Clients and Brands Who Joined Forces with Simon Banks

Simon facilitated our inaugural innovation event in September 2016 in Melbourne, where over a dozen teams participated. He brought great energy to the session, engaged the teams very well, coached us along the way, and made the event fun. Simon is a great presenter and facilitator and I would recommend him for other organisations looking to run innovation sessions, hackathons, or similar events.

Kristian Kish, Kristian Kish, Head of Insights, eNett

The feedback was fantastic from the conference. Thanks so much for your work with our sessions Simon. You were exceptionally professional, funny and really nailed the brief.

Christie Hopp, Flight Centre Travel Group, Australian Wholesale Marketing Manager

Simon facilitated and graphically recorded our recent EY Oceania Infrastructure Advisory conference attended by 145 people. Simon had everyone up and interacting with others and kept the positive energy up in the room from the introduction through to introducing all the speakers right through to the end of the second day. I ran into a gentleman attending a conference next door to ours and he asked me if we had a comedian because everyone was laughing and sounded like they were having a great time. He jokingly asked to join in because it sounded like more fun than the event he was attending. I doubt our conference would have been as successful without Simon and everyone loved him, and we have quite a diverse team.

Lara Patterson, Ernst and Young, EA

I just wanted to say thank you for all of the work you did – before and during the CEO Forum. Simon, you made the day loads of fun for everyone. I am looking forward to finding more wonderful ways we can use your talents going forwards.

Julieanne Dowse, Lumo Energy, Internal Communications Specialist

Simon is a very talented artist in many ways! And VERY good value - not only do you get someone who can create fabulous visuals of what your presenters are saying that embed the messages but you get a dynamic and interactive MC who can connect those excellent messages!

Amanda Gore, Award Winning International Keynote Speaker, Best Selling Authour

The feedback has been nothing short of fantastic. Again thanks Simon for pulling off what will be a memorable night and of course now the bar for next year’s conference is set very high. Great job and really enjoyed working with you.

Colleen Hitchcox, Telstra, General Manager Small Business Programs & Services

Wow! What an impact our 2 days with Simon has had on our team. The team are constantly thinking outside the square for business improvement ideas and 'acting' more creatively. This is an absolute strength to this team and Sanitarium, and we are already seeing the business results. Well done and we can't wait for our next session in April.

Darren Watts, Sanitarium, National Sales Manager

Simon brought our organisation new skills and a new mindset. Simon's approach to engagement and problem solving promoted and placed our staff front and centre in bringing solutions to our organisations challenges. Simon is as expert facilitator, a great artist, and an exemplar of positive creativity. I look forward to the opportunity of working with you again in the future.

Mathew Harvey, Mathew Harvey, Manager of Digital and Technology at the Public Trustee of QLD

Wow! What an impact our 2 days with Simon has had on our team. The team are constantly thinking outside the square for business improvement ideas and 'acting' more creatively. This is an absolute strength to this team and Sanitarium, and we are already seeing the business results. Well done and we can't wait for our next session in April.

Darren Watts, Sanitarium, National Sales Manager

I cannot speak highly enough of Simon. He was great at setting the atmosphere and enabling us to connect with our team mates. He kept everyone on their toes and had some great ideas on ice breakers and games without anyone feeling embarrassed about being involved.

Trish Cooney, CatholicCare, Manager, Community Relations

Simon supported me in a bid for new work. His creative skills and imagination helped us communicate our proposition in a highly effective way and I believe this helped differentiate us from our competition. He was very professional, organised and flexible which helped us meet a very tight deadline. I look forward to working with him again soon.

Penny Shield, Ernst and Young, Executive Director

I brought Simon in to a client site to run a 3 hour workshop for 25 Business Improvement folk on visual facilitation (How-to-do). He was awesome. Super easy to work with, and excellent facilitation of the workshop itself. The next day I walked into a number of rooms where the project teams had taken the skills and their new found confidence and illustrated key messages of their initiatives. It was quite staggering (after only 3 hours!). Weeks later the new skills are still being used and the team is communicating much more effectively with their stakeholders. Highly recommend!

