Gillian Hirst

About Gillian

Gillian Hirst has spent four decades shaping some of Queensland's most celebrated dining experiences, earning a reputation as one of Australia's most decorated executive chefs. Her career has taken her to the most prestigious five-star hotels across the globe — including stints as a guest chef at the Ritz Carlton Singapore and The Okura Hotel Tokyo — and she holds a distinction no other Australian has claimed: she is the only Australian to have competed on Iron Chef Japan. One of her signature creations, the Sand Crab Lasagne, has achieved national and international recognition and become synonymous with her name.

What distinguishes Gillian as a speaker is the breadth of what she has actually navigated — not just the brilliance of the food, but the business of running kitchens, building teams, surviving the pressures of the hospitality industry, and remaining at the top of a demanding profession across four decades of change. Her keynotes move between the personal and the professional, drawing on the highs of competing on the world stage alongside the harder realities of running a food business in a challenging industry.

Gillian is an outstanding choice for hospitality industry events, business awards nights, women's leadership forums and corporate functions where a genuine story of craft, perseverance and commercial reality will land well. The Queensland Attorney-General and the CEO of the Queensland Hotel Association have both spoken to her impact on stage — 'an absolute icon of Queensland cuisine,' as one put it. She is also available as a master of ceremonies.