Recommendations

PresentationsFacilitationWhat the audience says

Anne’s contribution to both our people and our people leaders has been transformational.

Our people leaders have been able to immediately translate their new understanding into their daily work and feel equipped to be able to confidently lead through the next period of change. The common language and understanding is invaluable. STAR and ANTs would appear to be a new most commonly used terms within the organisation.
– Ruma Karaitiana, Chief Executive, NZ Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation

We have all been incredibly pleased with the program and your role. You are on my incredible person list!
– Bill Whitacre, President & CEO, J. R. Simplot Company

Your work has made a lasting and positive impact on the leaders and to the culture of the J.R. Simplot Company.
– Erin Nuxoll, Senior VP Human Resources, J.R. Simplot Company

I see the skills you have taught us being used each and every day.
– Annette Elg, Chief Financial Officer, J.R. Simplot Company

Anne Riches was the keynote speaker on Change Leadership at the ninth annual Education Leaders Forum “Brain Changing & Mind Shifting’ in Auckland, NZ.

She was ranked the best speaker-78% rated her excellent-with comments like “Anne Riches – outstanding”, “Anne Riches – loved her “realness” and relevance to leading change”, “Great presenter – real highlight”.

She also ran a very well received workshop on How to Lead Effective Change. The feedback comments attest to the powerful impact she also made here:
“Great ideas and food for thought about most important aspects of successful change”, “An outstanding presenter, relevant, vibrant”, “Obviously excellent and readily applicable to work situations”, “Fantastic thought provoking workshop – very inspiring”, “High energy presentation – good stuff to take away”, “Invaluable information (that applies in all areas of life) presented in a fun, interactive manner”, “THE most powerful and useful session I think I have attended.”

Anne’s meticulous preparation before the day and her vibrancy, top-class presentation skills as well as her ability to draw out and engage with her audience make her a huge asset and drawcard for any conference.

I have now worked with Anne, over a period of 10 years, in seminars and conferences spanning the corporate and public sector worlds and across the education learning spectrum. She fits seamlessly into all the settings as she explores the crossover between the fields of Leadership, Neuroscience and Change and communicates insights and practical resources to bring about positive change in business organisations and learning communities.

See more ... - Lyall Lukey, Convenor ELF 2015, Smartnet

See less ... - Lyall Lukey, Convenor ELF 2015, Smartnet

Wonderful session. I was one of those sitting around the corner at the back when you started but I moved to sit at a table and was totally engaged when you finished. The last session of a three day conference when everybody was taxed out, you were great. Loved it.
– Graeme Fairclough, Training Advisor, NZ Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation

Anne Riches has a very unique and powerful combination of these topics (leadership, emotional intelligence and change) that enables learners to understand and reflect on their individual reactions to change.

We have had leaders consistently report gaining deep insights and leaving with tools that they are immediately able to apply in the workplace and in their personal life. Anne has helped establish a common language for these critical skills throughout our organization. Her work has helped us be more prepared for the coming changes in our Company that are critical for us to get to the next level.
– Ryck Tanner, Director, Learning & Development, J.R. Simplot Company

Your contribution to our HR organization and the leaders in our Company has been critical in helping us achieve important milestones in our leadership development efforts here at Simplot. Your expertise, professionalism, and dedication to our mission exceeded expectations and your partnership has been invaluable.
– Amanda Broadnax, Learning & Development Manager J. R. Simplot Company

We are not just talking about turning over a new leaf – I have been uprooting my entire tree with this process!!! Thank you for your wonderful information and for making me realize that patterns can – and NEED – to be changed!
– Jana L. Owens, Sr. Director Shared Services J.R. Simplot Company

Anne … thank you! You knocked it out of the park!! It not only made but exceeded expectations. It was a lot of material to get into three hours but you did it … they got it … and now we have common language … plus we have a better means to communicate and deal with conscious issues.
– Peter Niboli, Director, California Retail, JR Simplot Company

Anne Riches is an inspiring change leadership educator. As well as being an expert on all aspects of change leadership, Anne is a talented facilitator and coach.

Anne helps organisations to implement successful change, through effectively engaging people with change. She has a wealth of experience in leadership roles, which bring weight to her workshops and coaching sessions.