Jennifer Frahm, Business Improvement NAB, Senior Consultant, Personal Banking

We needed a creative and exciting way to bring two very different groups of people together. Simon worked with us to do this and is a natural at helping people relax into the experience of doing something that for many was completely out of their comfort zone. But it is in this space of risk and creativity that the team is formed. Great job.

Peter Horlsey, Cerebral Palsy Alliance, Volunteer and Corporate Engagement Manager

The feedback has been nothing short of fantastic. Again thanks Simon for pulling off what will be a memorable night and of course now the bar for next year’s conference is set very high. Great job and really enjoyed working with you.

Colleen Hitchcox, Telstra, General Manager Small Business Programs & Services

The feedback has been nothing short of fantastic. Again thanks Simon for pulling off what will be a memorable night and of course now the bar for next year’s conference is set very high. Great job and really enjoyed working with you.

Colleen Hitchcox , Telstra, General Manager Small Business Programs & Services

Everyone thought you were great! Your session was fantastic, fast paced and highly interactive and took a different approach to the exploring creativity and innovation with a purpose relevant for the HR team. Most of all you were loads of fun.

Christie Mort, Western Power, Capability Consultant

Simon recently facilitated at our Senior Leaders Workshop - he was fantastic at keeping the group motivated and is very adaptable. He reads people extremely well so can quickly adjust the flow on the day to deliver the right outcomes - and ensures energy levels never wane. His visual creations of the day / session add another valuable dimension to any event.

Bridget Candy, METCASH, Head of Internal Communication

Wow Simon! what a great fun night we had at our Sales Awards dinner last Friday at Byron Bay. Thank you so much for being such an amazing emcee. You were exceptionally talented, professional, high energy, creative and humorous! Most importantly everyone had heaps of fun and had great laughs, it was such a wonderful experience for all of us, so thanks again, look forward to work with you again in future.

Rachel Lim, Rachel Lim, Marketing and Events Coordinator, South East Asia Pacific, Arjo Huntleigh

I would like to thank you for your role as facilitator and MC at the Department of Transport and Main Roads DG Customer Led Innovation Challenge. Your role was integral to making the day a success and was greatly appreciated by myself and all the participants.

Neil Scales, QLD Department of Main Roads, Director General

Simon facilitated and graphically recorded our recent EY Oceania Infrastructure Advisory conference attended by 145 people. Simon had everyone up and interacting with others and kept the positive energy up in the room from the introduction through to introducing all the speakers right through to the end of the second day. I ran into a gentleman attending a conference next door to ours and he asked me if we had a comedian because everyone was laughing and sounded like they were having a great time. He jokingly asked to join in because it sounded like more fun than the event he was attending. I doubt our conference would have been as successful without Simon and everyone loved him, and we have quite a diverse team.

Lara Patterson, Ernst and Young, EA

Ongoing value of the training we participated in with you has been amazing! And the few of us who were a part of the original training group are keen to introduce the other members of our team to the experience we all rave about. Thanks once again for an amazing experience, the best training I have ever done.

Norman Holmes, Mission Australia, Team Leader, Community Partnerships

Wow Simon! what a great fun night we had at our Sales Awards dinner last Friday at Byron Bay. Thank you so much for being such an amazing emcee. You were exceptionally talented, professional, high energy, creative and humorous! Most importantly everyone had heaps of fun and had great laughs, it was such a wonderful experience for all of us, so thanks again, look forward to work with you again in future :)

Rachael Lim, Arjohuntleigh, Marketing & Events Coordinator - Australia

It has been such a pleasure working with you Simon. Your creativity, client service and professionalism have been impressive!

Brooke Wright, Ernst and Young, Manager People and Organisational Change

Thanks for an amazing session on human centred design and prototyping Simon. We are still raving about what we learnt... Of course I love any chance to get out the cardboard, scissors and Lego to start building prototype collaborative engagement pieces.

