Peter Laughter

Storyteller – Speaker – Leveraging the power of narrative to drive change and humanize business by transforming the way we connect with talent

Humility is a great teacher.

Humility earned through arrogance is painful but nonetheless effective. I know this from experience.

As a leader of a recruiting firm, I was controlling, untrusting, and frightened. My behavior nearly cost me everything. Yet through a pivotal experience on a non-profit board, I witnessed something transformative: the power of collaborative leadership and conflict resolution.

We achieved outcomes no single faction could have accomplished alone. By listening to detractors not to convince but to understand, we turned critics into collaborators.

This lesson hit home when one of my employees challenged my boneheaded response to a crisis. Her simpler approach, which I resisted, proved far more effective. In that moment, theory collided with reality, showing me that intellectual understanding alone is never enough.

Leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about creating conditions where great ideas thrive and others can step into leadership.

Today, as a keynote speaker and leadership transformation raconteur, I bridge the gap between organizational theory and practical implementation. Through award-winning storytelling as a three-time Moth Story Slam winner and TEDx speaker and evidence-based insights, I help executives navigate disruption by showing how leaders can:

Release the shackles of command-and-control
Access collective wisdom of their teams
Transform culture to thrive in rapid change

The stakes are immense:

77 percent of employees worldwide are disengaged, representing untapped potential
70 percent of digital transformations fail, wasting billions in lost innovation
Traditional leadership models cannot keep pace with AI-driven change, leaving teams struggling to adapt

All of this happens against the backdrop of a world on fire, where crises demand collaboration but we remain divided.

Organizations that embrace Abundant Leadership, where authority is distributed and decisions happen closer to the front lines, can:

Reduce overhead by 40 percent
Ramp up productivity
Drive sustainable innovation amid chaos

When collaboration becomes part of how we work, it spreads to our families, communities, and institutions, and eventually their politics ushering a better world for us all.

If you resonate with these ideas and want to explore how theory can become transformative reality in your organization, I would love to connect. Message me or copy this link to put your date on hold: peterlaughter.com/date-hold/

#LeadershipTransformation #FutureOfWork #OrganizationalChange #Innovation #Leadership #ExecutiveSpeaker

Founder & Talent Pied Piper

For two thirds of us, works sucks. It’s no wonder the world is in such bad shape – most of us spend a huge part of our waking lives doing something we barely tolerate. It doesn’t need to be this way. After 25 years in recruitment, I have an uncommon understanding of the psychology of hiring. What’s more, I know that your future is not dictated by your past. I love opening up joyous opportunities for people’s careers and helping them transition from a place of purpose and deep understanding.

KRISTINE BELL CUSTOMER STRATEGY (& SPARKIT)

Kristine's experience includes working on a variety of highly strategic projects for both international and local food and beverage manufacturers, health and well-being service brands, beauty providers, financial institutions, automotive, retailers, tourism and travel organisations and technology companies.

Examples of results:

- Discovery of deep insights into women’s relationship with their own beauty and beauty enhancing services, leading to a new & empowering brand positioning for the client.

- Development of a ‘trust’ framework, exploring and identifying all the key elements to building trust with consumers, from the company ethos down to ensuring every message is on brand.

-Assessment and refinement of a range of new product/meal solutions, market gaps and blue sky ideas, stimulated by food trends insights and consumer co-creation workshops.

- Training & coaching startups and small businesses in how to do their own market research and customer strategies and solutions in their business.

FOUNDER: CUSTOMER STRATEGY DIRECTOR

UNSW Business School

I am excited to have accepted casual employment with UNSW Business School teaching and tutoring 'Collaboration & Innovation' workshop classes for the 2nd term. 

In my long career in agency world and as a business owner, I have always loved teaching, up-skilling and empowering others to be their best in their job and business.

I can't wait to support 45+ students in the Innovation process, guiding them on how to successfully develop a new product/service offer from scratch, drawing on the Double Diamond Design Model which has four critical Innovation stages: Discovery, Definition, Development, and Delivery.

Casual Teacher, Facilitator and Tutor at UNSW Business School

Fishburners

For the last 1.5 years + I have the pleasure of being a mentor at Fishburners co-working community, supporting startups and founders looking to grow and scale their businesses. 

Since May 2024 I have been a mentor with Fishburners and Westpac Accelerator program (The Ascent Project) for female founders looking to grow and scale their business.

I have also had the wonderful opportunity to collaborate, co-create and co-facilitate a session for the full group of 16 Founders on the Ascent Project on developing a compelling, unique and emotionally engaging Value Proposition and Brand Strategy.

Fishburners & Westpac Accelerator program

GALKAL

Responsibilities: 
Strategic client and project leadership, developing powerful insight-driven customer strategies, client growth and management, new business development, facilitation of consumer and stakeholder research and client ideation workshops, work with different internal and external client teams to implement insights into business, line-management, staff mentoring and training sessions including ‘from insight to brand/message proposition’ and Qualitative Research 101

Businesses worked with: Unilever, Westpac, GSK, Johnson & Johnson, UNICEF, Birch & Waite, GSK and more…

Examples of results:
- Identification of a number of opportunities across channels and shoppers to drive business growth for a global household good manufacturer incl. valuable shopper intelligence to guide optimisation of below the line activation plans, point of purchase strategy, channel strategy and path to purchase strategy through category thought leadership

- Clear guidelines on how to grow ongoing supporter base and increasing supporter loyalty (retention) for a non-for-profit organisation by uncovering a number of insights that inspired a compelling and effective communication strategy

- Facilitated introductions to L'Oréal (Singapore), GSK Australia, Samsung Frucor, and bringing in new business, positively impacting billings.

