Cracking the Generational Code
Lachie Smart is a world record pilot, award-winning adventurer, and recipient two keys to two different cities. Although he is still trying to figure out what they unlock, he thinks they look quite nice on the shelf. As the CEO of Smartline Medical, Lachie has steered the company through the complexities of the MedTech world, including through the COVID-19 pandemic. But his solo flight around the world laid the foundation for tackling the even bigger challenges he faces today.
At just 18, Lachie became the youngest person to fly solo around the world in a single-engine aircraft. The journey took 2.5 years of careful planning, 54 days of flying, and no shortage of "Are you sure about this?" moments. While overcoming storms, fundraising half a million dollars, and narrowly avoiding a few sticky international situations, Lachie began expanding his understanding of personal and collective capability—proving that age is no barrier to achieving incredible things together. For his efforts, he was awarded the Australian Geographic Spirit of Adventure Award and handed two keys to the city.
Since then, Lachie has focused on solving a bigger problem: helping people utilise generations as an asset, not a limitation. He’s committed to bridging the gap between generations in leadership and fostering collaboration between emerging talent and seasoned professionals. His clients, including McDonald’s, Colgate-Palmolive, Salesforce, and QBE, have sought him out to develop their next generation of leaders - no cheesy clichés or trust falls required.
After training in the USA as a professional speaker and entertainer, Lachie returned to Australia in 2018 with a mission to equip organizations with the tools they need to nurture leadership across all generations. Whether piloting planes or tackling business challenges, Lachie’s on-stage presentations prove that with the right mindset and leadership approach, even the boldest goals can be achieved—no matter the generations of your team.
Talking Points
Vinyl to Virtual
Have you ever found yourself explaining TikTok to someone who thinks "tweeting" involves birds, or sharing why you believe the 80s was an unforgettable era? For the first time in history, we have FIVE distinct generations in the workplace simultaneously, each with our own unique lens shaped by the context of our experiences. Technology, culture, and communication evolve rapidly, and these differing contexts influence how each generation sees and interacts with the world. In this high-energy (and hilarious) session, Lachie dives into what makes generations tick. Explore how differences in values, entitlement, communication, and resilience can lead to friction—but also how they can drive innovation and engagement. Discover how to bridge the gaps, harness diverse perspectives, and turn generational differences into performance boosters.
Vinyl to Virtual
Leaders of Tomorrow
The Future Leaders Keynote is an engaging and impactful presentation delivered by Lachie Smart, a record-breaking pilot, MedTech CEO and leadership development speaker. In this keynote, Lachie introduces emerging leaders to the VESPA Framework, a simple yet powerful system for developing vision, direction, and energy as a leader. Through captivating stories backed by real-world data, Lachie breaks down the complexities of leadership into actionable steps, inspiring the audience to clarify their values and goals, build strategic plans, and embrace essential skills like fostering a positive culture, effective communication, and responsible use of technology. Designed to energize and empower, this keynote leaves future leaders equipped with practical takeaways and the confidence to lead with impact.
Leaders of Tomorrow
Navigating Tomorrow
This session is tailored for those managing, leading, and developing emerging talent, focusing on strategies to harness the strengths of a multigenerational workforce. Each new generation is different, but technology has exploded these differences to unprecedented levels. Though Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha seem radically different from previous generations, they are incredibly effective when managed well. Lachie Smart, who flew solo around the world to inspire and equip young people, is uniquely qualified to guide this process. Drawing on this experience and his role as CEO of a MedTech company, Lachie delivers practical strategies for fostering collaboration and communication, dealing with entitlement, and creating a resilient workplace culture.
Navigating Tomorrow
Video
Demo Reel - Schools
Lachie Smart is a world record pilot and keynote speaker based in Australia. In 2016 he became the youngest pilot to fly solo round the world in an effort to create a social movement redefining the limits of the next generation. Since then, Lachie has shared his story with millions around the world through in person presentations and media appearances. As an expert in youth leadership development and intergenerational management, Lachie is regularly called in to present to large and small corporations, schools and conferences.18 year old breaks Guinness World Record for solo flight around world
After 7 weeks, 15 countries and 45,000km, this is the moment Lachlan Smart touched down to claim the Guinness World Record as the youngest person to fly solo around the world in a single engine aircraft. Bravo Lachie! The Sunshine Coast is proud of you.Embrace The Crazy | Lachlan Smart | TEDxGlasshouseChristianCollege
Queensland teenage pilot Lachlan Smart has become the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe solo in a single-engine plane. Queensland teenage pilot Lachlan Smart has become the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe solo in a single-engine plane.Riveted! That be the one term that best explains the response from the South Burnett Country Fair audience, listening to Lachie Smart present his adventures around the world. Amazed, is how ... keep reading BURNETT COUNTRY FAIR
Lachie is one of the best speakers that we have had at our events. He does an amazing job engaging a crowd of several thousand people, yet still connecting his message personally with each person in the audience. His sessions are the perfect mix of inspiration, information and enjoyment. We have found Lachie to be a true professional and always wonderful to deal with.
An absolute treat. Story and presenting skills are so dialled in.
5 Stars. Our team were thoroughly engaged and walked away with some great learnings from his experience.
One of those ‘so glad I was there’ moments. Thank you Lachie, for this excellent presentation as part of our business leaders forum today.
