
Rachael Robertson
International conference and event speaker Best selling author of “Leading on the Edge – Extraordinary stories from the most extreme workplace on the planet” Antarctic expedition leader Youngest ever Chief Ranger at 32 (Victorian National Parks) MBA (Melbourne Business School, University of Melbourne)
What Rachael Robertson's clients say
"Rachael delivered a brilliant presentation – she was intelligent, humble and engaging – and delivered it all with a dose of humour (not an easy task before 8am!). We’ve already received lots of wonderful feedback from attendees to this effect. I’ve had attendees comment to me that they left the event feeling inspired, energised, hopeful and motivated – I felt all of these things and more."
"Rachael’s women’s leadership ideas are ground-breaking, fresh, relevant and very very useful."
"Inspiring presentation, had the audience enthralled, inspirational and would highly recommend."
"All delegates were impressed with Rachael's presentation. The Antarctic must be an awesome place to be and she is obviously a wonderful leader. Made us all want to go there for the experience."
"Excellent. Rachel was interesting, down to earth, and most pleasingly encouraged our somewhat reserved delegates to become very vocal asking questions and requesting further insights in to her experience."
"We enjoyed Rachael's presentation very much. Her 'down to earth' style and 'out of the box' stories of her experience in Antarctica meant that the audience was able to engage with her very quickly and remain interested throughout her entire presentation. There was a terrific balance between her stories and her leadership lessons which were made all the more credible by Rachael relating them to what was happening on a day to day basis. Her photographs were enchanting and enabled everyone to gain an understanding of life down there, which was an added bonus. Her honesty and her humour were also really well received."
"Excellent, absolutely outstanding! Rachael received a standing ovation. She was the last of 4 speakers on the day and had everyone spellbound, laughing. Rachael was an inspiring speaker with a warmth and genuine approach."
"We enjoyed Rachael's presentation immensely. There was a terrific balance between her stories and her teamwork lessons which were made all the more credible by Rachael relating them to what was happening on a day to day basis."
"We enjoyed the presentation immensely. A terrific balance of stories and safety lessons. Rachael made them credible by relating them to our day to day workplace."
"Rachael’s safety insights were spot-on, practical and eminently useful. Fantastic presentation."
"Rachael’s warm, down to earth nature were themes that were repeated in the positive feedback we’ve received and would have to be among Rachael’s best assets."
"Rachael would be one of the best guest speakers I have ever had speak at my events. She is captivating and interesting, real and inspiring."
"Rachael linked her leadership challenges and experiences to what we as team leaders face every day in the office. BRILLIANT!"
"I have had more positive feedback about this session than anything we have done in the last 2 years. People have been quoting "bacon wars" and "no triangles" at me all day. Very inspirational."
"Excellent, absolutely outstanding! Rachael received a standing ovation. She was the last of 4 speakers on the day and had everyone spellbound, laughing. Rachael was an inspiring speaker with a warmth and genuine approach."
"We enjoyed Rachael's presentation immensely. There was a terrific balance between her stories and her teamwork lessons which were made all the more credible by Rachael relating them to what was happening on a day to day basis."
"Rachael was very well prepared and really gauged her audience well. I was very impressed that she tailored her presentation to the target audience. I was also impressed with her professionalism. Rachael was very open during the question time and gave of herself both in time and revelation."
"Rachael was engaging and responded well to the group. Her experiences are extraordinary and she did a great job of relating what she learnt. She was also able to illustrate the similarities between her roles and those of my team. In one word, 'Terrific!'"
"Excellent – Rachael's presentation style highlighted why she was so successful in her role as leader at Davis Station. The wonderful stories told contained highly entertaining and compelling examples of leadership, hardship, and teamwork in extreme conditions. Rachael is a model of excellence in communication."
"Rachael was very interesting to listen to. When Rachael was presenting, she made you feel that you that you were actually there with her. She made you feel that you could actually listen to her amazing stories all day. Allot of people from my division that attended gave me very good feedback. People were that amazed with her presentation that people are asking me details of how they could invite her as a guest for their forum."
