Speaker
To lift, shift and challenge
It is the hard days that define us
To go deep, to go forward
Leadership is a conversation, and a core component of leadership is to build belief and inspire performance.
I will model this.
Speaker
To lift, shift and challenge
Intention
“The goal is much more than an ‘engaged’ audience; I want people to be moved and challenged, emotionally and intellectually.
They will reach for their pens, write down quotes, take photos of the slides and models, and tell the stories and learnings to friends and families.
I will honour the opportunity you have provided to present to your people with immaculate preparation, authenticity, and energy, and with a commitment that the time we spend together will be memorable, moving, and motivating.”
I’ve had the privilege of listening to Cameron talk about leadership and life twice now. I was so impressed the first time that I asked him to present to my Leadership Team.
You could have heard a pin drop on each occasion and everyone, sports enthusiast or not, got so much out of the session.
Cameron tells a powerful, entertaining and deeply personal story that resonates with everyone who has experienced change and challenge.
Joe Barr
Chief Executive Officer | John Holland
I’ve had the privilege of listening to Cameron talk about leadership and life twice now. I was so impressed the first time that I asked him to present to my Leadership Team.
You could have heard a pin drop on each occasion and everyone, sports enthusiast or not, got so much out of the session.
Cameron tells a powerful, entertaining and deeply personal story that resonates with everyone who has experienced change and challenge.
Joe Barr
Chief Executive Officer | John Holland
It’s about the stories
Compelling wisdom, creativity & bravery
“I value authenticity and humility above all other leadership attributes and Cameron exudes both. He develops trust in his session quickly and shares raw and vulnerable stories of his own journey. The human side of Cameron is there for all to see. The care and attention to detail in all elements showed me that he genuinely cares for his participants.”
I have channelled my deep experience in leadership in the professional sport, a thirty-year journey, having taken on some of the game's most difficult and daunting challenges, into my speaking and storytelling for leaders.
I experienced all of the game and life’s ups and downs whilst navigating periods of genuine adversity and complexity, but also the unique joys of the game that means so much to me.
I have bounced back from personal and professional setbacks, and the lessons learned are the gifts I now offer.
Failure is a bruise, not a tattoo.
As an artist and writer, I understand the power of creativity and originality in my storytelling.
I tell my story with openness, vulnerability and generosity to create a powerful connection with my audience.
My goal is for them to reach for their notebooks to record the insights and wisdom from a fully-lived leadership experience.
I will leave it to others to speak of their experience of listening to me speak and the impact that it has had.
“If there is one presentation you get to hear this year, go and see Cam. Your business will thank you. The ways in which he unpacked purpose, culture, identity and trust are mind-blowing.”
and
“Thank you for the most impactful, authentic and connected leadership learning I have ever experienced. Truly “next level. You did what other presenters don’t with their audience: you made us feel. Change does not come from our minds, but from our hearts. Everyone who heard you has already started to change.”
and
“Absolutely inspirational and will make a massive difference to what I think and what I plan to do. Cameron’s passion and great storytelling skill meant his message was delivered 100 times louder and clearer.”
The leadership conversation
Tailoring the presentation to the organisation’s needs and expectations.
The following topics are guides, and we can take elements from each.
They speak to ideas around:
Finding Something - Leadership, resilience and bouncing back.
In the Arena - Leadership expectations. What it truly means to be a leader.
More to the Game - The real lessons from elite team sport and building high-performance cultures
The frameworks for these topics are below, but the briefings are very important to shape the conversation to ensure maximum impact.
Finding Something
It is the hard days that define us
“It is not how you get knocked down, it is how you get up.”
The lessons of sport and life, told with vulnerability, humility and bravery.
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We repeat what we don’t repair.
To model the expectations of leadership, in ways that will always leave you exposed.
“Finding Something” is my personal trademark, and I tell the story as to why it is, my own journey of loss, but also finding a way.
I was able to make sense, and find meaning from the most challenging times, some chosen, some unchosen, and how it informs and motivates me today.
Failure is a bruise, not a tattoo.
In telling my story with generosity, I hope it helps others do likewise.
In the Arena
There has never been a better time to lead
“Being a leader brings with it a very specific type of pressure.”
Leadership promises many wonderful opportunities and possibilities, but it never promises to be fair.
