Define your purpose, perfect your craft, focus on your experience
Matt Jones is one of Australia's leading strategists and storytellers when it comes to the intersections of brand, business, leadership, experience, culture, technology, human behaviour and storytelling.
Matt has an eclectic background, combining economics, politics, brand experience and gin.
As one of three co-founders and the brand brains behind Four Pillars, Matt Jones connects the dots between brand and purpose theory and gritty business and delivery reality.
His storytelling is insightful, engaging, energising and (perhaps most important) highly relatable to all kinds of businesses.
Matt is obsessed with sport, food, photography, wine, film, travel, politics, fiction, architecture, technology, design, hotels, ideas, experiences, cinema, contemporary art, human behaviour, ideas and (yes) gin.
He works in, speaks about, and connects the dots, between all of the above areas and is a former panellist on The Gruen Transfer.
In December 2013, he was one of three founders to launch Four Pillars Gin, which quickly became the number-one-selling craft spirit in Australia. Four Pillars Gin is an overnight small business success story five years in the making.
Previous experience:
From 2001 to 2005, Matt was Chief Political Adviser to the UK Conservative Party (the youngest person in the party's history to hold that role).
In 2006, Matt moved from politics into the brand experience, first in Sydney and then in New York City, as Jack Morton World wides first chief creative and strategy officer.
Between 2006 and 2012, Matt became one of the world's most influential thinkers in the emerging world of brand experience, helping brands like IBM, Microsoft, Qantas, Sony, Samsung and Volkswagen navigate their way in a new era of socially-connected consumers and experience-led brand building.
In 2012, Matt founded his own consultancy, focused on applying creative strategy, storytelling and experience design to brand and business challenges for corporate, craft, start-up and social businesses.
Talking Points
Lessons from Gin
In this keynote, Matt shares the lessons captured in his best-selling book, Lessons From Gin. Matt deliberately leans into the unlikely source of his lessons for business…the world of gin…telling colourful stories about a decade of building the world’s leading craft gin business and connecting those stories with tangible lessons for businesses and organisations of all kinds. From large corporate clients and audiences to small businesses and entrepreneurs to not-for-profit events and communities, Matt’s storytelling combines energising and inspiring case studies with actionable and insightful takeaways and tools. Lessons from Gin
Like his book, this keynote touches on the four key elements to building, scaling or interrogating a business or organisation of any size or maturity: THINKING (defining purpose and creating clarity), CRAFTING (placing expertise and excellence at the heart of your organisation), SHARING (navigating the complex modern marketing landscape and telling your story with impact) and GROWING (adapting to the ever-changing operating environment with resilience and creativity).
Deeper Lessons from Gin
DEEP DIVE No.1_ Purposeful decision making:Deeper Lessons from Gin
Matt can adapt his keynotes to focus on areas of particular interest and value to his audiences. Here he deep dives into the importance of purpose, and the role of purpose in helping to navigate the rapid decision-making requirements of modern business and leadership. Matt believes that business and leadership comes down to the ability to make, communicate and deliver on multiple decisions at speed. This deep dive topic is of particular value to entrepreneurs, business owners and senior leaders.
DEEP DIVE No.2_What’s your craft?:
Here Matt deep dives into the idea of craft, helping his audience reflect on their secret sauce, their source of differentiating value creation. This deep dive topic is really powerful when looking to reinforce behaviours amongst an expert practitioner audience.
DEEP DIVE No.3_Brand is bias:
Matt entered the world of brand officially in 2006, but prior to his global experience as a brand agency leader he worked in politics and political strategy from 2001. In this keynote, Matt takes a deep dive into what brand really is (positive bias) and shares his 20+ years of experience into what it takes to build meaning and identity into any kind of business, organisation, team or cause. This deep dive topic can be adapted for both experienced brand and marketing audiences (offering them a fresh and unique perspective) and for generalist, non-expert audiences who need to understand how to think more clearly about the role of brand to help drive their growth.
DEEP DIVE No.4_The power of storytelling & the power of experiences:
Two of the most consistently powerful tools Matt has drawn on in his career have been storytelling and experience design. In this deep dive, Matt shows how to master these tools in any profession. Matt has taught storytelling to MBA students and management consultants, and has consulted on experience design to supermarkets and airlines.
DEEP DIVE No.5_Navigating growth and change:
Matt believes two things can be true at once. Great businesses stay true to a timeless sense of their purpose and craft. And great businesses are able to adept and pivot, navigating growth and change with agility and creativity. But how do you know which to do, when? In this deep dive, Matt gives leaders, owners and entrepreneurs the tools to reflect on the changes and challengers they face.
DEEP DIVE No.6_Curiosity, culture, community:
If all of business is just decision-making, Matt believes all of business is also just people. For a decade, Four Pillars built a business based on an extraordinary internal culture driven by creativity, and valuing a passionate external customer community, both fuelling each other. In this deep dive, Matt looks at what it takes to build a creative, curious, customer-loving internal culture. And what it takes to leverage internal culture to build a passionate, external customer community.
In Conversation with Matt Jones
Ask Matt Anything!In Conversation with Matt Jones
From his professional background as a strategist and facilitator to his experience as a podcaster and storyteller, Matt is a hugely engaging and intelligent conversationalist about business and growth. Matt works with his clients to tailor a bespoke ‘in conversation’ session that can combine fireside chat with ‘ask me anything’ opportunities for the audience. The result is candour, intimacy and a truly unique experience and conversation.
