Impact and Influence Keynote Speaker: Build Trust. Gain Support. Create Action.
AJ Kulatunga helps leaders build trust, shape decisions and lead ambitious ideas into impact.
Every organisation has ambitious ideas. The real challenge is getting people to understand them, support them, and act on them.
AJ Kulatunga is an award-winning Global Keynote Speaker on Execution Intelligence™. His Impact and Influence keynote helps leaders think more strategically about influence, given the decisions they need to shape, the people they need to influence and the action they need to create.
Built for senior leaders, technical experts and professional audiences, this keynote gives people a practical way to build trust, shape decisions and create momentum around the work that matters most.
Trusted by organisations across Australia, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East
AJ Kulatunga is an Impact and Influence keynote speaker who helps leaders build trust, shape decisions and turn important ideas into action. His keynote is designed for senior leaders, executive teams, professional audiences and technical specialists who need to influence others without relying on authority alone. Through his TLC Framework: Think, Look, Communicate… AJ reframes influence as a strategic thinking capability, not just a communication skill. Audiences learn how to understand what people care about, communicate with greater relevance and create momentum around ideas that matter. This keynote is suited to leadership conferences, association events, executive offsites, finance forums, HR events, cyber leadership programs and business conferences where audiences need practical tools to improve stakeholder conversations, create ownership and move insight into action.
AJ uses storytelling, strategy, humour, and music to help keynote audiences remember what matters after the event.
WHY BOOK AJ FOR AN IMPACT AND INFLUENCE KEYNOTE?
Many speakers talk about communication, but AJ approaches it through a strategic thinking lens.
His Impact and Influence keynote helps leaders understand why some ideas gain support while others disappear after the meeting.
For senior audiences, influence is not about becoming louder, slicker or more persuasive. It is about thinking more clearly about the room, the decision, the people involved and the action that needs to happen next.
AJ brings together business strategy, behavioural insight, storytelling and practical frameworks to help audiences improve how they influence decisions, build trust and create momentum.
This keynote is especially useful when your audience needs to:
- Influence without relying on title or authority
- Communicate ideas so they are remembered and acted on
- Build trust with stakeholders, teams, boards or clients
- Move decisions through complexity
- Create stronger ownership after meetings
- Turn expertise into commercial or organisational impact
The result is a keynote that feels energising in the room and useful when people return to work.
WHO IS AJ FOR
AJ is the perfect speaker for you if :
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Your audience is senior, experienced, and values substance over hype
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You’re seeking strategic clarity without “fluffy inspiration”
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You need relevance and actionable insight
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You want your event to be memorable for the right reasons
ABOUT the impact and influence keynote
How to build trust, communicate with authority, and move ideas through the business.
IMPACT & INFLUENCE
Every leader has experienced the frustration of saying the right thing and still not seeing action.
The advice was sound.
The recommendation made sense.
The meeting seemed aligned.
The business case was clear.
And yet, nothing moved.
AJ Kulatunga’s Impact and Influence keynote helps audiences understand what is really happening in those moments. Influence is not simply about presenting better or speaking with more confidence. It is about helping people make sense of an idea, see why it matters and understand what action needs to happen next.
This keynote gives leaders a practical way to improve how they shape conversations, decisions and follow-through.
Audiences learn how to:
- Think more strategically before trying to influence others
- Understand what different stakeholders actually care about
- Communicate ideas in a way that connects to priorities, pressure and context
- Make decisions easier to understand and act on
- Build trust before asking people to support change
- Move from explanation to action
This keynote is ideal for leadership conferences, professional development events, association conferences, executive offsites, sales kickoffs, finance forums, HR events, cyber leadership events and transformation programs.
Influence Beyond Communication: Strategic Thinking.
Most people try to improve influence by working on the message.
AJ helps audiences work on the thinking behind the message.
Before people act, they need to understand why something matters, how it connects to their world, what risk or opportunity is involved and what the next step requires from them.
This is why influence starts before the conversation.
It starts with better questions:
What needs to hit the mark?
Who needs to care?
What is stopping action?
What does this person already believe?
What pressure are they under?
What would make the next step easier?
When leaders think more clearly before they communicate, they become easier to trust, easier to follow and easier to act with.
This is the heart of AJ’s Impact and Influence keynote.
