Description
James Muecke leadership speaker sessions come from the 2020 Australian of the Year. That award recognised both his career as an eye specialist and his humanitarian work around the world. James is an authentic and passionate speaker. He tells the story of his life, the communities he has worked in, and the impact of his organisation, Sight For All. Overall, few speakers bring this depth of medical and humanitarian experience to the stage.
James graduated with Honours from the University of Adelaide Medical School in 1987. After his internship, he lived and worked as a doctor in Africa. He then worked as an eye surgeon in the Middle East. Along the way, he battled malaria, wild animals and rebel soldiers. In 2008, he founded Sight For All. From there, he turned his energy into a fight against blindness. This fight spans Aboriginal communities and some of the poorest countries of Asia and Africa. As a result, his work has earned him several major honours. These include an Order of Australia, the Australian Medical Association’s President’s Leadership Award, and Ernst & Young’s Social Entrepreneur for Australia.
James is a researcher, a teacher, an author, a musician, a photographer, and a film producer. He uses his many skills to deliver passionate, fascinating, and at times confronting presentations. His topics range across his life, his work, philanthropy, resilience and social entrepreneurship.
A neurological condition impacting on his dexterity has forced James into a premature retirement from surgery. Not letting his disability slow him down, James has redirected his vigour to crafting films. Today, he has a number of powerful documentaries under his belt, along with several compelling projects in production.
James Muecke Leadership Speaker: Keynote Topics
Forging Resilience – A Personal and Global Journey
James’ career as an eye surgeon, humanitarian and social entrepreneur has enriched his life. Along the way, he has met extraordinary characters and lived through confronting experiences. He has also witnessed powerful stories of resilience that he wants to share with the world. For example, a man who woke blind in both eyes. Or a group of disabled children in an impoverished country. Or a global health crisis crying out for help. Through the re-telling of his own story of loss, James explores the critical elements needed to build resilience, at all levels.
“Dr James Muecke AM recently presented to our ‘Leadership in Action’ series, delivering his virtual presentation Forging Resilience to the Department of Home Affairs and Australian Border Force. James’ presentation was truly inspirational, providing insights into his 32 year medical career and his extraordinary life journey as an eye surgeon and humanitarian. His messages on resilience were very clear, finding new ways to innovate and move forward, grasping every opportunity and adventure in life.” – Learning & Events Management Team, Department of Home Affairs
Blinded – The Toxic Impact of Sugar and the Rise of Type 2 Diabetes
Blinded tells the story of Neil Hansell. He is a man who woke one morning blind in both eyes, due to neglect of his diabetes. In this confronting keynote presentation, James discusses why type 2 diabetes is a growing worldwide epidemic. He then explores a number of strategies to curb the toxic impact of sugar on our health and on our world.
“James is an utterly compelling presenter who takes his audience on a fast-paced journey of discovery. The science behind our sugar addiction is explained simply but powerfully, as is the message for our law makers about the need to act decisively to better protect ourselves and our children. Highly recommend.” – Phil Martin, Managing Director, Michels Warren PR
Craig Drummond, CEO of Medibank, called James’ story one of the best lessons in resilience he had heard. Similarly, clients from the Social Capital Conference and Nova Group describe James as engaging, funny and inspiring. As a result, audiences consistently leave feeling motivated to make a real difference in their own communities.
