Ali Ahmadi is a resilience and leadership speaker who understands what it takes to navigate change and lead through uncertainty.

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A TEDx speaker and award-winning communicator, Ali was a finalist for 2024 Speaker of the Year and named 2025 Impromptu Speaker of the Year in South Australia. Drawing on his journey from being smuggled out of Iran to leading teams in Australia’s water sector, he has a unique ability to shift perspective and offer practical insight through storytelling and combining his expriences as a refugee, engineering and director and salsa dancing.    

 

Over the past six years, Ali has spoken to thousands of people across Australia and beyond, helping clients including the Australian Water Association, the Department of Treasury and Finance, and Water Corporation navigate change with clarity and confidence.

 

Off the stage, Ali is a respected professional in the water sector and currently Manager of Planning and Strategy at GMB Water. He also serves as a Board Director with the Australian Refugee Association. These roles keep his insights firmly grounded in real-world leadership and the challenges that teams face every day, ensuring audiences leave with a clearer internal compass and the courage to take their next step forward.

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