For Event Planners | Andy Rolston
Andy Rolston speaking on stage with microphone
For Event Planners & Conference Organisers

A speaker your audience will still be talking about on Friday.

Andy Rolston delivers a leadership keynote that is practical, direct, and built on real experience. No theory. No fluff. Just the kind of session that changes how people lead.

The Problem You’re Solving

Your audience is drowning in leadership content that doesn’t stick.

Most leadership sessions give people a model, a framework, or a list of tips. Attendees nod. They take notes. And by Monday, nothing has changed. That’s not a content problem. It’s a trust problem. When leaders don’t genuinely connect with their people, information doesn’t land. Andy’s keynote gets to the root of why leadership breaks down, and what to do about it.

  • Leaders are reactive rather than intentional because they are trapped inside the daily noise
  • Teams stop speaking up when they don’t know where they stand
  • Trust erodes quietly through broken promises and disappearing communication
  • Momentum dies when people feel unseen, unclear, or unsupported
Andy Rolston presenting at a leadership event
The Keynote

Closing the Trust Gap

There is a gap between what leaders intend and what people actually experience. When it opens, teams slow down, disengage, and wait. This keynote shows leaders exactly how to close it using three principles that are simple to understand and immediate to apply.

“Leadership is not about being in the middle of the swarm. It is about stepping outside it so your team can find their space, trust the plan, and play their part.”

Andy Rolston

C
Clarity

People need to know where they stand and what matters most. A great coach doesn’t leave players guessing which play they’re running.

C
Consistency

Trust is built in small repeated moments, not grand gestures. The habits you skip quietly in training show up loudly on match day.

C
Connection

People follow leaders who genuinely see them. Influence isn’t assigned by title. It’s earned through real presence and attention.

What Your Audience Takes Away

Concrete shifts, not just good feelings.

01 Why their team is busy but not moving forward, and specifically what to do about it
02 The three things that open the Trust Gap, and the exact moves to close each one
03 How to step above the daily swarm and lead with intention rather than react to noise
04 The difference between a team that is surviving and a team that is performing
05 Three actions they can take before they get back to the office on Monday
Format Options

Built to fit your event.

Andy works with you to make sure the session fits your programme, your audience, and your goals. All formats include a pre-event briefing.

30 – 45 min
Conference Keynote

The full Closing the Trust Gap experience. Stories, the three C’s, and three concrete actions. Ideal for multi-speaker events.

60 – 90 min
Headline Session

All three pillars in full with audience interaction. Works well as the anchor session for a leadership team day.

Half Day
Deep Dive Workshop

Each C as its own applied module. Leaders leave with a personal action plan and tools to use with their team immediately.

Conference audience at a leadership event
Why Event Planners Book Andy

Easy to work with. Hard to forget on stage.

No Fluff

Every minute on stage earns its place. Practical, story-driven, and direct. Your audience will feel respected, not lectured.

Real Experience

Andy has coached rugby across NZ, England, and Canada, run his own businesses, and trained global speakers.

Built for Your Audience

Every engagement includes a pre-event briefing so the content connects with your specific industry and room.

Clear Deliverable

A clear promise, a clear framework, and a clear outcome. You can tell your attendees exactly what they will get.

Engaged conference audience
Audience at Andy Rolston leadership event
What People Say

From the room, not the brochure.

“Andy’s coaching and communication style is relatable and easy to connect with. He uses personal stories, analogies, and real content to create genuinely valuable learning moments.”

Bashar Basheer, NIQ

“I have had the good fortune to be in the room for a number of presentations and keynotes delivered by Andy Rolston from the Rolston Leadership Group and I will say that in every instance I have taken away very useful initiatives. Andy has an engaging manner, he captures and holds attention, speaking with confidence in his area of expertise. I love that his background is in coaching sports teams to success, definitely a challenging area with strong parallels to inspiring and leading teams in business.”

Greg Anderson, Business Coach at Bright Lab NZ Ltd
Ideal For

The right fit for your event.

Closing the Trust Gap works across industries wherever leaders, managers, and teams are expected to perform under pressure. Andy’s audiences include people at every level of leadership, from frontline managers stepping into their first senior role through to executive leadership teams.

Association conferences and industry events

Corporate leadership conferences

Executive and management team days

HR and L&D events

Franchise group conferences

Professional development events

Full room at a leadership conference

Ready to talk about your event?

Andy takes on a limited number of engagements each year. Get in touch early to check availability and discuss how the keynote can be tailored to your audience.

Get in touch
andy@andyrolston.com +64 21 064 1123 andyrolston.com