Jane Tietzel, QLD Department of Transport and Main Roads, Manager (Stakeholder Engagement)

This is the very best program I personally have ever experienced. Thanks so much Simon, I believe you have found your calling, not just in art and facilitation but bringing a whole bunch of people together that would not normally associate. I couldn't rave about you highly enough. Thanks again for a wonderful experience.

Brenda Sellers, BlueScope Steel, Qld Management Team

Simon - you have showed professionalism, skill, creativity and great, great, great humour at both conferences you have facilitated. Watching you captivate an audience is just great.

Shirley Glassy, Australand, Office Manager

It has been such a pleasure working with you Simon. Your creativity, client service and professionalism have been impressive!

Brooke Wright, Ernst and Young, Manager People and Organisational Change

Simon is one of those rare individuals who can communicate in a board meeting with executives and yet be a wildly creative person. His company is a fantastic fusion of both qualities and is an asset to any conference.

Sonya Furlong, Avon, Events and Incentives Planner

Wow! What an impact our 2 days with Simon has had on our team. The team are constantly thinking outside the square for business improvement ideas and 'acting' more creatively. This is an absolute strength to this team and Sanitarium, and we are already seeing the business results. Well done and we can't wait for our next session in April.

Darren Watts, Sanitarium, National Sales Manager

I tasked Simon with the job of MC and session facilitator at a national conference for accountants - Not the easiest of audiences, yet Simon’s unharnessed energy ensured the room remained engaged for the entire 3 days. Simon’s is fun, dynamic and forces the listener to move outside their comfort zone (in the right way). I have had the pleasure of working with Simon on numerous occasions and would personally recommend him to anyone seeking a speaker with a difference.

Wendy Doxey, Hayes Knight (SA), Practice Manager

I had the opportunity to work with Simon to bring to life our Values Week. Entitled "Seeing is Believing" Simon both educated and entertained our employees through graphic facilitation workshops. He empowered all participants to connect with their perception of the SA Water values through visual communication. Simon and his team provide a fun, intelligent, inspiring and engaging approach to learning that gets employees to reconnect with their inner creative. Simon's authentic approach with people is evident as is his commitment to ensuring that he delivers valued outcomes for his clients. I look forward to having the chance to work with Simon in the future.

Kathryn Gallina, Business SA, Director People and Culture

I have had a chance to speak with most of the trainees and their mentors and they all loved the session! It was a perfect way to encourage mentor/mentee dialogue, as well as learning more about one another – and the wider group. Thanks again for delivering such an awesome session, and helping to establish such an integral relationship between our trainees and their mentors.

Kylie Jones, Chevron Australia, Indigenous Employment Support Coordinator

Simon was first recommended to me by a mutual friend and I subsequently invited him to facilitate one of our MBA in Entrepreneurship (MBAe) masterclasses at the UTS Business School on the topic of Visual Communications, which he delivered with great energy and skill. Simon challenged attendees to think differently and develop more confidence around their visual expression. It was noticeable how in the following weeks students were more likely to uses simple graphics and sketches in their communication. I look forward to working with him again on future classes.

Jochen Schweitzer, Jochen Schweitzer, Director MBA Entrepreneurship, University of Technology Sydney

What a cracking event yesterday. Everything was superb. Everyone’s still talking about it. The vibe in the office is charged, as it was at the event also. Absolutely nailed the brief and got everyone excited about our new brand. Thanks for keeping so cool under pressure and a huge thanks to your team for being so wonderful and helping us during the madness that was the room set up. YOU’RE AMAZING!!!

Leanne Medeiros, Leanne Medeiros, Senior Internal Communications & Events Specialist, REST Industry Super

Just wanted to say a huge thank you for work at the conference last week, the day was excellent and the feedback we are receiving about you and the overall day is the best ever! I think you were a great addition both years, you kept the exercises different each time which certainly helped and I think staff were all really happy, particularly the way you managed the event.

