Penny Burke
What Australia thinks, How Australia behaves
Penny Burke’s sessions have the capacity to revolutionise workplaces. If you want your buyer, your people, or your team to do something different tomorrow than they did yesterday – then Penny is the speaker for you.

Speaker Categories
- Branding and Advertising Speakers
- Business Speakers
- Conference Facilitators and Moderators
- Customer Service Speakers
- Female Motivational Speakers
- Human Resources / HR Speakers and Trainers
- Online Marketing and E business Speakers
- Organisational Change Speakers
- Retail and Franchise Speakers
- Sales and Marketing Speakers
- Team Building and Teamwork Speakers
- Thought Leaders
Testimonials for Penny Burke
“Penny thank you so much for making our conference in Shanghai one of the best we’ve had. We had outstanding feedback from our delegates, they found your session inspiring, engaging and funny – but they learned so much too! You really delivered an outstanding session that our members got such great value from – we’ll be booking you for a round Australia roadshow for next year too!”
Schwarzkopf
There are some speakers who can engage and entertain, but impart few if any useable insights. There are others who can impress with sheer intellect, but send you to sleep just when things should be getting interesting. Penny Burke is one of those presenters whose grasp of marketing and communications is unsurpassed and better yet has the ability to lead an audience on a journey through detail and nuance that leaves them wanting more. A confident and engaging communicator who can make you laugh and think at the same time.
Herald and Weekly Times
Brand passion... this is what Penny brings to any meeting or conference, delivered with great insight and experience. Penny's use of case studies combined with an unbelievable depth of knowledge based on many years’ experience really sets her apart from anyone I have seen. All delivered with passion and enthusiasm, there should be more Penny Burkes!
Clemenger BBDO
I have had the pleasure of hearing Penny Burke speak on two occasions. The first time, Penny was part of an Employer Branding panel discussion for an event on Workforce Planning and Development, hosted by the State Services Authority. The panel opened the conference and received high praise (and I'm not just saying that because I organised the panel and its members). As part of the panel, Penny was able to turn the very complex concept of employment branding into an interesting and easily understood idea for the audience. Penny interacted very well with other panel members and was at ease answering questions from the audience. The second time was an Executive meeting at the Department of Human Services. This event was hosted by the Department's Secretary, Fran Thorn and was attended by the department's most senior staff. Penny presented on Employer Branding and had the room captivated with her energy and passion for the subject. Penny was very witty and certainly helped bring the subject to life with her relevant stories and examples.
Workforce Planning & Development SSA
Penny was the keynote speaker for our local government tourism conference with the emphasis on 'customer service and living up to expectations' and she certainly delivered a great customer experience: charming, funny and very personable, she nonetheless made sure our audience got the point.
Local Government and Shires Associations of NSW
Penny was the final speaker at our conference and was an appropriate finisher. Penny was engaging and entertaining but also had a clear message about 'personal branding' which went over well with attendees.
Local Government Association of NSW and Shires Association of NSW
Fee Range: $5001 to $10000
Penny Burke's Biography
What makes Penny different in the world of speaking? She is an expert consultant who speaks. She works every day with commercial clients and government at all levels to identify the demographic characteristics and trends in the market, and blend it with insights on human behaviour to successfully change behaviour. Want to get more people transacting online? You need to change their behaviour. Want to get more people to vaccinate? You need to change their behaviour. Want to get your whole team motivated and heading in the right direction? You might need to change their behaviour!
Penny is compelling, witty and highly practical. As a researcher, Penny tailors content and delivers practical relevant content to every keynote or workshop she delivers. Penny’s sessions have the capacity to revolutionise workplaces. If you want your buyer, your people, or your team to do something different tomorrow than they did yesterday – then Penny is the speaker for you.
Penny started her life in advertising, working on famous and much-loved Australian advertising campaigns such as Pro Hart Stainmaster Carpet (‘Meester Hart, what a mess!’) and ‘Not Happy Jan’. Having successfully driven sales for many Australian brands Penny spent 15 years understanding what worked – and why. Knowing the demographics and statistics of the population is one thing – but understanding why and how to change their behaviour is another.
