Speakers

Access a range of engaging speakers who are experts in their fields. Covering a range of topics, all speakers in the Toolbox have presented to the forestry industry previously, and have received great feedback from their sessions, so you’ll get the best of the best.


Dr Lucia Kelleher, Busy Brain Syndrome

SPEAKER BIO

Dr. Lucia Kelleher is a leading-edge thinker and an expert in distraction and overload in the modern world of technology, sustainable behaviour change and breaking ineffective habits for good.  

Lucia discovered, Busy Brain Syndrome® (BBS) following on from her PhD research. BBS is simply brain overload due to the sensory bombardment resulting from the ever-increasing speed of demands in the modern digital world. BBS is caused by environmental demands radically outstripping the brain’s limited and finite processing ‘bandwidth’.

Busy Brain causes people to assume they are processing what is right in front of them, when in many instances they’re not. For example, forgetting parts of the journey while driving. The risks are significant as the compromises to the brains’ processing mechanism caused by BBS are below conscious awareness.  This is exacerbated by fatigue, personal issues and negatives states, as they further devour available brain consciousness bandwidth, leaving people vulnerable to accidents and incidents.

Lucia takes a behaviour-based approach to both safety and productivity within organisations, she promotes taking a balanced approach with rules and procedures to minimise the effect of procedures overriding ‘the human’s’ ability to pay attention to their environment. What is occurring with increased frequency is people believe procedures will make them and their teams safe. Procedures support people with being safe, when they are fully focused and paying attention, and do not make the safe, period.  

She has decades of experience in promoting people to take 100% personal responsibility with ‘being safe’, which they can do successfully once they understand how our busy overloaded world has compromised brain processing bandwidth.

TOPICS COVERED

  • Behaviour
  • Brain Overload
  • Neuroscience
  • Health and Wellness  

Pio Terei, The Parenting Place

SPEAKER BIO

Pio Terei is a well-known and adored comedian, actor, radio show host, musician and performer.

As one of New Zealand’s most popular television and radio entertainers, Pio has been involved in the development of the Toolbox's Building Awesome Whanau programme and delivers The Parenting Show with Pio around the country.

He has presented across the country for FICA, adapting presentations to include the similarities of work and home space and personalities, along with how both impact on each other.

Pio has some great tips, tools and advice with his unique mix of light-hearted and deep and meaningful delivery.

TOPICS COVERED:

  • Mental Health
  • Health and Wellness
  • Behaviour
  • Relationships

Ann-Louise Anderson, DrugWise

SPEAKER BIO

Ann-louise Anderson is the Director and Quality Manager of Drugwise Testing Group and InScience.
 
She has long been the go-to person for information and advice on best practice in drug testing for the workplace. Before establishing InScience in 2007, she was a chief executive in a multinational leading edge clinical diagnostic, scientific and medical company.
 
She is a long-standing member of the Australia and New Zealand Standards Committee that continues to develop standards and guidelines for industry across drug and alcohol testing practices.
 
Her passion lies in helping people to be safe at work, employers to get the best they can from their workplace and dollars spent and ensuring a fair and reasonable process and outcome for all.
 
In her eyes, drug testing at work is a very cost effective weapon addressing risk management in compliance with Health and safety at work act 2015. It is a proven, low cost strategy, identifying those needing help, preventing harm, accidents and sick leave, while improving attendance, job retention and increasing productivity.
 
Those she has worked alongside can’t speak highly enough of her depth of knowledge and the support she has given their workplace culture and businesses.

TOPICS COVERED

  • Health and Safety
  • Drug Testing

Dr Tom Mullholland

SPEAKER BIO

Dr. Tom Mulholland is an Emergency Department Physician at Auckland Hospital, a lecturer in Psychological Medicine at Auckland clinical school, teaching medical students, founder of the Healthy Thinking Institute and developer of global wellbeing App KYND (Know Your Numbers Dashboard).

With more than 25 years of clinical experience, he’s written two internationally best-selling books on Healthy Thinking including 'Healthy Thinking - How to Turn Life's Lemons into Lemonade' and 'The Power of Healthy Thinking - To Change Your Attitude and Your Life'.

An expert on workplace stress, emotional control, productivity, and psychoneuroimmunology. Dr. Mulholland has given over 1000 keynote presentations on wellbeing to international clients like Google, Microsoft, and Hilton and for the last three years has been touring and speaking around New Zealand in his retro Chevy V8 ambulance. 