Courtney Aspland, East Coast TAFE, Manager Marketing and Media, Marketing and Sales

The feedback was fantastic from the conference. Thanks so much for your work with our sessions Simon. You were exceptionally professional, funny and really nailed the brief.

Christie Hopp, Flight Centre Travel Group, Australian Wholesale Marketing Manager

Everyone thought you were great! Your session was fantastic, fast paced and highly interactive and took a different approach to the exploring creativity and innovation with a purpose relevant for the HR team. Most of all you were loads of fun.

Christie Mort, Western Power, Capability Consultant

Simon Banks presented a keynote speech and workshop at our company conference a few weeks ago and we are still buzzing with inspiration and innovative ideas since. His brief was to work his keynote and workshop material around our conference theme of innovation and technology, and boy did he do his research. We were very impressed with his knowledge of our industry and how he could weave his expertise into our conference theme. Simon has a genuine ability to engage any audience and empower that audience to think outside the negative "No" thinking behaviour and flip that to a positive "Yes" I can behaviour. I would highly recommend Simon for any company event in any industry. Simon can mould his magic and inspire any organisation that is looking for innovative thinkers in their organisation.

Mackenzee Beckenham, Mackenzee Beckenham, Bid Advisor and Project Manager, Barker Ryan Stewart

We just concluded our annual national conference - featuring Simon Banks as our emcee, keynote speaker and workshop facilitator. Simon was a key component in making our conference special, with his insightful approach and energetic delivery. A picture tells a thousand words, and Simon's skilful pictorial reflecting our three days together will serve as a permanent reminder of what we discussed - and how we are going to make things happen over the coming year. I highly recommend Simon for his ability and his unique approach!

David Wyner, David Wyner, Managing Director at PSC Reliance Franchise Partners

Simon was very well received and a pleasure to work with. He was very professional, lively and flexible. Simon took the time to research his presentation and had a great understanding of our objectives and more importantly the audience. Simon also unexpectedly brought some humour into his MC role and we received many positive comments.

Margot Streater, Margot Streater, AILA NSW State Manager

Just wanted to say a huge thank you for work at the conference last week, the day was excellent and the feedback we are receiving about you and the overall day is the best ever! I think you were a great addition both years, you kept the exercises different each time which certainly helped and I think staff were all really happy, particularly the way you managed the event.

Courtney Aspland, SUNSHINE COAST TAFE, Manager Marketing and Media, Marketing and Sales

Simon and his team designed and delivered workshops and visual facilitation activities for the entire leadership team (200 or so) to explore the vision for the new city of Canterbury Bankstown.The outcome was a visual representation of our new organisation, what we do and how we deliver services to our community which will be essential to driving our organisation forward. Simon displayed excellent customer service and worked across many areas of our organisation with our staff to ensure the vision captured a broad range of views and perspectives.

Janelle Davidson, City of Canterbury Bankstown, Senior Project Officer Organisational Development

I tasked Simon with the job of MC and session facilitator at a national conference for accountants - Not the easiest of audiences, yet Simon’s unharnessed energy ensured the room remained engaged for the entire 3 days. Simon’s is fun, dynamic and forces the listener to move outside their comfort zone (in the right way). I have had the pleasure of working with Simon on numerous occasions and would personally recommend him to anyone seeking a speaker with a difference.

Wendy Doxey, Hayes Knight (SA), Practice Manager

I cannot speak highly enough of Simon. He was great at setting the atmosphere and enabling us to connect with our team mates. He kept everyone on their toes and had some great ideas on ice breakers and games without anyone feeling embarrassed about being involved.

Trish Cooney, CatholicCare, Manager Community Relations

I just wanted to say thank you for all of the work you did – before and during the CEO Forum. Simon, you made the day loads of fun for everyone. I am looking forward to finding more wonderful ways we can use your talents going forwards.

Julieanne Dowse, Lumo Energy, Internal Communications Specialist

I just wanted to say thank you for all of the work you did – before and during the CEO Forum. Simon, you made the day loads of fun for everyone. I am looking forward to finding more wonderful ways we can use your talents going forwards.