Speaking Topics Include
Why condoms don't come in size small
UNDERSTAND WHAT REALLY DRIVES YOUR CUSTOMER & GET MORE SALES
When selling your product or service, the logical thing is to sell what makes your product different or unique, right? Well yes – but FIRST you have to understand who you are selling to, and how they currently behave. And because people aren’t rational, it might just be that what you think is the best thing about your product – doesn’t actually float the boat of your customers.
In this keynote Penny unpacks the science of behaviour change theory and explains;
- What the statistic and demographics tell us about the population
- What behavioural science tells us about how people think and behave
- Common myths and mistakes about changing behaviour
- Tips and suggestions of what will work better
How to build your FAME
STAND UP, STAND OUT AND WIN
FAME: The condition of being known or talked about by many people, especially on account of notable achievements.
What are you famous for? How do you build fame in business? When Penny Burke talks about Fame it’s not in the celebrity context, it’s fame within the corporate world for individuals, leaders, companies and brands.
In the world of marketing and advertising Penny Burke was a Director of Australia’s largest advertising agency and has been recognised by her peers as a member of the all-time best advertising agency ‘Dream Team’. In this role she helped create some of Australia’s most iconic brands and campaigns such as Pro Hart Stainmaster Carpet (“Meester Hart, what a mess!”), “Not Happy Jan” (Yellow Pages) and the randy milkman (“Milk. Legendary Stuff”). How do you work out what you’re famous for? Whether it’s building FAME for your personal brand; building FAME for your product or service, or building FAME for your leaders, Penny shares the secrets of finding your FAME.
- How to work out what it is you are famous FOR
- How to BUILD your fame to attract more customers
- How to build your personal brand FAME and be a better leader
- How to build a ‘lighthouse brand’ to attract more customers – and then build a long-term relationship with them
What Australia thinks, How Australia behaves
THE BIG TRENDS AFFECTING HOW AUSTRALIANS LIVE, WORK AND PLAY
COVID has changed virtually every aspect of the sales channel – from sourcing and manufacturing, to getting it on the ‘shelf’ (virtual or physical). Perhaps the greatest area of change is connecting with customers in a changing marketplace. In this keynote, Penny unpacks the big trends that have come out of COVID that will affect your market, your industry and your employees. Penny tailors this keynote to your specific market or audience to help you identify:
- How people’s shopping and buyer behaviour has changed
- What people will be looking for to satisfy their needs in the future
- What this will means for you – how your business can better connect with customers of the future.
Different tomorrow than yesterday
DON’T SETTLE FOR WHAT YOU’VE ALWAYS HAD – YOU CAN CHANGE THE STATUS QUO
Peter Drucker was right when he said ‘culture eats strategy for breakfast’ – but the real question is, how do you do it? And especially when your customers and workforce are more hybrid than ever before. If we want people to think or behave differently tomorrow than they did yesterday, then we need to understand how to engage them like never before. In this keynote Penny will share:
- What the statistics and demographics tell us about how customers and workforce have changed
- What people want from their workplaces – and how that has changed during COVID – and differs by age and stage of life!
- How to inspire a workplace of inspiration and collaboration, even with remote and hybrid teams.
Do well, do good, do better
HOW THE BEST BRANDS ARE FORGING MORE MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEIR CUSTOMERS
The new shopper has never been so interested in the narrative of your brand. No longer content with satisficing, customers today demand transparency and understanding of what you stand for, what you believe in, and what you value. Any marketer that wants to grow needs to understand the new measuring stick – ensuring your brand lives up to your promise. In this keynote, Penny shares decades of experience with some of Australia’s best-known brands to help audiences discover:
- The new currency – what people are really looking for in the future
- How the thirst to do good starts, and opportunities to help your organisation do better
- The playbook to building genuine and authentic relationships with your customer that they value as much as you