Speaker

Salli Cohen

Salli Cohen is a strategist, storyteller, and a quiet force re-imagining what policy should be.

With over 30 years’ experience working with leaders across government, First Nations organisations, for-purpose and private sectors, she knows deeply how policy lives in people, in places, and in change, and why this matters for all of us.

Author of ‘Rollercoaster: How to be a bloody good policy officer’ and founder of The Policy Room, Salli helps leaders and organisations amplify courage, clarity, and capability. On stage, she weaves lived experience with practical tools and a bold vision for policy that prevents harm and creates possibility.

In a transparent world, leadership has the courage to prevent harm and to create value.

Event toolkit Chat with Salli

Salli Cohen 

Speaker

Salli Cohen is a strategist, storyteller, and a quiet force re-imagining what policy should be.

With over 30 years’ experience working with leaders across government, First Nations organisations, for-purpose and private sectors, she knows deeply how policy lives in people, in places, and in change, and why this matters for all of us.

Author of ‘Rollercoaster. How to be a bloody good policy officer’ and founder of The Policy Room, Salli helps leaders and organisations amplify courage, clarity, and capability. On stage, she weaves lived experience with practical tools and a bold vision for policy that prevents harm and creates value.

In a transparent world, leadership is the courage to prevent harm and to

create value.

Keynote speech - The Reckoning


Salli’s keynote, The Reckoning, challenges audiences to rethink how decisions are made, whose voices need to be heard, and what it takes to lead with head, heart

and guts.

Leaders, boards and change-makers navigating complexity leave with:


  • Renewed commitment to speak truth to power and to act without fear or favour.
  • The Repair model, a clear, practical framework, for developing policy that prevents harm and creates value.
  • Compelling stories that stir both intellect and emotion, illustrating how policy is deeply personal.


Other topics

  • Building a policy-savvy workforce
  • Leadership with courage, clarity, and compassion
  • Preventing harm while creating value.


'Salli's ability to draw you in and connect with you through her storytelling, lived experience and depth of passion is simply incredible'.

 Conference participant

'Sal’s stories cut through. They’re powerful, raw, and deeply human'.

Conference participant

'We're leaving with tools and with hope - a rare combination'.

 Event participant

'Working with Sal is a dream'.

 Event organiser

'The wisdom Salli shares in The Reckoning is profound'.

Conference participant

'Salli is a breath of fresh air who has reshaped how I think about our work'.

Conference participant

'Sal made sure everything she did was aligned to the goals of our seminar'.

Event organiser

Why book Salli

Salli brings gravitas and credibility with senior leadership experience and decades shaping policy across sectors.


She delivers inspiration, emotional storytelling, and frameworks that audiences can use immediately.


Fearless yet grounded and speaking with honesty, compassion and conviction, Salli resonates in boardrooms, conferences, and communities.


Salli ignites audiences with clarity - head to think, heart to feel and the guts to commit.

Why Book Salli

Salli brings gravitas and credibility with senior leadership experience and decades shaping policy across sectors.


She delivers inspiration, emotional storytelling, and frameworks that audiences can use immediately.


Fearless yet grounded; speaking with honesty, compassion, and conviction, Salli resonates in boardrooms, conferences, and communities.


Salli ignites audiences with clarity - head to think, heart to feel and the guts to commit.

Meet Salli Cohen

Where do you want to be?

The Recknoning

Media interview,

World Congress on Juvenile Justice 2015, Geneva