Julieanne Dowse, Lumo Energy, Internal Communications Specialist

We were very happy with how the conference went and your work was great in keeping them all pumped over 2 days. Everyone enjoyed your session and found it valuable. Feedback shows it was the best conference they had attended. Thank you so much I hope we can work together again soon.

Wendy Doxey, Hayes Knight (SA), Practice Manager

This is the very best program I personally have ever experienced. Thanks so much Simon, I believe you have found your calling, not just in art and facilitation but bringing a whole bunch of people together that would not normally associate. I couldn't rave about you highly enough. Thanks again for a wonderful experience.

Brenda Sellers, BlueScope Steel, Qld Management Team

Ongoing value of the training we participated in with you has been amazing! And the few of us who were a part of the original training group are keen to introduce the other members of our team to the experience we all rave about. Thanks once again for an amazing experience, the best training I have ever done.

Norman Holmes, Mission Australia, Team Leader, Community Partnerships

The feedback was fantastic from the conference. Thanks so much for your work with our sessions Simon. You were exceptionally professional, fun and really nailed the brief.

Christie Hopp, Flight Centre Travel Group, Australian Wholesale Marketing Manager

I brought Simon in to a client site to run a 3 hour workshop for 25 Business Improvement folk on visual facilitation (How-to-do). He was awesome. Super easy to work with, and excellent facilitation of the workshop itself. The next day I walked into a number of rooms where the project teams had taken the skills and their new found confidence and illustrated key messages of their initiatives. It was quite staggering (after only 3 hours!). Weeks later the new skills are still being used and the team is communicating much more effectively with their stakeholders. Highly recommend!

Jennifer Frahm, Business Improvement NAB, Senior Consultant, Personal Banking

Your energy, style and humour was very engaging and enabled the whole team to get in touch with their amazing creativity, to have fun and to step outside their comfort zone. Thank you for making it seem effortless, I really do appreciate how much hard work goes into delivering something that works so well.

Suellen McCaffrey, St George Community Housing, Human Resources Manager

I brought Simon in to a client site to run a 3 hour workshop for 25 Business Improvement folk on visual facilitation (How-to-do). He was awesome. Super easy to work with, and excellent facilitation of the workshop itself. The next day I walked into a number of rooms where the project teams had taken the skills and their new found confidence and illustrated key messages of their initiatives. It was quite staggering (after only 3 hours!). Weeks later the new skills are still being used and the team is communicating much more effectively with their stakeholders. Highly recommend!

Jennifer Frahm, Business Improvement NAB, Senior Consultant, Personal Banking

Simon - you have showed professionalism, skill, creativity and great, great, great humour at both conferences you have facilitated. Watching you captivate an audience is just great.

Shirley Glassy, Australand, Office Manager

I would like to thank you for your role as facilitator and MC at the Department of Transport and Main Roads DG Customer Led Innovation Challenge. Your role was integral to making the day a success and was greatly appreciated by myself and all the participants.

Neil Scales, QLD Department of Main Roads, Director General

Simon facilitated our inaugural innovation event in September 2016 in Melbourne, where over a dozen teams participated. He brought great energy to the session, engaged the teams very well, coached us along the way, and made the event fun. Simon is a great presenter and facilitator and I would recommend him for other organisations looking to run innovation sessions, hackathons, or similar events.

Kristian Kish, eNett, Head of Insights

I cannot speak highly enough of Simon. He was great at setting the atmosphere and enabling us to connect with our team mates. He kept everyone on their toes and had some great ideas on ice breakers and games without anyone feeling embarrassed about being involved.

Trish Cooney, CatholicCare, Manager, Community Relations

It has been such a pleasure working with you Simon. Your creativity, client service and professionalism have been impressive!

