Leadership does not hold the hand of the status quo.
Diana Taylor AM is a distinguished lawyer, business owner, and community leader from Geelong, Victoria, renowned for her pioneering roles in Australian sports and civic leadership.
Over a career spanning more than 25 years, she has broken new ground for women in Australian Rules Football administration – becoming the first female president of a men’s AFL metropolitan football league, the Western Region Football League, the first woman appointed to the VFL Tribunal, appointed director of the Geelong Football Club in 2010, and in 2019, Diana became the Geelong Football Club’s first female Vice President in its 165-year history.
Diana is also an experienced board chair and director and has served on a number of boards including the Victorian Convention and Event Trust, the Geelong Authority and established Australia’s first community led and fully accredited private hospital to care for people at end-of-life, Anam Cara House Geelong.
Diana’s is also one of Australia’s leading experts in workplace matters through her experience in undertaking over 1,000 workplace investigations, child safeguarding and reportable conduct matters and cultural health checks for organisations across the corporate, government, not-for-profit and sport sectors and operates her own business, Diana Taylor Legal Consulting.
Diana’s multifaceted contributions to law, sports, and philanthropy earned her the prestigious Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2024 for significant service to Australian rules football and to the community of Geelong.
Diana is also a Telstra Business Women’s Award Winner in the corporate & private category.
In recent years, Diana has added ‘author’ to her portfolio, writing her first book, ‘The Playbook – crossing the white line to succeed in life, business and the AFL’, to support people to think strategically, plan smart and execute for success.
Talking Points
Why Heart and Grit are the True Superpowers of Exceptional Leadership
It is this experience that has shaped Diana’s leadership philosophy that she now shares with audiences today. Her philosophy is values-driven, tested under pressure, and grounded in accountability and service. Why Heart and Grit are the True Superpowers of Exceptional Leadership
Through the power of her storytelling, Diana makes the case for why the most enduring and effective leaders are defined not by title or authority, but by Heart and Grit.
Heart represents values based leadership: empathy, integrity, courage, and the ability to genuinely connect with people. It is the foundation of trust, culture, and influence.
Grit is the capacity to endure, adapt, and lead through adversity — to stay the course when pressure is high, outcomes are uncertain, and the path forward is uncomfortable.
Together, Heart and Grit form an unstoppable leadership and competitive advantage.
Decades of experience accompanied by organisational and people insight (found in the hardest of places) provide the foundation for Diana’s keynote.
It explains why the greatest transformational change, and winning, only comes when leaders lead with their heart and have the necessary amount of grit to go the distance.
Video
Diana Taylor: Leadership - Focusing on What Matters
A successful lawyer, Diana now operates a thriving consultancy business, specialising in workplace relations and governance, with a keen interest in sport. Through a Q & A session, Diana will talk about her career and leadership journey.PROPped by the Bar - EP10 - Special guest, Diana Taylor, Chair of Geelong Authority
In this episode of PROPped by the Bar we meet Diana Taylor, Chair of the Geelong Authority plus vice-president of Geelong Football Club. A successful Geelong businesswoman, Diana talks in-depth with Gareth and Michael about the role of the Geelong Authority in leading Geelong's future development, Geelong Football Club plus lots more. There's also a market-update that has some interesting property statistics that will knock your socks off! Don't miss this informative episode.Diana is an exceptional speaker who is able to draw on a vast array of experiences backed up by intimate knowledge of elite sport, legal decision making and significant community programs co ... keep reading Geelong Football Club
Diana has a confident, assertive and inclusive speaking style when presenting to senior operational and corporate leaders and has the ability to read the room and make adjustments in the moment to engage with participants and to enable input and full participation. Diana’s deep subject matter expertise, delivery and approach has fulfilled the FRV brief and the relevant strategic objectives and outcomes for the workshops.
Diana speaks from the heart and is an inspiring and engaging speaker. Her very personal style makes it feel like she is having a direct conversation with you. Diana's core beliefs, experience and values cross over into business, not-for-profits, and the sporting community. She leaves you with a sense of empowerment.
Over many years I've had the honour of hearing Diana Taylor speak on diverse topics at significant events. As a speaker, Diana is engaging, thought-provoking and extremely-well researched. In 2020, Diana was the Committee for Geelong's keynote speaker at our International Women's Day event. The audience was in awe of her deep experience, authenticity and passion for equity in our community. Diana's opinions are in high demand as a well-respected, award-winning executive and not for profit Board Director.
Diana understands what her audience wants from the presentation: an understanding of their key drivers, clear guidance to inform their ideas and new ways of looking at their opportunities.
By sharing her experiences and what she has learnt over many years, Diana was clearly able to articulate strategies that can be applied to succeed in both a personal and business sense. I highly recommend Diana for your next event as an authentic guest speaker who can capture the room and deliver a thought-provoking presentation that everyone can relate to.
Our event benefited greatly from Diana’s expertise and passion for the greater Geelong region. She brings a warmth in her delivery of her message that stems from her experience with engaging with people from all walks of life. I look forward to having Diana speak at a future UDIA Victoria event.
Diana spoke meaningfully about the importance of finding a personal definition of ‘community’, and how an enduring commitment to that notion can assist us all in our personal and professional pursuits to build meaningful and impactful lives. Diana spoke with a great intuitive sense as she engaged with our audience, such that irrespective of age or gender, her words carried great impact and encouragement for all.
