Taylor Dee Hawkins is Managing Director of Foundations for Tomorrow, a non-partisan NFP with the mission of future-proofing Australia’s interests and advancing the consideration of the interests of future generations in government and industry decision-making.
In 2021, Foundations for Tomorrow conducted Australia’s largest consultation run by and for youth, to identify the requirements to create a more just, equitable and sustainable future.
Current Work:
Taylor also runs her own strategic consultancy and leadership development business, Future Frontiers Group. As an experienced speaker and facilitator, Taylor has designed and delivered leadership development programs for international organisations such as Ernst and Young, Google, CSIRO, Salesforce and Adidas, was recognised in Smart Company’s 30 under 30 and has been trained by former US Vice President Al Gore as a Climate Reality Leader.
Taylor also holds several leadership roles within the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community, including sitting on the Global Advisory Council for the 13,000+ community, being a member of The Davos Lab Taskforce, co-leading the Next Generation ESG pillar, and sitting on the Board of Directors for the Global Shapers Community Australia Ltd. She has also been invited as one of 50 young leaders to attend the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos in 2022.
Taylor has been recognised in Smart Company’s 30 under 30 and as a ‘Young Woman to Watch in International Affairs’, is a Foundation for Young Australians Young Social Pioneer, is part of the Australia-ASEAN Emerging Leaders Program, is a Non-Executive Director for High Resolves Australia and has been trained by former US Vice President Al Gore as a Climate Reality Leader.
Taylor represented DFAT’s Australian Youth for International Climate Engagement working group at COP26 in Glasgow and will also be attending Stockholm+50 to deliver the outputs of a leadership accelerator that was developed with the Office of the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales.
Talking Points
Our Present’s Future
The nature of our present-day leadership defines the reality of our future. We are faced with the opportunity to get to work on reflecting, understanding and acting to create a better future for us all. Based on her consultation and coaching with leaders across government and industry, Taylor shares ways to create lasting leadership legacies that we can be proud of.Our Present’s Future
Who this is for: This talk can be adjusted based on the audience but would be best suited to those aspiring to or currently in leadership roles. This may range from emerging young leaders to corporate executives.
Key Takeaways:
- Understanding what is the ‘climate’ of our leadership, and how does this create our legacy.
- Understanding the requirements for a more prosperous future; equity, intergenerational and intersectional collaboration and audacious approaches.
- Practicing the art of balancing deeply human and authentic leadership with the resilience and tenacity needed to overcome today's challenges.
Audacious Leadership
In a time of crisis, we have no choice but to be audacious enough to believe that we can create a better future. So, how do we define and refine this audacity to enable us to be proactive and productive agents for a better future? Using her personal leadership experiences, research and work with leaders around the world, Taylor unpacks the tools of ‘audacious leadership’ and how leaders can embed them in their own leadership.Audacious Leadership
Who this is for: This talk can be adjusted based on the audience but would be best suited to those aspiring to or currently in leadership roles. This may range from emerging young leaders to corporate executives.
Key Takeaways:
- The guardrails of audacity: authenticity & accountability
- Self-awareness & starting with ourselves as the foundations for audacious leadership
- The essential role of creativity, coordination and coherence in changing the world
History Repeats Itself, What Will We Learn this Time Around?
This is not the first time that our world has faced such expansive and wicked challenges. And, it likely won’t be the last. So, what are we going to do about it? Do we try to design from scratch, or pause and take a moment to learn from our history to create a better future? In this talk, Taylor unpacks the biggest innovation challenge of our time and highlights the potential path forward. History Repeats Itself, What Will We Learn this Time Around?
Who this is for: This talk can be adjusted based on the audience but would be best suited to those aspiring to or currently in leadership roles. This may range from emerging young leaders to corporate executives.
Key Takeaways:
- History & philosophy: the quality of lives across space and time and how this has influenced how we make decisions.
- A movement gaining momentum: Intergenerational policy and leading practice around the world.
- A guide for implementation: how to embed this evolving knowledge into all sectors and decision-making processes.
Video
Taylor Dee Hawkins | Banking & Finance Oath Keynote | Saxton Speakers
I invited Taylor to facilitate an interactive dialogue between world-class CEOs (members of the CEO Climate Alliance) and members of several global youth communities (including the Global Sh ... keep reading Global Shapers
Taylor presented a workshop to members of my cohort in late 2021. Despite there being a range of ages, she created a welcoming environment where all felt comfortable to participate. She is a calm and passionate presenter, speaking confidently to her content. Taylor struck the perfect balance between lecture style content and tailored activities that met the cohort where they were at, giving practical and tangible learnings which the participants continued to use after the session. In the lead up, Taylor was organised, easy to communicate with and all around delightful. I would love to work with her again, and couldnt recommend her more highly.
After a recommendation from a senior leader in financial services, Taylor was invited to speak as the keynote speaker at The Banking and Finance Oath’s (The BFO) Young Ambassador Awards evening in June 2021. Taylor was invited to speak about the role young people can play in driving positive change, thus contributing to a more just society. Taylor also provided great inspiration to those young ambassadors who - as apart of the 12-month Young Ambassador Program - are charged with raising awareness of the importance of ethics, self-reflection and individual accountability in financial services. Taylor was an engaging, authentic and passionate speaker and connected with her audience. Taylor quickly understood the purpose of The BFO and nailed the brief after just one discussion and remained in contact with us to keep us across the research and great work she was carrying out with Foundations of Tomorrow.
Taylor is an extremely talented, dynamic and an engaging presenter, speaker and facilitator. She has an incredible ability to make sure everyone she speaks with is heard, safe & seen. I’ve been very lucky to have Taylor as a facilitator for Flourish Girl for a few years now and she has been a positive role model to so many young women across Australia. Her deep care & passion for people is shown in the way that she speaks and listens to her audience. She is a big believer in meeting the audience with where they are at. Her wisdom is beyond measure and consistently goes above and beyond to share her latest opinions on important topics such as feminine leadership, international climate engagements & future interests of Australia. So many leaders & well established organisations can learn so much from Taylor.
We had Taylor co-host a 3 Day conference earlier this year. She had a strong willingness to assist with preparations leading into the conference with a deep focus on attendees and their experience. Throughout the 3 days, Taylor was incredibly engaging, professional and supportive, going above and beyond to serve every attendee. We will definitely utilise Taylor’s hosting expertise at our future conferences.
Taylor was incredibly professional, well-spoken and a wonderful addition to our conference program!