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High performance is not for everyone.
Leadership would be easy if not for the complexity, ambiguity, and unpredictability of people and behaviours, which is why we need leadership!
This is what it means to be “In the Arena”.
Ideas around loneliness, imposter, and overwhelm are real and need to be understood for leaders to find their leadership voice.
I often say I have little to offer if not for my mistakes and failures.
I describe this as the ‘leader’s limp’, the inevitable condition that leaders will develop if they are prepared to invest themselves fully in the expectations of the role.
“Never trust a leader without a limp” is a line I use often, and I will speak about my ‘limp’ with openness and authenticity, and the learnings that came from them.
This session is both inspirational and practical for leaders and those with aspirations to lead.
It will help leaders define two essential questions:
- “What’s possible?”
- “What’s important?”
It will have leadership insight to build clarity and also some habits and rituals to allow leaders to access the best part of themselves in the most challenging moments.
We cannot outperform our leadership.
More to the Game
The score takes care of itself
“Know your role. Accept your role. Play your role.”
The game does not give up its rewards easily.
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What can leaders really learn from elite team sport?
Organisations often turn to the professional sporting codes, particularly football, when seeking to understand the key concepts of team, particularly the role of leadership in terms of establishing a winning culture and executing a game plan.
But what are the real transferable principles and their application?
The alignment of purpose and performance, the mechanics and dynamics of high-performance environments, and they can be taught.
To lift, shift and challenge
To win the moment, be in the moment
My goal and challenge as a speaker and storyteller is to keep the audience fully and completely ‘in the moment’. It will be the stories that carry the idea.
Rob Clarke, Head of LearnX, a major awards and events management agency, who has engaged countless speakers, described my impact as follows:
“If you want a speaker who captivates your people from the word go… it’s Cameron Schwab.
He crafts a powerful personal story, which he delivers with detail, substance and humour combined with authenticity, right to the last word spoken.”
The framework I utilise to ensure the audience gets maximum value when I present, whether we have 30 minutes together or half a day, is the same as I recommend for leaders.
It is to lift, shift and challenge the room.
Lift - “To Inspire”
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I seek to build connection quickly through compelling personal storytelling, which is highly relatable.
It will be the stories that carry the idea.
My goal is to have the audience not only thinking but also feeling. They need to see part of themselves and their experiences in what I speak about, perhaps as a leader or parent, but mostly as people dealing with the complexities of life.
I use powerful imagery, including some of my artwork, each with its own stories, all with quotes and insights. The combination brings meaning, making the whole experience more impactful and memorable.
While the stories I tell are from the most challenging experiences of my life, I tell them with depth, generosity, humility, and humour.
To laugh, cry and be challenged.
Shift - “To Motivate”
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To shift thinking, giving insight, a more profound learning that can only come from someone who has ‘done the work’, made sense and meaning from the lessons of leadership and life.
It might be a way of thinking, a different context, or a simple ritual or habit that will have an amplified value for the person, all of which I have tested and iterated.
One of my favourite lines is:
“It takes curiosity to learn and courage to unlearn”.
My only expectation of the audience is that they come from a place of curiosity, an openness to learning. To be the learner, not the knower.
My role is to take this curiosity to a place of possibility, with thinking and ideas that are immediately accessible and can be acted upon, either personally or for their team.
Inspiration happens, but it has to find you working.
Challenge - “To Act”
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By this point, I have been the catalyst of curiosity - the lift and the shift. Now, the challenge will be the courage to unlearn, the need to confront, take the ideas they most connected with, make a start, try something.
This might be a habit or a system I have spoken to that has served me well or a conversation with a colleague, friend or family that they have been avoiding.
The accessibility of the learnings will be such that they are ‘easy to do’. But I also understand the barriers to any form of change, so they are just as ‘easy not to do’.
I love the old Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards’ quote, “It is not where you take it from, it is where you take it to that counts”.
The challenge is to take something I have spoken about, to somewhere that has meaning for the person.
My hope is that people have started to change by the time they leave the room.
If nothing changes, nothing is going to change.
From those who have heard me speak
My role as Principal of Caulfield Grammar School affords me the privilege of observing many outstanding leaders and speakers from a number of sectors. Cameron sits right in the top echelon.
