John delivers keynotes for conferences and presentations, and workshops for CEOs, boards, and senior teams.
His talks help leaders steer M&A, strategy execution, culture change, leadership challenges, and business risks. Each session is tailored to your audience, sector, and outcomes. Common themes include:
Clear trade-offs
Clear framing of the challenge—and the trade-offs leaders must make.
Practical frameworks
Practical frameworks for decision-making, execution, and culture.
Shared language
Shared language that strengthens alignment across senior teams.
Next actions
Actions leaders can take in the next 30–90 days.
What audiences leave with
Practical outcomes for senior teams.
Keynote: Cyber security culture
Human behavior is the attack surface – a strong culture is your best defense.
What it's about
Most cyber programmes focus on tools and training. This keynote focuses on the conditions leaders create—priorities, incentives, decision rules, and accountability—because culture determines how people act when they are stressed, under pressure, or unsure.
What leaders take away
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A leadership lens on cyber risk that goes beyond awareness and compliance
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Practical ways to strengthen reporting, accountability, and “safe defaults”
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A clear framework to reduce human-risk exposure and improve decision-making
Keynote: Culture as hidden business risk
Manage culture before it becomes a liability — not after.
What it's about
Culture often stays invisible—until performance drops, risk rises, or a major change stalls. This keynote reframes culture as a measurable system leaders can govern, using clear signals and practical actions rather than slogans—so issues are managed early, not explained after failure.
What leaders take away
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How to spot culture risk early—before it shows up as incidents or missed results
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The few signals that matter most to boards and senior leaders
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A practical approach to governing culture like any other business risk
Keynote: Your leadership impact
Organisations are shadows of their leaders… that’s the good news and the bad news!
What it's about
In organisations, people don’t follow announcements—they follow your actions. This keynote shows how leadership behaviour, decisions, and focus shape what people believe is “really” expected and what is rewarded. Learn how to align your leadership shadow to create a fit-for-purpose culture—so accountability, execution and performance improves.
What leaders take away
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The hidden signals that shape behaviour even when strategy is clear
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How to align leadership actions with the outcomes you expect
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Practical shifts that build ownership, accountability, and momentum
Contact John at john@johnrchildress.com or via the contact form. Share your date, location (or virtual), audience type/size, and the outcomes you want. John will reply with availability, options, and next steps.
Yes. John tailors each keynote to your audience, sector, and goals—so the examples, language, and takeaways fit your context rather than feeling generic.
A short brief is usually enough: audience profile, the event theme, your top 2–3 desired outcomes, and any current change or risk context (e.g., transformation, cyber, safety, conduct).
Typically: a short pre-event call to align on outcomes, a tailored keynote, and any agreed follow-up materials. Speaker kit and tech requirements are available on request.
Yes. John delivers virtual keynotes designed to work on screen—clear structure, strong pacing, and practical takeaways for senior audiences.
Yes. The three keynote topics are the most requested themes, but John can shape the keynote around your priorities—execution, transformation, leadership alignment, culture risk, cyber, safety, or conduct.
Yes. Q&A can be included at the end of a keynote, and John is available for moderated conversations and panel sessions where that format suits the event.
Fees vary depending on format, location, and timing. Share your event details and John will respond with options.
Speaking FAQs
Trusted by leadership teams at:
“ John Childress effectively tied together Strategy Execution and Corporate Culture so we could better understand the critical importance of how they reinforce each other. ”
Eric Rogers, Head of Strategy Execution
T D Williamson, Inc.
“ During our time together, he observed me in my role as the leader of a large organization, constantly coaching me and pointing out opportunities for leadership improvement. This guidance and coaching was invaluable to me during the successful business turnaround. ”
Raymond Osgood, Executive Managing Director
ANZ, CNH Industrial
“ John’s advice and insights were instrumental in the successful acquisition integration of two aerospace firms with product synergies but big cultural challenges. ”
Frank Tempesta, President
Textron Systems Co.