I was personally mesmerized by your presentation, and the audience was extremely positive all through the conference. The real great response was when we actually dragged ourselves back into the office on Thursday, and my inbox is full of excited comments. Our office didn’t get much work done in the first hour while everyone debriefed on the conference and the word ANT has been flying around in every meeting I’ve had in the last day and ½!
– Senior Director, Finance Optimization Initiatives JR Simplot Company (USA)

Anne is a wonderful blend of warmth, sensitivity, and deep intelligence, who is passionately committed to learning, service and high quality outcomes. She is remembered with high recommendation by her clients, years after she has worked with them. Her current research and development of The Almond Effect® is of significant value to all of us who are willing to take responsibility for our actions and our outcomes.
– CEO, Progress Productions

The impact of The Almond Effect, ANTs and STARs is enormous. The teams now have a common language which can be used to support each other and support our customer interactions.
– General Manager, Customer Service Division, ICAA

Anne’s presentation was intriguing, touching, personal, refreshing, surprising and energising all in one.
She challenged the conference attendees to look outside their own square, seeking barriers to change within themselves. I will never forget Anne’s memorable words and presentation – she is amazing.

I cannot recommend Anne Riches highly enough to any industry in any situation – she knew very little of our industry when we first met but you would never have known with such a well prepared and delivered presentation.
– Conference Convenor, ABPNS Conference

Thank you for sharing your work in such a dramatic and appealing way. It resonated with me and I found it directly applicable. I will be putting it in to practice from today with a particular behaviour I have (and am already visualising success!!!).
– General Manager Sales & Marketing Top Cut Foods

Made me realise it’s easy to forget past lessons and fall back to a less than perfect change tool which just expects people to “tow the line”.
– Engineering Manager, Formway

I loved the content of your sessions and you did a great job challenging the group. I have already been sharing what I learned with my staff.
– Plant Manager, J.R. Simplot Company Pocatello, Idaho USA

Your ability to deliver a Workshop that clearly appealed to our conference delegates indicates that you took the time to research our industry and that in itself made the presentation so much more relevant and appealing to the audience.
Again, thank you for your contribution to what has turned out to be a most successful conference event and we look forward to the opportunity of working together again in the future.
– Head of Conferences & Events, Travelscene American Express

What a fantastic result Anne… this supports the anecdotal feedback….perfectly targeted training, now for the implementation action from the participants!
– Executive Manager, City Services, Fairfield City Council

I wish you could have been there to hear the discussion of your session … Words like awesome role model, courageous, challenging, flexible, relevant … an outstanding presenter … the best I’ve seen for a very long time … excellent.
– Program facilitator, Simplot Australia

Our audience of leaders is a very diverse group. Some want to be convinced by hearing the theory, others by how well it connects to their lived experience and some just want to be entertained. Anne’s obvious expertise in her area and experience of life as well as her irrepressible energy as a presenter resulted in her achieving that rare goal of delivering value to all in the room – there was a real buzz.
– Executive Manager Corporate Support, Fairfield City Council

It would be easy for me to recite platitudes regarding your presentation, however the impact of your presentation and the insight that it has provided to our team of HR&S professionals can only be seen as profound.

…it is a difficult task to keep the interest and also challenge such a broad group of professionals, from the Executive General Manager to Receptionist, all at the same time. Clearly your inspiring and energetic approach to the topic was a key factor in maintaining and captivating the audience.

However, it was the fact that what you presented simply made sense. In this time of scepticism, cynics and critics it would be very easy to walk away with no sense of change, but you have planted a very real seed of knowledge in our Amygdala, that will only grow over time and flourish into a very valuable tool that we can all use, from a personal and professional perspective. Thank you.
– EGM – Human Resources and Information Services, Simplot Australia Pty Ltd

… absolutely loved it. You nailed the topic.
– Chief Executive Officer Australian Corporate Lawyers Association (ACLA)

I enjoyed your presentation immensely. I thought your views and thinking were practical and well balanced. I have commenced putting that into practice and already experiencing a more harmonious mix between work and play. Although I was aware of the need for such change I required some motivation and direction.
– Legal Counsel Legal Services and Compliance Metropolitan Fire Brigade

Warm and provocative, funny and practical.
– General Manager, Learning and Development, Local Government Shires Association

Thank you for another fantastic course. The course is great, and obviously meticulously planned. Through your own diverse experiences, your ability to think so quickly, your commitment to listen, understand and communicate effectively, you are able to bring issues to life. Your abilities and confidence become instilled in your participants, and as a manager, I have seen that transferred to the workplace.
– Telephone Sales Manager. Call Centres, Qantas

Anne is one of the best speakers in this country. Her material is extremely well researched and immensely valuable. You come away from her presentations understanding the content and, even better, knowing how to apply it. I would not hesitate in recommending Anne as a speaker for any event where an intelligent, articulate and engaging presenter is required.
– Owner, Network Central

