ABOUT GILLY  (AKA THE FEARLESS COOK™)

Gilly is an inspirational award winning speaker who presents keynotes and breakout workshops at conferences, coaches executives, and writes about the key ingredients for success in today’s world.

Born in England, Gilly has led a colourful life with many ups and downs. Having been considered a failure by some of her teachers, she left school early yet gained the prestigious Cordon Bleu Diploma at the tender age of 17.

She cooked up a storm across Europe and North America before being approached by Rosemary Hume, founder of the London Le Cordon Bleu, to become a senior instructor at the school at only 22 years of age. Gilly thrived with this teaching and leadership challenge. She also enjoyed helping and supporting others.

Always following her intuition it wasn’t long before Gilly became a personal chef for the rich and famous. This included cooking for a multi-millionaire at his villa in France and on board one of his two Superyachts based in the Mediterranean. She also cooked for actress Diana Rigg. Whilst living in France Gilly became a ski instructor, however, a subsequent ski accident put an end to both ski instructing and cooking professionally.

As this chapter closed the next opened in the Far East as Gilly became a very successful property sales consultant in Tokyo, Japan. Always possessing a passion for helping others led Gilly to move out of property to join the largest transformational training company in Japan and Asia.

Gilly’s move to New Zealand in 1987 coincided with the famous October Black Monday sharemarket crash – Great timing! Already recruited (from Japan) as the Asia Pacific Marketing manager for NZ commercial real estate company Bayleys, she was made redundant exactly a year later due to the recession. She saw this as a blessing as she then decided to continue her leadership development consulting and formed a business with a colleague from her Tokyo days.

Ten years later 1997 proved to be a defining year for Gilly. On an R&D trip to the USA she learned about the principle-based approach to change. This health-based approach to human psychology had a positively profound effect on Gilly both personally and professionally. Her intuition told her it was time for another change so she formed a new company specifically to take this approach to corporate clients in New Zealand and internationally.

A healthy state of mind is the precursor for people to have genuine insights. Furthermore insights are the all-important precursor to breakthroughs. Over the years Gilly has taken the principle-based approach to a diverse range of people and companies. She believes that now, more than ever, the business world needs breakthroughs and this is achieved with insights that come from calm, quiet and healthy states of mind. Understanding the principles enables people to attain those quiet healthy states of mind.

Gilly is the winner of the NSANZ ‘Bright Star’ Award 2011 which recognises a member of the Auckland Chapter who shines on platform and exemplifies the ethics and qualities of the speaking profession.