I value authenticity and humility above all other leadership attributes and Cameron exudes both. He develops trust in his session quickly and shares raw and vulnerable stories of his own journey.
The human side of Cameron is there for all to see.
The care and attention to detail in all elements of the day showed me that he genuinely cares for his participants.
Cameron has the academic background and lived experience adding integrity to the day. His delivery is in plain speak, he cuts to the chase and he has high expectations of his participants.
When you invest in a full day to be offline, you want tangible learnings to use in your own context and the session delivers this in spades.”
Ashleigh Martin, Principal | Caulfield Grammar School
From the moment Cam stepped into the room, his energy and enthusiasm were infectious. He immediately connected with our team members, creating a positive and inclusive environment where everyone felt comfortable and engaged.
Cam's ability to facilitate meaningful discussions and encourage participation was truly remarkable.
The feedback we received from our team after the event was overwhelmingly positive.
Cam's expertise in leadership and team dynamics and his deep understanding of our organisation's goals and challenges were evident throughout the event.
The event left a lasting impression on our team, and we are already reaping the benefits of the strengthened relationships and improved communication.
Daniel Iliopoulos, Director | Gaslec
Cameron is an incredibly engaging speaker.
He had the room in the palm of his hand. Cameron’s ability to link his sporting and personal experiences with business and leadership was second to none.
David Canny, National President | Australian Hotels Association (AHA)
This was a little risk but very pleased we took it, he was raw and vulnerable which I had thought could go over some people’s heads but they absolutely loved it.
It was refreshing to see these Business leaders see someone be so open and talk around how that is a key character trait for a modern leader and to get most out of life and business.
In some of his videos he seemed a little quiet and I wondered if he’d have enough energy to keep a room engaged, once we did the meeting prior to the event it was evident that he would be perfect and his presence was captured not being loud and overstated but his content and delivery method had the room hooked all along.
Bryan Shonnard, Channel Marketing Manager | Cannon
Cameron Schwab’s presentation to the CEO Forum was raw, passionate and insightful.
I was taken aback by his engaging style and willingness to share his own story in a way that was at times raw and vulnerable.
His insights into leadership and the challenges that go with it gave me a lot to think about as I brought his messages back to my own organisation and family.
I would recommend him as a keynote speaker in a heartbeat. In fact, I already have.
It was the best presentation I’ve listened to in the past 2-3 years.
Jim Mole, Chief Executive Officer | Ameropa Australia
Cameron Schwab captivated the room for an hour, sharing his highs and lows about what having purpose, and application, is really all about.
Thank you, Cameron, for sharing stories of adversity, resilience, and leadership. It was great that you took the time to stay and chat with so many of us after you had spoken!
Karl Waddell, Co-Founder | River’s Gift SIDS Charity
You are an incredibly powerful storyteller and I found myself hanging off every word.
It inspired me to be a better storyteller. That said, there was always a link back to leadership which was very engaging and clever. As a sport lover I resonated with your approach to leadership.
I think the greatest compliment of the day I could provide it that I felt really challenged.
Challenged to think more clearly about who I am, my values and to think about how I lead now and how I want to lead in the future.
Andrew Hewison, Managing Director | Hewison Private Wealth
As an Aboriginal woman, Cameron’s storytelling is engaging, powerful, authentic and meaningful.
I left feeling empowered, energised to undertake some steps to take my journey to the next level.
Highly recommend.
Shantelle Thompson, Executive Director | Melbourne Aboriginal Youth Sport
The deep sense to engage, be present and trust the journey over the day was very strong.
It is not often personal introspective was explored first and strategies offered in the second part really prepared you for better options in approaches within teams, as a person and involved in an organisation.
Thank you! On behalf of our company Bonfire I thank you for the positive impact you have had on our team and CEO.
Rachel Cook, Board | Bonfire
Cam has reached a unique point in his life where he is able to condense and express years of learning into practical applications.
His stories of sport and life resonate with all of us who grew up dreaming of the MCG and being a part of the action.
His vulnerability, story telling genius and artistic talent make him a unique and highly effective educator.
Dave Burt, Founder & CEO | SALT Sport and Life Training
We invited Cam to deliver the closing keynote due to his interesting career taking on CEO roles at such a young age, with organisations arguably at their lowest ebb, hoping to be provided with some key insights on leading through crisis.
