Keynote & MC

When the room needs to change,
that is when you call me.

I bring thirty years of storytelling, performance, and research into every room I enter. The result is not just a talk. It is an experience people carry out of the room and into their work, their leadership, and their lives.

What I believe

A keynote is more than just a presentation.

A presentation transfers information. A keynote changes something.

It shifts how a room sees a problem. It gives people a new language for something they have been feeling but could not name. It sends people back to their desks, their teams, and their businesses with something they did not have when they walked in.

That something is almost always a story.

The right story, in the right room, at the right moment. That is what I build every keynote around.

Keynotes

What I speak about.

Signature Keynote

The Power of Storytelling

My signature keynote. The one that started everything. One story can change a life, save a life, make a sale, hold you back, or accelerate you towards extraordinary success. Just one.

This keynote explores why stories are the most powerful and most underused tool in any leader's, salesperson's, or speaker's toolkit. It is personal, practical, and built from thirty years of watching stories change rooms.

Your whakapapa is your origin story — Before you can tell your story to the world, you need to understand where it begins. Your whakapapa — your lineage, your history, the experiences and people who shaped you — is the foundation of your most powerful communication.

Stories are the bridge of connection — People do not connect with information. They connect with stories. Every sale, every leadership moment, every presentation that genuinely lands does so because a story built a bridge.

Stories can hold you back or accelerate you towards success — The stories other people told you when you were young. The stories you have been telling yourself ever since. Some are propelling you forward. Some are quietly costing you more than you know.

A belief is a story you tell yourself over and over again — Every belief you hold about what you are worth, what you are capable of, and what you deserve began as a story. Which means it can be rewritten.

Your story is your legacy — What do you want people to say about you when you are not in the room? The story you are living right now is the legacy you are building.

Best for: Leadership conferences, business summits, entrepreneur events, women in business, professional associations.

Sales Keynote

The Art of Unselling

The sales keynote that does not feel like a sales keynote. With more than forty years in sales, including working live TV shopping across NZ and Australian TV, I have seen every version of what works — and what does not.

What I discovered across all of it runs completely counter to everything most people are taught about sales. The moment you stop trying to sell and start connecting authentically, the sale happens almost by itself.

Authenticity is the most commercially effective choice — Not just the ethical one — the most effective one. This keynote draws on real lessons from a long sales career and years of live TV selling.

The unexpected moments of failure — The counterintuitive discoveries, and the single insight that changed everything.

Practical tools for the very next conversation — Audiences leave with a completely different understanding of what selling actually is, how to leverage storytelling to nurture prospects and get sales across the line, and tools they can use immediately.

Best for: Sales conferences, business development events, entrepreneurship communities, anyone whose income depends on moving people to a decision.

Interactive Session

Speak Up

Interactive. Fun. Genuinely useful. This is the session where the room does not just listen. They participate.

Built around four pillars — confidence, connection, communication, and culture — this keynote gives audiences practical, teachable techniques they can apply immediately. Not theory. Not inspiration that evaporates on the drive home. Real tools, demonstrated live, practiced in the room, taken away and used.

Confidence — The grounded, real confidence that comes from knowing who you are.

Connection — The bridge that makes every communication land.

Communication — Presence, voice, pacing — the craft of speaking.

Culture — What happens when a room becomes more than the sum of its people.

Best for: Leadership development programs, conference energiser sessions, corporate team events, women in business, anyone who wants to communicate with more confidence and presence.

Bespoke

Custom keynotes

Every audience is different. Every event has its own needs. I work closely with event organisers to develop bespoke keynote content built around your specific audience, theme, and outcomes.

When storytelling is done right, people feel it. Speakers feel it. Event organisers notice the difference.

MC Services

Holding the room.

I have hosted conferences, awards evenings, panel discussions, and corporate events for organisations across New Zealand and internationally.

As MC, my job is not to manage the run sheet. It is to hold the room. To keep the energy alive between speakers. To make every person on the stage feel welcomed and every person in the audience feel like they are exactly where they should be. And I love keeping events on time and on track.

What I bring to an event is not just professionalism. It is the particular quality of presence that comes from someone who has spent thirty years studying what makes rooms connect, and how stories create the conditions for that connection to occur.

Recognition

MC of the Year 2024/25

Named by the Professional Speakers Association of New Zealand — reflecting a career built on the particular skill of holding a room not just with presence, but with genuine connection.

Conferences and leadership summits

Awards evenings

Panel discussions and Q&A facilitation

Corporate events — New Zealand and international

Testimonials

What clients say.

"We can't thank you enough for your incredible presentation at our recent conference. From the moment you started speaking, the entire audience was completely engaged — hanging on every word. Your passion, insight, and authenticity shone through, making the session both inspiring and memorable. Your words left a lasting impression, inspiring everyone in the room while connecting with them on a personal level. With your warmth, humour, and authenticity, you didn't just speak — you captivated, motivated, and energized the entire audience. The conference was richer for your presence, and your impact will be remembered long after the event."

Neighbourhood Support NZ

"Monique was absolutely amazing. We've had so much positive feedback from guests who attended our ceremony, they were commenting on her professionalism and the tone she set for our event. Monique was so positive and genuine to work with, the way she connected with our rangatahi especially was inspiring. We would happily use Monique as an MC again. We hope to continue working with her."

Graeme Dingle Foundation

Credentials

The background.

MC of the Year 2024/25, PSANZ

Master of Creative Practice, First Class Honours, Unitec

Chief Visionary Officer, TEDx Wynyard Quarter

First NZ Breakout Speaker, BNI Global Convention, Hawaii

200M+ people reached

Clients include Xbox, Dilmah Tea, DeLonghi, Kenwood, AA Insurance, MBIE

Ready to book?

Let's talk about your event.

Let us know your event date, location, expected audience size, and the outcome you are hoping to create. The more specific you are, the better I can help.

When the room needs to change,that is when you call me.