Naomi Simson

For 25 years, Naomi has been bringing people together, whether it’s with her experience, businesses, her speaking or writing. She is a strong advocate for business owners. Known as an entrepreneur and business leader, following the growth of RedBalloon, which she founded in 2001, Naomi co-founded the Big Red Group (BRG) in 2017. Naomi had a corporate career with Apple, KPMG, IBM and Ansett Australia prior to becoming an entrepreneur. She is a prolific blogger, podcaster and business commentator, and appeared as the #RedShark in four seasons of Shark Tank Australia. She is a non-executive director at Big Red Group, Australian Payments Plus, Colonial First State and Weebit Nano as well as the Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation, the University of Melbourne’s Business and Economics Faculty, and is on the Advisory Board of UTS. A true business leader and influencer, with more than 2.6 million LinkedIn followers, Naomi's gift is my ability to share insights, experience and observations about business, innovation and success. She has authored two best-selling books, Live What You Love, and Ready to Soar, and is an engaging, humorous and insightful speaker. She has four seasons of her podcast – Handpicked. Naomi is relatable across a wide variety of audiences and topics, often drawing on her personal experiences to provide thoughtful and valuable views into topics, including customer obsession, intentional leadership, growth mindset, and personal development. In 2026, Naomi was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for service to business as an entrepreneur and to leadership.