STRATEGIC QUALITATIVE RESEARCH DIRECTOR

NextStep Research & Strategy

Responsibilities: Client acquisition and relationship building, Strategic project leadership, Customer Strategy recommendations, facilitation of consumer and stakeholder workshops and research

Businesses I worked with: Unilever (directly) and Lion Dairy & Drinks and Westpac (in collaboration with agencies)

Results: Optimised advertising strategy, a tailored customer strategy and new product development

CUSTOMER STRATEGY AND INSIGHT DIRECTOR

Bread & Butter Research & Strategy

Responsibilities: 
Strategic client and project leadership, developing powerful insight-driven customer strategies, client management, identifying and developing new business opportunities, IP development, facilitation of consumer and stakeholder research and ideation workshops.

Businesses worked with: GSK, Lion Dairy & Drinks, Lion Nathan, Unilever (local and international), YUM!, Fonterra, Nestle and more.

Examples of results:
- Exploration of consumers relationship and journey with cheese, identifying how to grow consumers consumption and love of cheese by leveraging 3 powerful cheese brands in the Australian market.
- Developing and facilitating a creative ideation workshop with key stakeholder in the Asian post shampoo market, identifying ore than 10 innovative product ideas and propositions (and claims), based on powerful consumer insights, new technology, perfume trends etc. allowing the brand to claim leadership in the category in Asia.
- Clear guidelines on how to grow a Cold & Flu brand in the future and specifically via the pharmacy channel.

STRATEGIC RESEARCH DIRECTOR

The Leading Edge

Responsibilities: 
Strategic client and project leadership, developing powerful insight-driven customer strategies, client growth and management, facilitation of consumer and stakeholder research and client ideation workshops, work with different internal and external shareholders to implement insights into business, creative brief writing for KFC advertising, develop and facilitate innovation workshops for clients, line management and mentoring/training staff in best qualitative research and customer strategy practices. I also spent 2-3 months in TLE’s office in Singapore, servicing clients across Asia.

Businesses worked with: Qualitative lead on KFC / YUM! (TLE’s biggest client at the time) for over 2 years, GSK (local and international), VISA, St. George, Colgate Palmolive Dyson, Woolworths and more.

Examples of results:
- Bringing over AUD$40,000 in profit per month.
- Developing training tools and running training courses internally to staff in qual research and ‘hands on’ mentoring and coaching in all aspects of qualitative research.
- Facilitating client workshops with a focus on innovation and NPD development for key clients.
- Identifying key consumer insights into how best to communicate 'fresh' in the world of fast food and co-authoring the creative brief.
- Developing a new brand positioning for a prominent restaurant group in the Philippines.

STRATEGIC QUALITATIVE RESEARCH CONSULTANT

Simpson Carpenter Ltd

As a senior qualitative researcher on the Retail & Consumer team, my responsibilities involved consulting clients on insights and implications on their customer strategy, conduct and manage research projects from start to finish as well as developing younger staff. I worked on projects in the UK, Europe, USA and Asia. 

Clients included Tesco, Boots, Liberty, Diageo/BAA, SKY, Debenhams, Energizer and Nokia

SENIOR QUALITATIVE SPECIALIST

Ergo ID

Ergo is an established innovation consultancy based in London. As a strategic planner and researcher, my responsibilities included: 
- NPD, Brand and communication strategy development 
- Creative brief development and liaising with creative team throughout the process 
- Managing local and international research projects including consulting clients, designing research solutions and carrying out qualitative research 
- Design and co-run client workshops 

In this role I also worked on a number of projects across a number of countries and categories, including the UK, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Russia, Holland, Belgium for clients such as Dandy (now Cadbury’s), Carlsberg, Coco Cola and Swedish Match.

STRATEGIC PLANNER AND RESEARCHER

Euro RSCG

During my time working as a Strategist, I developed and wrote Creative Briefs, ensuring it delivered a single-minded promise that delivered to the overall objective of the advertising strategy as well as being founded in a rich customer insight.

STRATEGIC PLANNER

Heart-centered Strategist | Customer Strategy, Brand Strategy, Messaging & Market Research | Consulting, Co-creation & Skill-building | Register for Free Strategy Session below

I help business owners, founders and entrepreneurs ignite brand & business growth by aligning their Unique Value Proposition with the motivations of their ideal customers. 

This includes clarifying, simplifying and bringing their vision, purpose and competitive edge to life in their offer, brand positioning, message promise and customer experience in a compelling and memorable manner.

Having a 1-Pager umbrella Customer Strategy Blueprint ensures your offer and marketing tell the same story across all the executional elements.

This is the key to building meaningful customer connections, having greater impact, memorability and persuasion power. Ultimately enabling you to convert more sales with ease and joy.

I also offer one-off co-creation sessions to clients including a Marketing Strategy & Market Research soundboard session, an Effective Messaging that Connects session and a Rediscover your Superpower session.

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BIG BUSINESS & BRAND OFFER

I continue to work with large companies and brands, helping them gain rich insights into their target groups and identify deep insights, human-centered strategies and new growth opportunities.

My offer includes start-to-finish 'qualitative in-depth research, strategic insights and recommendations.

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I have  25 years experience as a Customer Strategist & Market Researcher, working internationally as Insight Specialist and Strategist in Advertising, Branding & Innovation and Market Research.

I have extensive experience across a wide range of sectors incl. business-to-consumer and business-to-business, both internationally and in Australia.

Specialities include:
- Business vision, purpose and mission.
- Market opportunity scoping. 
- Motivational Target Market Mapping & Strategy.
- Unique Value Proposition development.
- Product and service innovation.
- Brand positioning, identity and personality.
- Customer decision journey mapping.
- Customer experience optimisation..
- Communication strategy, message promise and creative brief development.

Website: www.sparkit-insights.com

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Peter Laughter

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