"We've had great feedback about Rachael. Her presentation was excellent and very relevant to our leadership conference. Hearing her story was both educational and uplifting and Rachael herself was extremely personable, making the presentation all that much more enjoyable to listen to!"
"I have never received so much positive feedback from a guest speaker as I have this time. People continue to tell me how impressed they were with Rachael's story. She provided a fantastic insight into difficulties around management in a remote site. Her messages and insights can be applied within our business. She shared a range of unusual and interesting stories which made her message even stronger."
"More inspirational than motivational and enjoyed by all. A very informative talk, she held them (200) for the hour and had heaps of questions."
Available for
Languages:
- English
Rachael Robertson's 2025 biography
RACHAEL ROBERTSON: AUTHENTIC, INSPIRATIONAL – THIS IS REAL LEADERSHIP
LACONIC, DOWN-TO-EARTH, ENGAGING
PRAISE FROM BUSINESS LEADERS
QUICK FACTS:
Rachael Robertson's 2025 talks & topics
Future. Woman. Leader.: How women can get to the top and stay there
Rachael offers the practical, confidence-building advice women need to advance their careers and lead. Whether addressing a corporate women’s group, a business school or an international conference, her approach is forward-thinking and creative, equipping women with tools they can use immediately.
The last twenty years have seen seismic shifts in women’s participation in the workforce. And yet, as a group, women still struggle to reach and maintain the top seats. What’s getting in the way then? It’s a nice idea that women can “lean in” but Rachael knows success requires more than that, particularly in male dominated industries. Women must forge their career, push open doors and sell their success. Success is an active pursuit not a passive experience. In this keynote Rachael speaks to both women and men to provide the insights and tools to create a powerful career.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Rachael provides audiences with the why and, most importantly the how to:
- Regret what you did, not what you didn’t do – this is the most powerful enabling motto you can have.
- Get senior male sponsors – women’s groups are essential but Rachael will show you how to find and maintain senior executive male sponsors who believe and will further your career.
- 80% is good enough – not fully equipped for the next role? Don’t worry about it, dive in!
- Sideways is just as good as up – expertise and competence gained through lateral moves will make you trusted and indispensable.
- Higher duties are critical – create your next promotion by putting your hand up for acting roles.
365 Shades of White: Life, love & leadership in Antarctica
If you’re looking for an opening/closing keynote; a lively and unique session within a conference program; or an after-dinner speaker that will inspire, challenge and entertain your audience – this is it.
This presentation provides a compelling insight into the highs and lows of 18 strangers living in complete isolation in the most remote place on the planet, for an entire year. With awe-inspiring images of Antarctica, plenty of humour and using real-life stories, Rachael takes the audience on an emotional journey revealing the truth behind life in this most fascinating and isolated environment.
Rachael has a treasure-trove of funny, inspiring and moving stories for this keynote presentation. She will work with you to ensure that, no matter the theme of the event, your audience will be challenged and delighted.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
As a sample, your audience could hear:
- Love on the Ice – what happens when 18 men and women are stuck inside for nine months!
- Bacon Wars – how a dispute over how to cook the bacon nearly derailed a $30M science program!
- Plane Crash – rescuing 4 people, 500km away, in a blizzard.