I gained more from the two days you spent with us than I have any other training because I could feel your passion for the subject and personal investment in the people you meet.
– Director – Internal Audit, Corporate Headquarters J.R. Simplot Company, USA

Anne presented the information in an engaging way with the use of humour and real-life examples..(she) was very professional and an absolute pleasure to work with…I highly recommend Anne as a speaker.
– Event Co-ordinator, CPA Australia

I have worked with Anne for many years and she comes highly recommended.
– Head of Client Account Management, Informa Corporate Learning

Thank you for giving an inspiring and terrific presentation to the Leadership Group
– Compliance Director, High Wealth Individuals, Small & Medium Enterprises, Australian Tax Office

Your ability to connect with the audience was superb.
– Vice-President, Global Intelligence Network Malaysia

As usual, your poise, information and delivery were sensational! You truly are a thought leader in your field and an inspiration to us all.
– Founder, NetworkCentral

Anne’s training made a fundamental difference to the approach we take… We see the lasting, embedded value of her work in the refined philosophical base ….and the enhanced understanding, skills and enthusiasm with which we do our work.
– Principal Corruption Prevention Officer, ICAC

I just wanted to pass on my personal thanks for the wonderful way in which you contributed and managed our Big Day Out. From the personal feedback I have received, you certainly made a difference. On a personal note, I’m inspired and thankful that I had the opportunity to meet and learn from someone like you. You have no idea of the changes I have made in my life since listening to you.
– Business Manager, Australian Taxation Office

Many more thanks for your excellent facilitation of the pivotal strategic road-mapping meeting for the leadership of the AMA. You were exactly the right person for the job – humour plus direction, firmness plus coaxing! They have gone away feeling that they achieved more than they expected to.

Your preparation and complete engagement supported the participants to achieve a high level of consensus on key strategic decisions. Furthermore the participants all enjoyed the experience!
– Secretary General Australian Medical Association

Anne was a terrific facilitator for our State meeting that featured leading experts in Australia, and her work contributed to it being our most successful event of the year. As an event organiser, it’s always good to know you’re in safe hands!
– Phil Preston, President NSW PSA

Please accept my strong congratulations and deep gratitude for the excellent facilitation process you managed for us last week. …I feel sure that the action plans that flow from the meeting will serve to empower stronger and more cohesive growth from an already blossoming property venture. Thank you for your excellent role in aligning the group towards shared vision and goals with clear expectation of each other’s roles and responsibilities.
– Managing Director Kings Cove Metung Pty Ltd

… The outcome was everything I had hoped for … due in great measure to your skills and talents in managing a strong, highly intellectual group of non-shrinking violets.
– Chief of Australian Defence Force

Once again, thank you for your assured, professional and effective facilitation of our workshop. You guided us to a successful conclusion by understanding the dynamics of the group, when to push us hard, and when to let us relax.
– Finance Director & Treasurer, Foster’s Group Limited

Your understanding of group dynamics, together with the skill and timing of your interventions kept us on course to a conclusion which was based on rational discussion.
– Chairman of the Board, The Ready Group

Fantastic. I have come away with tools to use everyday! I felt inspired, motivated and energised. Thanks very much.
– Call Centre Supervisor, Qantas

…very enlightening and entertaining. Instead of theory/hypothesis made by researchers over a period of time, this information actually made sense about why people resist change

…her delivery was excellent! Certainly kept everyone’s attention. I like that it couched in the personal. Had an excellent overview of change management issues, but the emphasis on the personal side and the WIFM principle is heart warming. I feel a lot of literature focuses on the organisation as a mechanistic, non sentient being.

Her lecture was very much on the personal, whether in the management line or employee. This too is refreshing again, I think a lot of literature talks about ‘management’ in a unitarist way – operating as part of the machinery. This from my experience is most definitely not the case in any level of management
– Audience members University of Sydney

May I say what a fantastic presenter you are – I have seen you speak on Emotional Intelligence three times and I never tire of the topic or your presentations. On a personal front learning about Emotional Intelligence from your presentations has had a very strong impact on my relationships, both personally and working – but more so personally. Prior to attending your first presentation I was a bit hot headed and tended to react personally to feedback – some of my reactions were bordering on ridiculous. Now, having the knowledge from your presentation, I approach everything with a conscious effort to be in tune with my EQ and to respond in a collected and controlled manner. Thank you for your insight into this very interesting topic and for delivering it with such passion and enthusiasm. I look forward to attending another of your presentations in the future.
– Customer Service Manager, Simplot Australia