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Entrepreneur, 2008 NSW Telstra Business Woman of the Year

Naomi Simson is one of Australia's most outstanding female entrepreneurs.

Naomi left a corporate career in marketing to set up online experience gift retailer RedBalloon in 2001. Since then, RedBalloon has listed in the BRW fast lists for six consecutive years and is ranked as one of the top ten Great Places to Work in Australia and one of Australia's best team building organisations.

As founder and Chief Experience Officer of RedBalloon Naomi Simson received the 2008 national Telstra Business Women's Awards for Innovation, was a finalist in in the 2011 BRW Entrepreneur of the Year and winner Eastern  Region, Ernst & Young Entrenpreneur of the Year 2011.

About Naomi Simson:

Naomi Simson established her reputation in business over a long career as a corporate marketer with companies including IBM, KPMG, Ansett and Apple before leaving it all behind to start up her own show. RedBalloon, an online brand that directly communicated with consumers and responded to their needs in a tailored manner, was launched in 2001. Just a few years later, Naomi's business received the first of a string of awards recognising innovation, employee engagement web development. 

Naomi is an employee engagement advocate who practices what she preaches in her own business. RedBalloon has been awarded an engagement scorecard of 97% by Hewitt Associates - the average in Australian businesses is 54 per cent. The company's websites in Australia and New Zealand have been recognized as a Hitwise Top 10 Award Winner for several years in a row and in 2008 and 2009 were named No. 1.

In addition to being one of Australia's key role models for women in business, Naomi Simson is a mother, author, a regular blogger and a frequent speaker. Her blog naomisimson.com is listed in the top 15 of Australia's Best Business Blogs. Her first book I want what she's having was reviewed as an 'essential business read' by The Australian.

With undeniable passion, energy and intelligence, she imparts brilliant ideas to help businesses connect with employees and engage with consumers as well as helping individuals interact with each other to achieve positive outcomes.

In 2009, Naomi was asked to participate in the Secret Millionaire Australia series because of the synergy with her role as CEO of RedBalloon.

Naomi Simson speaks about:

Small Things Big Impact

Be inspired and discover the simple things that helped make RedBalloon a Australian household name in just 10 years. Sharing a clear vision, being dogmatic about the RedBalloon values - and recruiting and aligning a team has been pivotal in this growth story - Naomi shares how RedBalloon has evolved into an iconic brand thanks to its value-based culture, where generosity and 'thank-you' is the norm. You will be inspired to hear how small things can have a big impact.

Creating a customer experience culture

How do our customers experience the brand? What are your employees saying about your business when they interact with the customer? This session is about creating the ultimate customer experience so they willingly share their stories about your business to others.

Employees are the new customer

We have learned to be customer-focused by asking, "How do our customers experience the brand?" Now the important question is, "How do our employees experience the brand?" This session is about how to fulfil your employees' expectations so that they willingly shout about your employer brand.

Employer Branding - Creative Ways To Get Your People Talking

Employer Branding is all about how to fulfil your employees' expectations so they willingly shout about your business. A brand cannot be delivered without its people, who create and shape what it stands for and how it is perceived. This session focuses on how to create a focused and engaged workforce which exudes its 'love' and commitment to the organisation.

RedBalloon: The Entrepreneurial Growth Story

From its humble beginnings in Naomi Simson's front room in an inner suburb of Sydney to creating a much-loved Australian brand, Naomi shares what she believes have been the drivers behind RedBalloon's sustainable growth. Having appeared on the BRW Fast Lists six times, RedBalloon is fast changing gifting in Australia forever. Naomi shares the secrets, business concepts and elements to continually driving growth and innovation.

Client testimonials

Thanks, Naomi, for the fantastic presentation at our ‘Talent Xchange Conference’ last week. We have had a stack of unsolicited feedback from delegates saying things like: ‘Naomi was amazing, I am going to implement changes immediately’, and ‘That was great, we will definitely be rethinking our engagement strategy’. Thank you for making our conference such a big hit!

Talent2

Her style was engaging and her message struck a chord, was timely and pitched at just the right level!

Air New Zealand

Naomi is a passionate speaker with a clear message about experiences. Experiences that occur with your brand, your people & your customers. Naomi shared with us her story and along the way got the room to understand key messages around how people are experiencing their brand and service, that clients want dialogue and interactions and that marketing is a way of being. No one can have the greatest business in the world without the greatest people and how your employees speak about you is how your brand is perceived…As she says in her book happy people = happy customers = happy profits.

REIV

As a mother of young children and a working professional, I particularly appreciated your clarity of purpose and the way you frame your life/challenges to remain positive and fun. Hearing your story certainly inspires me to keep at it.

Shell Refinery

Naomi is living proof that passion for an idea plus utilising appropriate technical resources can launch a global business.

Scott Recruitment

Animated, dynamic, amusing ... Naomi personifies RedBalloon's culture. As a guest speaker at a Hudson Human Resources celebration, Naomi's candid insights, self-deprecating humour and unapologetic passion for her business kept the audience engaged, entertained and challenged to think differently. I highly recommend Naomi as an inspirational speaker.

Hudsons

Naomi, Thank you so much for passionately presenting to our senior women leaders. You were an absolute inspiration. Everyone's feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

National Australia Bank