Not only did we learn from Cam about leadership, but we were floored by his raw honesty, empathy, and willingness to share insights into the ‘man behind the job title’ and how our lived experiences shape us as leaders. A truly impactful, thought-provoking, and inspiring presentation!
We’d certainly have Cam back again – and hopefully it spurs some of our member Councils to reach out for any of their internal sessions.
Dan Ferguson, Executive Officer | Parks & Leisure Victoria
What’s possible?
What’s important?
Speaker Assets
Download Profile Images, Speaker Introduction and Profile for when Cameron Speaks at your event
Speaker Profile
To be used for promotion and event booklets
Cameron Schwab
Cameron was appointed CEO of the famous Richmond Football Club at age 24, the youngest in the history of the AFL, having cut his teeth as a successful Recruiting Manager at the Melbourne Football Club.
He then spent the next 25 years as the CEO of three AFL clubs, Richmond, Melbourne and Fremantle, when those clubs were at their lowest ebb, playing a central leadership role in major transformations whilst founding enduring legacies. He is the second longest-serving CEO in the modern game.
Over the past decade, he has channelled his deep experience in leadership in professional sport and business, mentoring CEOs, AFL Coaches, senior and emerging leaders and their teams across many industry sectors.
He explores the deep personal and professional challenges he faced as a leader with openness and generosity to create connection, building on the insights and wisdom from a fully-lived leadership experience.
He holds an MBA and Master of Marketing from the Melbourne Business School and has completed the Advanced Management Program (AMP) at the Harvard Business School.
He is also a writer, artist, and illustrator studying fine arts at the Victorian College of the Arts.
Speaker Introduction
To be used when introducing Cameron at your event
Cameron Schwab
After cutting his teeth as a recruiter at the Melbourne Football Club when the Demons made the finals for the first time in 23 years, Cameron was appointed CEO of the famous Richmond Football Club at age 24, the youngest in the history of the game.
For most of the next 25 years, he was CEO of Richmond, Melbourne and Fremantle, when those clubs were at their lowest ebb, both on and off the field.
He is the second longest-serving CEO in the modern game.
Having taken on some of the sport's most difficult and daunting challenges, Cam established a track record of building teams and organisations, unifying groups while navigating periods of genuine adversity and complexity.
Cameron is a now leadership mentor and strategist, as well as an artist and illustrator, studying Fine Art at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA).
Some thinking that informs us on story telling
LESSON #08
The stories we tell ourselves
Cameron Schwab
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My parents were very young when they were married. Mum was sixteen and Dad nineteen. Mum was still sixteen when she gave birth to my older sister Jennie. They spent the first years of their marriage living and parenting in a bungalow behind my grandparents’ home in Burwood.
Almost three years later, I was born, with my brother Brendan arriving four years after. In the meantime, my parents bought a quarter-acre block on subdivided orchards in Swayfield Road, Mt Waverley. They built a small weatherboard home on a dirt road with no sewage and an old-fashioned dunny in the backyard.
Many young couples shared my parents’ baby-boomers ideal of the ‘Great Australian Dream’, and the streets filled with kids, most going to a large local primary school, Essex Heights, bursting at the seams as it tried to keep up with the quickly-growing population. It was, in the main, a white bread, meat-and-two-veg, billy-cart riding, tadpole catching, street football and cricket playing, suburban childhood.
When it came time to transition to secondary school, the natural progression was one of the local high and tech schools. Only a few went to private schools, of which I was one. I found myself at Camberwell Grammar based on a recommendation my father had received from someone in his network.
All of my closest mates went to one of the local schools, which was my preference, but I trusted my parents’ wisdom and certainly knew no better.
I recently had a primary school reunion with my year group from Essex Heights and learned that only a few kids who went to the local schools went beyond Year 10, but this was not unusual.
I once asked mum about the decision to send me to Camberwell Grammar. I assumed it would relate to their desire for me to finish my secondary schooling and perhaps go to university. But her answer was telling, “We thought you could go either way”, she said, referencing some of the trouble local kids in the area were finding themselves in, me included, mostly just mischief and boundary testing but with a high probability of escalation.
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Some recent thinking on leadership