He’s recognized as the host of his own daily TV chat show on TV 2 and weekly talk show on RadioLive and is a regular writer for the Sunday Star Times on health and wellbeing. 

The Healthy Thinking Institute developed the psychometric test for attitude profiling. His books on Healthy Thinking are translated into twelve languages and have made the best seller list around the world. He consults on stress and attitude globally to some of the world's largest corporates. He is passionate about Healthy Thinking and how to diagnose and treat attitude illness.

When he is not working as a doctor or on the speaking circuit, Dr. Mulholland enjoys extreme sport and expeditions. He was awarded a New Zealand Defence Force Special Services medal for his medical work in the Boxing Day Tsunami and had a stint as the doctor on a Russian Icebreaker in the Southern Ocean. He’s even toured as a stand-up comedian. 

Using his experience as a doctor, entrepreneur, CEO and as a stand-up comedian, The Attitude Doctor can improve your way of thinking and outlook. His presentations will have you laughing, crying, entertained and educated by an experienced doctor both in the clinic and on the stage. 

WHAT OTHER PEOPLE SAY

“Tom has got a great message which he presents in a humorous way. How do we change things? By changing our attitudes. He provides great examples of what and how.” — Sir Ralph Norris, CEO, Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

TOPICS COVERED

  • Mental Health
  • Wellness

Allison Mooney

SPEAKER BIO

Allison Mooney is an experienced speaker and presenter, who specialises in helping individuals recognise their strengths and capabilities and to help organisations grow by developing confident and competent team players. She brings awareness of our style of influence so we can communicate effectively, by modifying and flexing to those who see the world differently. As a presenter, Allison guides, inspires and motivates each participant to identify their capabilities and strengths. She does this through humour, and assists in identifying the language to use when working with both customers, clients, staff and even those in their personal life.

WHAT OTHER PEOPLE SAY

“She understands people like fishermen know their fish!”

TOPICS COVERED

  • People 
  • Behaviour 
  • Social Psychology 

Brionny Hooper, Scion Research

SPEAKER BIO

At Scion, Brionny Hooper is currently leading innovative applied psychological science aimed at maximising the performance and enhancing the safety of workers in high risk industries. Brionny has worked in operational and academic roles in New Zealand, Australia and America. Her novel and pragmatic approach to research has evolved from her operational experience. The breadth of Brionny’s research encompasses neuroscience, the interface between humans and technology, and adaptive cognition. This affords Brionny a fresh, completely unique perspective on the age-old paradox of human brilliance in the face of our extreme vulnerability.

TOPICS COVERED

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychological Science
  • Performance
  • Enhancing Safety

Hillary Bennett, Leading Safety

SPEAKER BIO

Hillary Bennett is a Director at Leading Safety. She is a registered psychologist, with 38 years’ experience supporting organisations to assess and develop safety and wellbeing culture, as well as develop safety and wellbeing leadership. Hillary developed the Forest Industry Safety Council’s (FISC) Growing Our Safety Culture assessment process. She also has a strong focus on mental health and wellbeing. She developed the Business’ Leaders Health and Safety Forum’s wellbeing guides: CEO Guide to Mental Health and Wellbeing at Work and Protecting Mental Wellbeing at Work. Hillary has presented workshops on behalf of Safetree and the Forest Industry Safety Council (FISC).

TOPICS COVERED

  • Health and Safety

Trevor Best

SPEAKER BIO

Trevor has spent 33 years either managing operational workforce's or consulting to contractors. Most of that time (26 years) was spent directly involved in the forest and logging industry. A desire to help others have healthy and fulfilling lives led Trevor on a journey through the prison system, community development and a PhD studying the well being of machine operators in the logging industry. All of that combines to generate a unique perspective on the work conditions that generate safety, health and well being within the forest and logging industry, a point of view that is grounded in the lived experience of those he has worked with and participated in his research. Results from Trevor’s research have been published in the NZ Journal of Forestry Science and the NZ Journal of Forestry and he has been featured in Radio NZ’s Rural News, Safetree’s newsletter, Friday Offcuts and NZ Logger. This perspective has also been the subject of presentations at safe start breakfasts, forest owner contractor meetings and conferences and health and safety team meetings. Trevor has presented workshops on behalf of FISC and Safetree, and is available for speaking on topics of health and safety and well being. 

TOPICS COVERED

  • Health and Safety
  • Wellbeing


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