- Antarctic Winter – every family, workplace and team has one. How to inspire each other during the long dark times
- Emperors – lessons from Emperor penguins about looking after each other
The Future of Teamwork: How to quickly create an innovative, collaborative & high performing team
- Bacon Wars – why it’s critical to major in the minor things
- Respect Trumps Harmony – you don’t have to always see eye-to-eye, but without respect your team will fail
- No Triangles – the practice of direct conversations, go straight to the source
- Antarctic Winter – every workplace has one, keep teams inspired and motivated during the long dark times
- Emperor Penguins – why it’s critical to protect the tribe so the individual thrives
- Lead without a title – leadership is a behaviour; build collaboration and teamwork
Remote & Dangerous: Practical tools for increased safety leadership
- Bacon Wars – why every organisation has a coffee cup sign in the kitchen and what it means about safety
- Plane Crash – how to bounce-back from setbacks
- Lead from where you are – how people can show great leadership even if they aren’t formally a “leader”
- No Triangles – communication tools that build respect
- Antarctic Winter – how to maintain a safety focus for the long haul
- Respect Trumps Harmony – why a nice culture is dangerous
Leading on the Edge: Extraordinary leadership stories & insights from the most extreme workplace on the planet
- Bacon Wars – why it’s critical to major in the minor things (and why every organisation has a coffee cup sign in the kitchen)
- No Triangles – how to build a culture of respect through direct conversations
- Plane Crash – tools to support leaders through emergency, turmoil and adversity
- Resilience – tools to look after yourself and develop your ability to stick at the tough stuff and endure the bumps
- Respect Trumps Harmony – how to avoid falling into the “harmony” trap and unlock results & innovation
- Sunday Breakfast – understand the scrutiny of leadership, manage the spotlight
Change is the new Business as Usual: How to make your organisation change-ready
- Trust is the Glue – pay attention to the small moments, the everyday interactions that build or destroy trust
- Respect Trumps Harmony – we won’t all see eye-to-eye, but you can build respect through direct conversations
- Never Waste a Good Crisis – crises are tough but they create an opportunity to lead, and seen to be leading
- Celebrate the Small Achievements – no matter how small, stop and celebrate each forward step
- No Triangles – build respect and resilience in your team with direct conversations
Respect trumps Harmony: How to build resilience and respect in your team
The highest performing teams are those that let go of harmony and focus on respect, diversity of opinions and difficult conversations – all in the service of creating resilience and results.
Collaboration requires the ability to raise issues and ideas, in a professional, timely and respectful manner. To build a resilient, adaptable and high-performing team that maximizes the benefits of personal difference requires a rock solid foundation of respect.
We all agree that diversity is great, and the evidence is unequivocal that it has an impact on the bottom line. But as our teams get more and more diverse we won’t always see eye-to-eye, we won’t always agree on things.
So how do we create a culture where that’s OK? How do we encourage debate and robust discussion? How do we address issues directly and professionally?
3 TOOLS THAT WORK
These tools are the 3 pillars that hold up the respect trumps harmony culture.
- No Triangles – a tool to stop gossip, improve accountability, improve quality of feedback and drive innovation.
- Bacon Wars – a gentle circuit breaker for calling out dysfunctional behaviour.
- Lead without a title – how to develop personal leadership in your team, so that responsibility and initiative is shared.
RESEARCH
Over 15 years Rachael has delivered presentations around the world offering her insights from Antarctica and outlining the 3 tools she used to build respect in the expedition team. These tools work and now we have the research to back it up!
Rachael and her team surveyed almost 200 teams across various sectors and industries, who had implemented these tools already, and conducted follow-up interviews to gather further insights. She wanted to know what worked for them? What didn’t? And what changed as a result of implementing the tools?
RESULTS
Of the 200 teams surveyed:
> 100% said the tools improved morale, built accountability and encouraged collaboration and innovation.
> 89% said a culture of No Triangles improved productivity freeing up time and energy.
> 38% said it freed up to 1 hour a day – imagine an extra hour in the day!
As the results show, implementing these tools has an immediate and positive impact on teams.
When a team strives for only harmony 3 things happen:
- poor behaviour continues – it just goes underground as people don’t report it because they don’t want to rock the harmony boat
- innovation is stifled as people won’t offer a different option, experience or counter view
- people turn a blind eye to safety, risk and mental health concerns – they don’t want to get involved. If the focus is only on harmony in the team, people are reluctant to say “actually I’m not so wonderful right now”