MC with Business Benefits
Matt has one of the fastest and sharpest minds in the business. With a professional background as a creative strategist and a huge capacity to make sense of content and ideas in real time, Matt brings a unique set of skills to facilitating conferences, summits and events. Matt’s style and abilities particularly suits events with manager, leader or owner audiences, where there are clear thematic threads to be pulled through across the day or days. Over the past decade, Matt has been the MC of choice for one of Asia’s fastest-growing insurance providers, FWD, facilitating their annual leadership summits. Matt takes a hands-on role working with the internal business team to help develop the content flow and add bespoke value. He is now offering this service more broadly through Saxton.
MC with Business Benefits
Beyond the Stage
Matt’s keynotes have a tendency to leave audiences wanting more. For those audiences he leaves thirsty (i.e. all of them) Matt can help support Four Pillars Gin tasting and drinks experiences to provide a seamless flow from business sessions to social programs. For those audiences who want to deep dive into his approach to business and brand growth, Matt offers tailored brand growth coaching through his growth partnership, Think Story Experience.
Beyond the Stage
Video
Matt Jones | Lessons From Gin | Saxton Speakers
Matt Jones is a highly sought-after speaker known for his ability to engage audiences with impactful stories, fresh perspectives, and actionable insights. With a natural charisma and a gift for connecting with diverse audiences, Matt has delivered keynote presentations and facilitated events across industries, always leaving a lasting impression. Whether you're planning a corporate event, conference, or industry gathering, Matt brings an energetic presence that enhances any occasion. His expertise spans a wide range of topics, from leadership, innovation, and teamwork, to resilience, personal growth, and success in business. As an MC, Matt seamlessly guides events with professionalism, ensuring a smooth, engaging, and memorable experience. If you're seeking a speaker who can captivate your audience, inspire change, and deliver high-impact messages, Matt Jones is the perfect choice. Book Matt today to elevate your event to the next level.Matt Jones | Introduction | Saxton Speakers
Matt Jones is one of Australia's leading strategists and storytellers when it comes to the intersections of brand, business, leadership, experience, culture, technology, human behaviour and storytelling. As one of three co-founders, and the brand brains behind Four Pillars, Matt Jones connects the dots between brand and purpose theory and gritty business and delivery reality.Matt Jones on Branding | Saxton Speakers
Looking for expert insights into branding from a unique perspective? In this video, Matt Jones dives into the world of branding, personal growth, and professional experiences, sharing his journey from an economist to a brand strategist. Jones unpacks powerful lessons learned from industry giants like Apple, explaining how successful brands create strong emotional connections through consistent storytelling, purposeful design, and unforgettable experiences.Matt Jones | In Craft We Trust | Saxton Speakers
Matt Jones is one of Australia's leading strategists and storytellers when it comes to the intersections of brand, business, leadership, experience, culture, technology, human behaviour and storytelling. As one of three co-founders, and the brand brains behind Four Pillars, Matt Jones connects the dots between brand and purpose theory and gritty business and delivery reality.Matt Jones | Purpose | Saxton Speakers
Matt Jones is one of Australia's leading strategists and storytellers when it comes to the intersections of brand, business, leadership, experience, culture, technology, human behaviour and storytelling. As one of three co-founders, and the brand brains behind Four Pillars, Matt Jones connects the dots between brand and purpose theory and gritty business and delivery reality.Matt Jones | Trust | Saxton Speakers
Matt Jones is one of Australia's leading strategists and storytellers when it comes to the intersections of brand, business, leadership, experience, culture, technology, human behaviour and storytelling. As one of three co-founders, and the brand brains behind Four Pillars, Matt Jones connects the dots between brand and purpose theory and gritty business and delivery reality.Matt Jones | Brand Building | Saxton Speakers
Matt Jones is one of Australia's leading strategists and storytellers when it comes to the intersections of brand, business, leadership, experience, culture, technology, human behaviour and storytelling. As one of three co-founders, and the brand brains behind Four Pillars, Matt Jones connects the dots between brand and purpose theory and gritty business and delivery reality.Audio
We were looking for something to take the edge of the information download from the jam-packed program, and Matt added the extra flavour and spark to our closing lunch that we needed. A grea ... keep reading RIMPA
Matt was very friendly and actively interacted with guests during the lunch break before his keynote (without asking). He was engaging as a speaker and very reliable to work with in the lead-up.
Matt gets 'it' before most people even know there is an 'it' to get.
Matt was the opening speaker for our annual Kick.Start.Smart. event, and I can honestly say he blew everyone away. Captivating the audience from the moment he hit the stage with his incredible energy, high-calibre-content and thought-provoking presentation. If you're looking for an authority on brand strategy, purposeful thinking and creative storytelling, Matt is your guy.
Outrageously articulate, splendidly creative and profoundly pragmatic.
Matt joined us on an agency roadshow to share the story of Four Pillars Gin, and how the business used our platforms to establish its market position. Matt is a wonderful speakerfunny, insightful and highly engaging. His experience in marketing around the globe means he is a true marketing wizard who is able to share his magic with anyone who is interested in business or brand building.
We are always thoroughly impressed with Matt. He is easy to deal with, available when we needed him pre-event and onsite, and ensures his content is in line with the conference theme. Will be booking Matt again!
This is the second time we have used Matt Jones at one of our events and not surprisingly Matt was our most highly rated speaker on the day! We’d book him 100 times more if we could! He is an incredible storyteller combining great insights and a brilliant visual presentation, Matt takes the audience on a real journey while highlighting the importance of key steps along the way for them and their businesses.
Matt was a hit with the audience. I have had great feedback from his session.
Matt is one of the most inspiring speakers you can engage. His razor sharp mind and unique background allow him to gracefully navigate the myriad challenges a brand faces today.
