Wayne Pearce OAM

Wayne Pearce OAM's Biography

An outstanding career in rugby league, Wayne Pearce is a passionate and inspirational speaker who drives key messages in areas of leadership, change, business and motivation.

A successful Wayne’s reputation as a professional rugby league player and coach precedes him. His rise from humble beginnings growing up in the inner Sydney suburb of Balmain to become an International rugby league player is one of those great inspirational stories that never fails to stir the Australian spirit.

Wayne’s many rugby league accomplishments include being voted ‘Players player of the tour’ for the undefeated 1982 ‘Invincibles’ Kangaroo Tour, winning the Harry Sunderland medal as Australia’s best player in the 1984 test series against Great Britain, and captaining the New South Wales Origin team to the first ever clean sweep in 1986. Wayne later coached the Blues in 2000, when he became the only person to both captain and coach a series clean-sweep in the history of State of Origin.

Wayne’s contribution to rugby league and the community was sighted when he was honoured with a Medal of the Order of Australia in 1988. And these days his undying passion for the game of rugby league is still fuelled in his role as an inaugural member of the Australian Rugby League Commission.

Wayne’s strength of character and commitment to optimal performance is also now fervently focused on the corporate world. He is directly involved in all services provided by Wayne Pearce Advantage and his aim, when working with an organisation, is to help it transform from a place where people simply turn up and do their job to a place where they are accountable, want to do their very best as individuals and as a team.

After developing and successfully trailing his corporate programs, he launched his Wayne Pearce Advantage programs into the business community in January 2001 and the results have been outstanding.

In addition to conducting business workshops, Wayne is also a popular and widely acclaimed keynote speaker with extensive experience right across the South-East Asia region.

A gifted Master of Ceremonies is the bond that binds corporate functions together and gives them their unique flavour. Wayne Pearce’s inimitable blend of humorous, authentic and uplifting delivery, not to mention endless anecdotes from sporting days and beyond, never fails to engage his audiences.

Wayne’s ability to win over a broad range of audiences with his contagious optimism will help you set the right tone for your function whether it’s a fund raiser, product launch, conference or award ceremony. So next time you need an MC, ask Wayne. Your audience will be talking about your function for days to come.

Over the past thirteen years, Wayne has built up an impressive list of clients such as Bunnings, Harvey Norman, Telstra, ANSTO, Commonwealth Bank, John Holland and Coates Hire but you will never catch him resting on his laurels.

Wayne is an innovator who continues to refine his programs in pursuit of best practice methodology. Just as he did during his legendary rugby career, Wayne stays ahead of the game by applying the latest research in psychology and neuroscience so his clients get the best possible outcomes.

Wayne Pearce understands that the key to delivering an inspirational speech is engaging with, and then energising the audience. He is highly skilled at crafting and then articulating targeted, persuasive messages that resonate with the audience.

Wayne knows a lot about what it takes to succeed in high-pressure environments; he’s been doing it for nearly 40 years. He has plenty of real-world anecdotes and insights to share around themes like “personal best”, “overcoming adversity”, “teamwork”, “everyone’s a leader”, “creating a high performing culture” and “leading through a crisis”.

With his unique combination of wisdom, fervour and humility, Wayne will share with you the tools and insights that will enable your business to achieve the outcomes you’ve been striving for.

Wayne's pivotal leadership role of the NRL's Project Apollo team, during the COVID-19 global pandemic will provide an inspiring leadership keynote presentation that your audience won't forget.

Together with his extensive experience and proven record of success, Wayne is the natural choice as your keynote speaker.