margot Cairnes's Biography

Margot Cairns has had a global career delivering large scale transformation projects for multinationals and governments with revenue growth in the billions. She has presented on leadership and change at the World Economic Forum and shared a stage with Hillary Clinton and Queen Raina of Jordan in NYC at womensfuture.com.

Working as a coach and advisor to boards and top teams in Europe, Asia, the United States and Australia, Margot has used her compelling approach to strategy development to help leaders widen and deepen their thinking, develop creativity, effectively problem solve and develop stronger, more robust stakeholder relationships.  She has headed multi-billion dollar change programmes such as the merger of BP(Oil) & Mobil across Europe; BP Oil (global) & Amoco; the turnaround of Pasminco; the Zinifex and Nyrstar IPOs and the merger of Zinifex and Umicore to create Oz Minerals and Nyrstar.

A university medallist (the first in 40 years) in education majoring in educational psychology and economics, Margot has an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management. She holds AICD board certification and has taught in and written a textbook for the AICD certification course. She is a bestselling author with five books on transformational leadership addressing Fortune 500 Chief Executive Officers and directors, global political leaders, and members of international think tanks as well as organisations which include BHP Billiton, Reserve Bank of Australia, Alcoa, NAB and Levi Strauss. The American Biographical Institute has named Margot Cairnes one of the Great Minds of the 21st Century. She is a columnist for CEOWORLD (12.5million global readership).

David Williamson (Australia’s leading playwright) based his play Corporate Vibes on Margot’s book “Peaceful Chaos”.

Margot has worked extensively in community with entrepreneurs, disaster victims and those recovering from mental illnesses – especially addiction.   She has served as a chapter lead for the Impact Club of Australia in both Byron Bay and Brisbane. She is currently working on her 6^th book – Surviving and Thriving in Times of Rapid Change.

Margot’s speaks regularly on themes such as:-

Strategy in motion – happily creating millions in times of rapid change

Conscious Business

Creating cultures that propel billion-dollar breakthroughs

Surviving and thriving in times of rapid change

To enquire about Margot contact Helene Greenham directly: helene@platinumspeakers.com.au

Speaking Topics Include

Strategy in motion

Old style strategy resulted in a document with long-term objectives and action plans.  Increasingly we know that strategy is best viewed backwards.  Strategy is how well you respond when the world changes.  This doesn’t means that you don’t need visions and values simply that "Life (and strategy)  is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans". Companies that survive and thrive in times of rapid change are those who know where they are going, can adapt (pivot) in an instant and capitalise on change as it happens.  This means they are companies with leaders who are constantly learning and growing, not just intellectually but also in terms of their adult brain development (consciousness).

Based on her years of experience supporting leaders of transnationals through billion-dollar changes such as mergers, turn-arounds and IPOs Margot will provide a simple model for creating humanly enhancing, rapidly growing, highly successful businesses in times of rapid change.

Conscious Business

Conscious business practices are becoming increasingly widespread. Many companies are incorporating environmental, social, and ethical considerations into their business models and decision-making processes.

In this talk Margot argues that while a business may look conscious (through greenwashing practices) this is selling itself and the world short.  When leaders become conscious, they can create win-win-win outcomes that surpass their expectations and make billions for their stakeholders.  Doing good and good business are synonymous when we raise our level of adult brain development.

In this talk Margot will show how to increase social responsibility through thinking at higher levels of cognitive development.  She will then provide a simple model of how to raise consciousness through working strategically in a rapidly changing world.  The outcome is humanly enhancing cultures, strategic breakthroughs, environmental stewardship, and corporate social responsibility.  While this might sound too good to be true Margot’s track records proves it is possible and she will show you how.

Creating cultures that propel billion-dollar breakthroughs

Working closely with MD’s of major transnationals Margot has led programmes to create cultures that “light the fire inside people” so that they reach past what is assumed to be possible.  In this talk Margot will share the art of creating humane, functional, highly productive cultures where people enjoy creating strategic breakthroughs in a way that is socially and environmentally enhancing.  Drawing on her experience with supporting turnarounds, mergers, IPOs and creation of World Benchmark cultures Margot will inspire and entertain you, so that you know that life, work, business and strategy can light up the human spirit and the world while creating unexpectedly good bottom line results.

Surviving and thriving in times of rapid

COVID showed us that everything can change very quickly turning our plans and world upside down.  Disruption also happens to victims of natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, bush fires and cyclones.  Drawing on her years supporting those recovering from personal and natural disasters, this talk shares heart warming stories of people who faced disaster, failure and horror, and like the phoenix, rose from the ashes to create happy, healthy lives that make a difference.  Margot will argue that whether you are the leader of a transnational, victim of a disaster or someone recovering from mental illness, you can benefit from everything that happens to you.  She will provide a simple proven road map to create joy and peace of mind – regardless of whatever change comes your way.

Learning from the Best

For 30 years Margot had a working partnership with Greig Gailey.  She served as his mentor and headed up the culture and strategic change programmes of the companies that Greig led.  Together they created billions of dollars of shareholder value through creating cultures that empowered people to take personal responsibility, grow their consciousness and work constructively with all their stakeholders, enriching communities and the physical environment.

Greig served as the Chairman of Caltex and in many public positions including Chairman of the Minerals Council of Australia, Chairman of the International Zinc Association (Brussels), Treasurer and Council Member of the International Council for Mining and Metals (London) , a board member of the Australian Mines and Metals Association and President of the Business Council of Australia.

In this talk Margot will share the journey she and Greig took together and what made Grieg a truly exceptional leader.