Television presenter, adventurer and former Leo Burnett Australia CEO — on brain training and bold thinking.
Todd Sampson led one of Australia's most successful advertising agencies as CEO of Leo Burnett Australia, stepping back to non-executive chairman in 2015 and resigning the chair in 2016. He later became a familiar face on national television through programs that put him into physically and mentally demanding environments — from an unguided ascent of Mount Everest to the extreme-environment episodes of Todd Sampson's Body Hack to the neuroscience experiments of Redesign My Brain. The through-line of both careers is the same: structured curiosity, applied to hard problems.
His former board roles give him credibility with senior corporate audiences — appointed to the Fairfax Media board in 2014, and a non-executive director of Qantas from February 2015 until March 2025. His television work gives him reach with the broader public. The combination makes him a distinctive speaker for events that need a recognisable name attached to genuinely substantive content.
On stage, Todd speaks about how the brain can be trained, how teams unlock creativity, and how leaders can move past the default settings that quietly limit their organisations. He is a strong fit for keynote slots at major conferences, sales kickoffs and culture events where the brief is to challenge thinking without losing the room.
Todd Sampson is a keynote speaker based in New South Wales who speaks on business strategy, innovation and motivation. Book through Executive Speakers Australia.
Todd Sampson is the writer, host and human guinea pig of the award-winning Discovery Science Series called REDESIGN MY BRAIN. The premise of the series was simple. For over 70 years, science has told us that our brains are fixed. You are born with the brain you have, it develops rapidly until age 7 and then it starts a steady decline from age 30 until you die. There was nothing you could do about it. But science has now proven that to be false. In fact, modern science has now shown that our brain is plastic and that we ALL have the ability to improve it at any age and at any time.
This presentation will show you how to boost your Creativity and Brain Power. Todd Sampson will not only take you behind the scenes of this extraordinary scientific journey, he will also provide you with the practical tools, strategies and techniques to improve your brain. We are all capable of more than we realise … and modern science is showing us how.
In this compelling keynote, Todd Sampson unpacks the two most powerful forces in leadership and innovation: creativity and fear.
He shares the origin story of Earth Hour, now one of the largest global environmental movements in history—an idea born in a Sydney hotel room by a small, ordinary group of people using nothing more than their imagination. That story becomes the anchor for a deeper message: creativity is the last competitive advantage in a world increasingly driven by algorithms and sameness.
Drawing on personal experiences—from being trapped in a blizzard on Denali to taking the reins as a reluctant CEO—Todd reveals how fear is often the invisible force that kills our best ideas before they begin.
Using humour, insight, and actionable techniques, he shows how creativity can be learned, and fear managed—if we’re willing to be braver for just five minutes longer.
This talk is both a rallying cry and a roadmap for leaders and teams to embrace bold thinking, take action, and tap into the creative potential that exists within all of us.
Because if Earth Hour taught us anything, it's that ordinary people with a simple idea can help change the world.
Todd' presentation was brilliant - such an impact. His delivery was perfect.Hire and Rental Industry Association
A riveting presentation and a first class speaker.eBusiness Media
Todd Sampson is a great entertainer and very accommodating.Fluid Management Technology
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