Behind Warringah Mall, in an unassuming Brookvale office, a team of around 25 people is preparing for one of the biggest speaking events to land in Australia this year.
Later this week, former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama will make her first public speaking appearance in Australia, appearing in Sydney (and Melbourne) as a part of In Conversation with Michelle Obama.
Helping bring her here is Narrabeen local Karen Beattie, founder of Growth Faculty – a business she started more than two decades ago with the aim of making world-class leadership conversations more accessible to Australian audiences.
These days, that means bringing some of the world’s most recognisable public figures to local stages. President Barack Obama. Hillary Clinton. Malala Yousafzai. George Clooney. Brené Brown.
And now Michelle Obama.
For Karen, the event is the result of years spent building trust in an industry where reputation matters.
“It’s the culmination of many years building relationships and a track record of delivering exceptional events for high-profile speakers,” she said.
“Growth Faculty has been bringing major international speakers to Australia (and across the APAC region) for over two decades… each event adds to the credibility that makes the next event possible.”
“When you can demonstrate that you’ve done this well, repeatedly, for serious audiences, doors open.”
Karen founded the company in 2003 after working on events for CPA Australia and MYOB, where she saw a clear divide in access to high-quality leadership learning, much of which was priced beyond the reach of smaller businesses.
“I saw firsthand how hungry business owners were for this kind of learning, and how little of it was accessible or affordable,” she said.
“My original vision was simple: give leaders – especially small business owners – access to the same world-class thinking that big corporates had, at a price that made sense.”
That vision has since grown into an international business spanning live events, virtual masterclasses and a global membership platform, though Karen says the scale of the operation often catches people off guard.
“It’s intense for a small but mighty team – but that’s the nature of what we do, and we love it.”
“What I’m most proud of is that after 23 years, we still run this way: a small team doing things at a scale that surprises people.” She said.
From the outside, events like this can seem straightforward: a major public figure, a venue, tickets for sale. Behind the scenes, Karen says the reality is months – sometimes years – of logistics, negotiation and fostering relationships.
Behind the scenes, Karen says the reality is months – sometimes years – of logistics, negotiation and fostering relationships.
“An enormous amount, and most of it happens long before anything is announced publicly,” she said.
“Securing a speaker of this calibre involves meticulous logistics and an enormous amount of trust-building with their team.”
“Every detail matters – venue selection, ticketing, production, security, the event experience itself.”
The company, like much of the live events industry, faced significant disruption during COVID, forcing a rapid pivot online within weeks.
Rather than scaling back, Karen said the shift unexpectedly broadened Growth Faculty’s international reach.
“The pandemic was the biggest test,” she said. “We pivoted the entire business online in a matter of weeks and actually grew our reach because of it. That resilience is something I’m really proud of.”
While the major speaker tours are the most visible part of the business, Karen says Growth Faculty’s broader work extends far beyond headline events. “Underneath that, we’re running a membership community that gives thousands of leaders access to world-class thinking every week.”
