Meet Simon banks
Simon Banks has been hooked on creativity and curiosity ever since he won a National Design a Stamp competition back in primary school and he’s been sparking ideas ever since.
Today, he’s a creativity, innovation and design nerd-in-chief, international keynote speaker, author of A Thousand Little Lightbulbs: How to Kickstart a Culture of Innovation in Your Organisation, co-host of the hit podcast The Occupational Philosophers (Top 10% globally), and a happily recovering professional artist. He’s worked with organisations across the globe, helping teams build creative confidence and go from playing it safe to getting dangerously curious.
Simon describes his geek-out spot as the intersection of creativity and design, curiosity, and people. Why? Tomorrow’s standout teams won’t win by working harder, but by thinking differently, staying curious and embracing new possibilities.
Watch Simon on Stage
He brings his artist’s curiosity and over two decades spent working in corporate land to the work of building a more creative, innovative world. He helps teams get unstuck, spark ideas that matter and turn imagination into action, fast.
His work is used to spark strategic conversations, equip leaders to lead with curiosity, and challenge teams to reimagine how they think, collaborate and innovate.
Whether it’s delivering a high-energy keynote on innovation and creativity, facilitating a design thinking workshop, reimagining strategy or leading a large-scale conference event, his focus is the same: to shift people from playing it safe to dangerously curious.
If you’re planning an event, a strategy session or want to energise your team around creative thinking, let’s talk.
Simon lives by the mantra
that no one ever went to an event and said, “You know what? I wish I’d had a more boring time.”
Simon’s style is immersive, energetic, fast-paced and fun: think live illustration, lots of stories, and not a single dull moment (and with plenty of research thrown in). With a great sense of humour and an absolute nerd-in-chief passion for the content he delivers, Simon has a knack for making people think differently, feel inspired and, most importantly, want to get involved, all with a smile on their face.
Simon’s big point of difference, whether on stage or in workshops, is getting everyone actively involved. It’s all about learning by doing, not digesting another five point framework. Through co-creation, Simon gets people participating in the doing of innovation. People rediscover the creative intelligence they have been ignoring and walk away ready to lead change back inside their organisation.
People always ask where he gets his energy from. He’s not quite sure, but he promises it’s legal.
And the question everyone always asks? Yes, all the drawings in his presentations are his own.
Simon has delivered more than 1,400+ events (and counting)
Across Europe, Asia, America, Australia and New Zealand, working with global organisations including Commonwealth Bank, EY, Volkswagen, the Federal Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, NAB, Geoscience Australia, the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation and Laing O’Rourke, to name a few.
He’s used his creative approach to design and facilitate programs of all shapes and sizes, including:
- Conference and Offsite Facilitation
- Innovation and Design Sprints
- Whiteboard Ninja Programs
- Creativity and Design Thinking Workshops
- Large-scale, Creative Team Events
- Enterprise Leadership Programs
- Communication and Storytelling Sessions
The thread that runs through all Simon’s clients is clear: he helps teams reimagine what’s possible and build the skills in design, innovation and creative leadership to bring those ideas to life.
Curious about what this looks like in action? See Simon Banks’ client testimonials
With a foot firmly in both the creative and corporate worlds, Simon knows how powerful it is when those worlds collide.
Always fascinated by making, creating and designing, Simon has exhibited his art around the world, lectured at the National Gallery of England, and developed and delivered programs for institutions including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, Vivid Sydney and the Sydney Fringe Festival. He even once found himself performing in the chorus line of Cabaret in London, as you do.
He continues to walk the talk, which explains the book, the podcast and a huge collection of coloured Sharpies.
Simon’s book, A Thousand Little Lightbulbs: How to Kickstart a Culture of Innovation in Your Organisation, provides a tool to leverage the greatest innovation asset in your business: your people.
His hit podcast, The Occupational Philosophers, is a not-so-serious business podcast mashing up the worlds of creativity, curiosity and philosophy. It’s in the top 10% of podcasts globally and is listened to in over 90 countries.
