Leo Burnett Sydney CEO Todd Sampson to head PrintEx11 Forum sessions in Sydney on May 5

March 23 2011, 3:06 pm | BY Lynchy | 29 Comments

Sampson Todd NEW.JPGTodd Sampson, CEO of Leo Burnett, Sydney and regular on the hit ABC show The Gruen Transfer as well as Ten’s 7pm Project, is to be keynote speaker at one of PrintEx11 Forum Series sessions, on Thursday 5 May 2011 at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour.

At this Forum session, he will lay down a challenge to the industry at the forum, with the topic “Creativity & Innovation – the Destiny Makers”.

Sampson has been ranked as the most influential advertising executive in Australia by the Financial Review and is widely recognised as one of the sharpest strategists in the creative advertising industry in this country.

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As a speaker, he is widely acknowledged for his friendly, down to earth and engaging style, with audiences appreciating the way he inspires while also demonstrating how to turn ideas into executable outcomes.

It’s an approach which he follows in his own life, which has seen him climb to the top of Australia’s advertising industry in his career, as well as complete an unguided ascent of Mt Everest while pursuing one of his other great loves, mountain climbing.

His accolades include the coveted Titanium Lion at Cannes and B&T’s Creative Campaign of the Year in Australia in 2008, being named one of the most influential men under 45 by Men’s Style magazine and a nomination for GQ’s Man of the Year.

As well as these achievements, Todd – who was born in Canada but is now a proud Australian living with his family in Bondi – is the co-founder of Earth Hour which is recognised as one of the world’s ‘best ever’ ideas and, with more than 1 billion people taking part in 2009, one of the as the biggest environmental movement in history.

Creativity, Todd says, is one of the last remaining competitive advantages companies have today. The presentation at the PrintEx11 Forum will be a celebration of the power of creativity in solving any problem – big, small, social, political, economic or environmental.

The presentation is based on Todd’s real life experience and explores innovative ideas, cultural change and problem solving. It weaves together true stories about the creation of Earth Hour, being CEO of a leading company and even climbing Mount Everest unguided, delivering a wealth of practical advice in Todd’s characteristic, plain-speaking way.

“It works form the premise that creativity has the power to change the world, but fear has the power to stop that from happening,” he says. “The most successful leaders and organisations of the future will be the ones that can successfully balance both.”

Print, which has been the core tool of communications for centuries, is built on creativity – yet with digital and environmental developments now reshaping this, the industry has found itself challenged by that very same thing.

“We are delighted to have secured Todd to address this important issue at the Thursday Forum,” says Printing Industries’ Joe Kowalewski, who is co-ordinating the Forum Series.

“With his sharp insight and engaging style, this forum is sure to provide plenty of food for thought for a wide range of delegates from those involved in the advertising and creative industries, through to print service providers themselves.”

Attendance at this Forum, and other sessions in the series, iscompletely free of charge to PrintEx11 delegates. For more informationon the PrintEx11 Forum Series, to register for PrintEx11 and to bookyour place at any of the Forums, click here.