Kitty Chiller AM

Kitty Chiller AM become Australia’s very first female Chef de Mission, leading the Australian Olympic Team at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games during a campaign fraught with logistical and security challenges. Despite these difficulties, Kitty devised a “one team” concept, focusing on the culture and values of the Australian team and her strong resolve and incredible personal and professional resilience reinvigorated the sense of Team amongst the 420 athletes.

Before she got the top job as Chef, Kitty held virtually every other role on the Australian Olympic team: media director (1988), coach and team manager (1996), Deputy Chef de Mission (2012) – and where she’s had the most experience – as an athlete (2000). In her sport of Modern Pentathlon, Kitty was national champion on 12 occasions, won seven World Cup medals and was ranked number one in the world 3 times.

After her retirement from competition Kitty remain dedicated to sport and has held many high-profile executive and volunteer roles, including CEO of Gymnastics Australia; an Executive Member of the Australian Olympic Committee (current) and Kitty is the only person in the world who has sat on two International Federation Executive Boards (Modern Pentathlon and Gymnastics).

In 2020, Kitty was awarded an AM for Services to Sport and also the International Olympic Committee Women in Sport Award, a highly prized and prestigious award. Kitty is renowned for leading organisations with a strong focus on team, culture and communication.

In 2022, Kitty took on the role of Deputy CEO with the National Sports Tribunal, an organisation that plays an integral and essential role in sport integrity in Australia, an area that is increasingly important to all sports at all levels.

2022 also saw Kitty suffer a major cardiac incident that has seen her take a new approach to life and work – with important lessons for all of us.

Kitty Chiller has boundless energy and is an incredibly authentic and engaging presenter.

Kitty Chiller talks about:

• Resilience in leadership
• Personal resilience
• Traits required for successful leadership and management
• Driving cultural change
• Dealing with challenging environments
• Teamwork and the importance of ‘people’
• Lessons from the sports world and how they can relate to corporate / business environments
• Treating obstacles and challenges as opportunities
• Work-life balance and dealing with the impact of a major health scare