Creativity isn’t just Simon’s background,
It’s the spark behind the programs, talks and ideas he builds to help people think differently, lead boldly and solve the problems that matter most.
Creativity and curiosity can’t predict the future, but they’re the default setting that makes you ready for it.
In a world where AI levels the playing field, the future belongs to those who are bright and bold – curious enough to spot the opportunities others miss, and creative enough to bring them to life.
Through imagination, experimentation and interaction, people walk away with real tools, mindsets and skills they can apply in their next meeting, not just a notebook full of good intentions.
He brings a mash-up of creative spark and corporate sharpness (which he calls his not-so-secret sauce) to help teams break out of playing it safe and get dangerously curious. His work helps teams get unstuck on big challenges, spark ideas that matter and turn imagination into action, the kind that delights customers and drives meaningful change.
If you want to make sure your event, keynote, workshop or strategy session sparks action, energy and the full innovation potential of your people, get in touch to have a chat about how he can bring out the best in your team
The unofficial bio – a note from Simon
Hi, Simon here!
I’m an author, podcaster and international keynote speaker (and a tad different) as you might have gathered. What I’ve realised is that the thinking that created the challenges we have right now – in the world of work or otherwise, will not be the thinking that solves those challenges. We have to come at it from a different place. I can help with that.
If you’re an event planner:
- You need someone who understands that your reputation is on the line.
- You don’t need a pain in the arse.
- You want your audience engaged and smiling, your event to run smoothly, and people raving about it long afterwards.
- You’d also love a repeat booking
I’ve been in your shoes. I know hiring the right speaker is mission-critical.
If you’re a team leader:
- You may be wondering how to unlock your team’s fresh thinking capacity in a world where it feels like everything gets reshaped daily.
- You’re wanting to look at challenges with a curious mindset and fresh eyes and not necessarily get stuck in business-as-usual way of working.
- Maybe you need to get that offsite humming with the right mix and strategic and disruptive thinking, team connection and your peeps enjoying themselves in the process.
Here’s what I bring that’s different: I come from two very different backgrounds – creative and corporate. I like to do things with a smile as well. I’ve exhibited art internationally, lectured at the National Gallery of England and spent over two decades in corporate land. I’ve even found myself in a London chorus line, because why not?
Whilst I didn’t realise it at first, my left-of-centre mix has been a great blessing. This slightly unusual combination means I know how to do creativity & new ways of working and how to get it moving in corporate settings without scaring anyone off (and rolling their eyes!)
That’s what I love. Enabling a roomful of people to realise that solving non-linear challenges is possible. That they are innovative thinkers, even if the pressure of their jobs have told them otherwise so far.
And here’s something that might sound a little woo-woo, but stick with me.
If you have a brain, you are creative.
When people embrace their creativity and curiosity, something magical happens, not just at work, but in life. A curious life is an interesting life. It’s about breaking out of the beige, escaping the hamster wheel and reconnecting with your soul. And that feels good! It’s the difference between going through the motions and doing something that lights your fire.
My approach? It’s all about the doing.
Once a team develops creative confidence, experiment and back their ideas, then watch out as this is when positive change happens at speed. There’s just so much hidden creative intelligence in people that gets ignored and in the business environment we are in, that potential is a massive differentiator. It makes a huge difference to the bottom line.
Absolutely, each organisation is different, but I have never met a team that doesn’t want to develop the very human skills they need to thrive in the 21st Century.
I’ve captured this philosophy in my book, A Thousand Little Lightbulbs: How to Kickstart a Culture of Innovation in Your Organisation, and explore it weekly on The Occupational Philosophers podcast (top 10% globally, downloaded in over 90 countries, bit of a hit).
What do I get excited about?
Building a more creative world: Great for business, amazing for people.
If you want your next keynote, workshop, or strategy session to unlock your people’s full problem solving and innovation potential (and have them raving about the experience), let’s talk. I promise it won’t be vanilla.
Because creativity and curiosity can’t predict the future, but they’re the default setting that makes you ready for it.
You’re In Good Company