Brooke Wright, Ernst and Young, Manager People and Organisational Change

Simon and his team designed and delivered workshops and visual facilitation activities for the entire leadership team (200 or so) to explore the vision for the new city of Canterbury Bankstown.The outcome was a visual representation of our new organisation, what we do and how we deliver services to our community which will be essential to driving our organisation forward. Simon displayed excellent customer service and worked across many areas of our organisation with our staff to ensure the vision captured a broad range of views and perspectives.

Janelle Davidson, City of Canterbury Bankstown, Senior Project Officer Organisational Development

Everyone thought you were great! Your session was fantastic, fast paced and highly interactive and took a different approach to the exploring creativity and innovation with a purpose relevant for the HR team. Most of all you were loads of fun.

Christie Mort, Western Power, Capability Consultant

This is the very best program I personally have ever experienced. Thanks so much Simon, I believe you have found your calling, not just in art and facilitation but bringing a whole bunch of people together that would not normally associate. I couldn't rave about you highly enough. Thanks again for a wonderful experience.

Brenda Sellers, BlueScope Steel, Qld Management Team

I had the pleasure of attending Simon’s full-day Graphic Facilitation course recently in Sydney and could not recommend it highly enough. True to his word, Simon packed a punch of content into the day - there is great ROI in attending this workshop as I walked out literally ready to go and implement my new graphic facilitation skills. I loved that before we kicked off we each articulated what our individual goals were for the day. It was then through Simon’s friendly and funny expert facilitation and guided learning that by the end of the day we had each achieved our individual objectives, and so much more! Simon delivers the goods!

Jane Waterson, Jane Waterson, Senior Change Manager

Your energy, style and humour was very engaging and enabled the whole team to get in touch with their amazing creativity, to have fun and to step outside their comfort zone. Thank you for making it seem effortless, I really do appreciate how much hard work goes into delivering something that works so well.

Suellen McCaffrey, St George Community Housing, Human Resources Manager

Everyone absolutely LOVED the experience. They were still talking about and referencing their experience on Friday! After 9 years – I’ve finally topped the best event !! Everyone was so engaged, Friday night was beyond hilarious. The laughing from everyone, cheering – was just incredible! Thankyou again for making it such a tremendous success.

Debbie Hough, Sennheiser, HR Manager Australia & New Zealand

We called on Simon to help us with an internal event we held recently. From the outset he was brilliant, from thoroughly understanding our needs through to fulfilling his role as MC. Simon was able to engage the audience, inject energy and keep everyone entertained. The feedback from attendees was exceptional and left the crowd wanting more. I would have no problems recommending Simon.

Shane Muarenko, Commonwealth Bank, Agile Coach

We called on Simon to help us with an internal event we held recently. From the outset he was brilliant, from thoroughly understanding our needs through to fulfilling his role as MC. Simon was able to engage the audience, inject energy and keep everyone entertained. The feedback from attendees was exceptional and left the crowd wanting more. I would have no problems recommending Simon

Shane Muarenko, Commonwealth Bank, Agile Coach

I had the opportunity to work with Simon to bring to life our Values Week. Entitled "Seeing is Believing" Simon both educated and entertained our employees through graphic facilitation workshops. He empowered all participants to connect with their perception of the SA Water values through visual communication. Simon and his team provide a fun, intelligent, inspiring and engaging approach to learning that gets employees to reconnect with their inner creative. Simon's authentic approach with people is evident as is his commitment to ensuring that he delivers valued outcomes for his clients. I look forward to having the chance to work with Simon in the future.

Kathryn Gallina, Business SA, Director People and Culture

As our event MC/facilitator, Simon's creative approach kept our audience engaged, entertained and wishing he wasn't Sydney based. Feedback from event attendees included "Simon's activities were very easy, non-threatening and fun", "my mind and body were kept active", "his creative activities were refreshing" and "Simon’s visual representation of our event really captured the themes of the day". Aside from being very generous with both his time and contribution to prior to the event, Simon flexibly supported the event coordination on the day with humour and finesse. Looking forward to working with Simon again in the future.

Ayesha Fathers, Ayesha Fathers, Regional Development Coordinator, EMR Alliance

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