Collingwood premiership coach and AFL triple premiership player — people-first leadership
Craig McRae is the head coach of the Collingwood Football Club, having led the Magpies to the 2023 AFL Premiership — his fourth senior premiership across a career that stretches from playing to coaching at every level of the game. As a player, he was part of Brisbane's three consecutive premiership sides in 2001, 2002 and 2003, representing South Australia in State of Origin and Australia in the International Rules Series, and was named in the Brisbane Lions Team of the Decade from 1997 to 2006.
McRae's coaching trajectory is marked by consistent recognition for developing people rather than just winning games. He won the AFLCA Development Coach of the Year award in 2012, VFL Coach of the Year in 2019, and AFLCA Assistant Coach of the Year in 2019 — awards that reflect a methodology focused on bringing out the best in individuals within a team environment. His time at Richmond, where he was a key figure during the club's dominant period between 2017 and 2020, and then his work building the Collingwood culture that won a premiership in 2023, demonstrate an ability to build winning environments across different organisations.
For corporate audiences, McRae offers a compelling perspective on sustained high performance — what it takes to build cohesion within a group, how to develop talent across a career arc, and how to lead through both strong performances and finals heartbreak. He suits leadership forums, team culture events and any organisation that wants a speaker whose credibility is built on decades of elite-level results.
Craig McRae is a keynote speaker based in Victoria who speaks on leadership, motivation and sport. Book through Executive Speakers Australia.
Craig was incredibly professional, delivered to the brief provided to him and was a hit with our audience. His presentation was unlike any we've had before, and the interaction with the audience was a great change of pace. Team members all took away valuable key learnings, which was exactly what we wanted.Metro Trains
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