The TLC Framework: Think, Look, Communicate
At the centre of AJ’s Impact and Influence keynote is the TLC Framework: Think, Look, Communicate.
It gives audiences a simple way to understand influence as a leadership capability.
Think
Influence starts with thinking more clearly about the decision, the outcome and the movement required.
What are we actually trying to shift?
What decision needs to be made?
What belief, behaviour or priority needs to change?
What would make this easier to act on?
Look
Influence improves when leaders stop communicating from their own perspective and start noticing what matters to the other person.
What does this person care about?
What pressure are they under?
What are they trying to protect?
What would make this idea feel relevant, safe or valuable?
Communicate
Once leaders think clearly and look more deeply, they can communicate in a way that is practical, relevant and action-oriented.
The goal is not just to be understood.
The goal is to help people move into action.
AJ’s keynotes create conversations that continue after the session ends.
WHERE THIS IMPACT AND INFLUENCE KEYNOTE FITS INTO YOUR EVENT
AJ’s Impact and Influence keynote works especially well when your event is focused on leadership, communication, stakeholder engagement, transformation, commercial impact or leading without authority.
Opening Keynote
Set the tone for the event by helping people think differently about how ideas move through decisions, conversations and organisational complexity.
Closing Keynote
Bring the event together by helping audiences turn insight into practical next steps they can use when they return to work.
Leadership Conference
Give leaders a practical framework for improving trust, communication, decision-making and follow-through.
Executive Offsite or Strategy Day
Help senior teams sharpen how they communicate priorities, build alignment and create ownership around important decisions.
Association or Industry Conference
Give members a memorable keynote on how to increase their professional impact, influence stakeholders and turn expertise into action.
Technical, Finance, Cyber or Specialist Audience
Help experts communicate in a way that decision-makers understand, value and act on.
AJ’s keynote gives experienced audiences practical tools they can use in real conversations, decisions and leadership moments.
WHAT HAPPENS IN THE ROOM
Senior audiences want relevance.
In AJ’s Impact and Influence keynote, audiences experience:
- A practical reframe of influence as strategic thinking
- Stories and examples that make communication challenges easy to recognise
- A simple framework they can use immediately
- Insight into why good ideas often fail to gain support
- Practical ways to build trust, shape decisions and move action forward
- A memorable keynote experience using story, humour and music
- Clear next steps they can apply in meetings, stakeholder conversations and leadership moments
AJ helps audiences see that influence is not about forcing agreement. It is about making action easier, clearer and more meaningful.
WHO IS AJ BEST FOR
This keynote is a strong fit when your audience needs to influence decisions, build trust and create action across complexity.
It is especially relevant for:
- Senior leaders and executive teams
- Emerging leaders and high-potential talent
- People and Culture leaders
- Finance leaders and business partners
- Cybersecurity and technology leaders
- Sales, partner and customer-facing teams
- Transformation and change leaders
- Association and professional conference audiences
- Technical specialists and subject matter experts
- Leaders who need to influence without direct authority
AJ is especially useful for audiences who are smart, experienced and time-poor. They do not need hype. They need a keynote that gives them language, frameworks and practical insight they can use immediately.
See AJ on stage
Preview moments from AJ’s Impact & Influence keynote.
These short clips show how AJ helps audiences rethink influence, communication and leadership action.
Trust Has Changed – Why is Impact & Influence So Important?
How Trust Forms Through The Power of Marks
WHAT CLIENTS SAY ABOUT AJ
AJ is trusted by organisations and conference organisers who need more than a motivational speaker. His keynotes are designed to create relevance in the room and action after the event.
TRUE EVENT PARTNER.
“Your preparation, energy, laser focus on getting the messaging right, and passion, all helped to make this Ingram Micro and Red Hat event the huge success it was! Thanks a million, AJ!”
Grant Cleary, Principal Partner Marketing Manager | Red Hat
ABSOLUTE STANDOUT.
AJ Kulatunga was the kind of closing speaker that makes you forget you’re at a conference and just tune in. Funny, vulnerable, totally disarming and somehow managed to say (and sing) things we all needed to hear. A nice reminder that influence comes from how we connect, and the energy we leave behind. Overall Audience Satisfaction: 5/5
Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI)
ABOVE & BEYOND.
