PROFILE
Claire Parkinson is a British–Australian speaker and bestselling memoirist whose career spans maximum security prisons and multi-billion-dollar boardrooms. Pregnant, homeless and sixteen, she built a life through sheer determination, rising to become a UK Prison Governor by 30, later leading major operations across London’s prison and probation system, including high-stakes counter-terror work in partnership with police.
After migrating to Australia, Claire moved into executive leadership in mining, including senior roles at OZ Minerals and BHP. Her bestselling memoir SHiTTY GRiT is a darkly funny, fiercely honest account of rebuilding a life from the ground up.
Claire’s keynotes blend lived experience, executive credibility, and sharp humour. Audiences leave with practical tools for navigating change, holding boundaries, and turning judgement into context, and struggle into momentum.
SPEAKING TOPICS
If Nothing Changes, Nothing Changes: Reinvention in Real Life
A keynote about getting unstuck, rebuilding identity after disruption, and making the next brave decision before you feel ready.
Key takeaways:
- How to separate fear from fact in moments of change
- A practical reset method for when life feels messy and loud
- Turning small actions into momentum, even when confidence is low
Context Beats Judgement: The Leadership Skill We Keep Forgetting
A keynote that challenges quick judgement in workplaces, teams, and communities, and shows how context changes everything, including performance, trust, and retention.
Key takeaways:
- How to lead with curiosity
- The cost of judgement cultures and how to shift them
- Simple language leaders can use that de-escalates and restores accountability
From Chaos to Capability: Leading When Things Are On Fire
Built from Claire’s experience in high-stakes environments, this is about staying calm, making decisions, and keeping people steady when the pressure is real.
Key takeaways:
- How to create stability fast (without pretending everything is fine)
- What to prioritise when information is incomplete
- Practical rituals that build resilience in teams
Say Her Name: Visibility, Credit, and the Career Cost of Being “Fine”
A keynote about the quiet dynamics that shape who gets seen, who gets trusted, and who gets opportunities.
Key takeaways:
- The mechanics of visibility (without self-promotion overload)
- How to sponsor, advocate, and give credit properly
- Practical ways to interrupt bias and “invisible labour”
Spend Your Power: Influence, Courage and the Moments That Matter
A keynote for leaders at any level about using influence deliberately, especially when it would be easier to stay silent.
Key takeaways:
- How to recognise “power moments” in real time
- Boundaries, consequences, and courage in leadership
- Building cultures where people speak up early, not too late