AJ spent 90 hours to build a whole new presentation to impact attendees in the room. He went above and beyond, and it shows you everything about who AJ is at the core. He then spent the rest of CyberCon engaging with everyone, supporting those he knew were presenting. AJ is definitely part of our Cyber community now, and we shine brighter because of his inclusion.
Ben Doyle | CISO, Thales (RSAC Conferences CISO Bootcamp Convener)
For event organisers, AJ brings the preparation of a business strategist and the presence of a professional keynote speaker.
AJ Kulatunga, Business Strategist and Global Keynote Speaker on Execution Intelligence™.
About
AJ Kulatunga
AJ Kulatunga is a Business Strategist and Global Keynote Speaker specialising in Execution Intelligence™, impact and influence, decision-making and turning ideas into action.
For over 20 years, AJ has worked across business, technology and leadership, helping organisations think differently about how ideas move through people, decisions and action.
His Impact and Influence keynote is built for senior audiences who need to communicate with clarity, build trust and move important ideas forward, especially when authority alone is not enough.
AJ brings a rare mix of strategic thinking, humour, human insight and stagecraft. His keynotes are practical, memorable and designed to help people act differently when they return to work.
He has worked with audiences across Australia, Asia-Pacific and internationally, including leaders, associations, technology teams, finance professionals, HR audiences and executive groups.
BOOKING INFORMATION
Keynote Fee Range: From $10,000 – $20,000 (inc travel) – depending on location, format and event requirements
Leadership Offsite Range: $3,000 – $5,000 (ex travel)
Virtual Fee Range: $3,000 – $7,000
Travels From:
- Melbourne, Australia
- Singapore
- London, UK
- Denver, USA
Phone / Whatsapp : +61 418 810 397
Booking AJ for an Impact and Influence Keynote
AJ is available for conferences, leadership events, executive summits, association conferences, strategy days and corporate events.
Every keynote is shaped around your event theme, audience context and desired outcomes, so the session feels specific to the people in the room rather than generic.
Depending on your event, AJ can help audiences:
- Improve how they influence decisions
- Communicate technical or strategic ideas more clearly
- Build trust with stakeholders
- Create stronger ownership after meetings
- Influence without relying on authority
- Turn insight into action
- Connect the theme of your event to practical next steps
Formats:
In-person keynote
Virtual keynote
Hybrid event
Opening keynote
Closing keynote
Leadership workshop
Executive offsite session
See more information for event organisers.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the Impact and Influence keynote about?
AJ Kulatunga’s Impact and Influence keynote helps leaders communicate in a way that people listen, remember and act on. The keynote focuses on how leaders build trust, shape decisions and move ideas forward, especially when they do not have direct authority.
Who is the Impact and Influence keynote best suited for?
This keynote is best suited for senior leaders, emerging leaders, People and Culture leaders, finance leaders, cyber and technology leaders, sales teams, transformation teams, association audiences and technical experts who need to influence decisions and create action.
Is AJ Kulatunga an influence keynote speaker?
Yes. AJ Kulatunga is an impact and influence keynote speaker who helps business audiences improve how they communicate, build trust, influence decisions and turn ideas into action.
Does this keynote cover influence without authority?
Yes. A major part of the keynote explores how leaders can influence without relying on formal authority. AJ helps audiences understand how to think strategically about stakeholders, decisions, trust and action.
Is this keynote suitable for leadership conferences?
Yes. The Impact and Influence keynote is highly suited to leadership conferences because it helps leaders improve communication, decision-making, stakeholder engagement and follow-through.
Can AJ customise the keynote for our audience?
Yes. AJ customises each keynote to the audience, event theme, industry context and desired outcomes. The keynote can be tailored for executive audiences, professional associations, internal leadership events, sales teams, finance teams, HR audiences, cyber leaders and transformation programs.
Can this keynote be delivered as a workshop?
Yes. The Impact and Influence keynote can be extended into a workshop or leadership session where participants apply the TLC Framework to real conversations, stakeholder challenges and decisions they need to influence.
Is AJ available for international keynote events?
Yes. AJ speaks across Australia, Asia-Pacific and internationally. He is available for conferences, leadership events, executive summits and corporate events, with travel availability from Melbourne, Singapore, London and Denver.
How do we book AJ Kulatunga for an Impact and Influence keynote?
The best first step is to check AJ’s availability and share your event date, location, audience, event theme and desired outcomes.