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Ambassador for Kindness and Equality.

Anna believes in a future where every leader and organisation is committed to creating a sustainable world of equality and opportunity for everyone.

Anna Sheppard is a social entrepreneur and owner of the Good Sheppard Group: which is made up of a collection of enterprises and initiatives working to reduce under-representation. Most notably Anna is the Founder and CEO of Bambuddha Group. They strongly believe the power of Kindness is world-changing. With a deep commitment to creating equality based on their lived experience, Anna began Bambuddha Group to empower leaders and their teams on how to ‘work kinder’. The team and partners at Bambuddha developed an evidence-informed kindness index and curriculum that minimizes risk and improves outcomes across all organisational areas. Bambuddha Group is a multi-award-winning social enterprise that provides impact and people advisory and training.

BACKGROUND

Anna grew up in a caravan park on the northeast coast of England and is one of five sisters, several of whom have physical and learning disabilities. As a child, Anna spent most of their childhood fighting prejudice and finally went into the care system for a short time before braving the world alone, at the young age of 16. As a neurodiverse, non-binary, gay person, fitting into the systems in life has always been a challenge.

The good news? Anna was lucky enough to have found and understood their WHY from a young age. Early life experiences helped them develop a strong passion for equality and a vision for change. Anna worked hard and optimistically putting themself through college, university and a master’s degree.

After working on various community development projects in Europe, Africa, and Asia, Anna had an idea to set up an enterprise with a clear vision for social and environmental change. And so Bambuddha Group was born, to pay forward a percentage of profits to work towards balancing the scales for equality through partnerships that could create a direct impact on the ground.

Anna has positively impacted numerous organizations and inspirational leaders, guiding them on the path of 'working kind.' The Good Sheppard group also founded The Corporate Kindness Awards, Working Kind Collective, Impact Studios, and The Corporate Kindness Project, they bring a wealth of insights. The latter is an Australian-based research study highlighting the business benefits of kindness at work, with the initial white paper released in 2019.

Anna's commitment to fostering kindness has evolved into the uplifting and honest podcast series 'Project Good Boss,' turning research into an engaging and feel-good exploration of creating positive workplace environments.

Anna Sheppard and Bambuddha Group have won multiple awards for work in this space, including being recognized as one of the ‘Top 10 Leadership Development Training and Coaching Companies 2021 in APAC’, ‘Top 50 leading light for APAC’, ‘Top 50 most impactful LinkedIn Influencers’, a 2021 NSW Business Awards finalist and currently a finalist for 2022 Telstra Best of Business Awards and most recently a Stevie Award.

Throughout their career, Anna has raised millions in funds for charities via mutual partnerships created to reduce inequalities. They are an old hand when it comes to showing the big fish how to give back and do well while doing so.

Anna likes to keep things simple ‘If you work as hard as you do kind’ success is inevitable’.

Anna’s portfolio of clients stretches across tech, retail, hospitality, finance, health, and professional services industries. Anna is a favorite with big names like Unilever, Block, Pfizer, Westpac, Dan Murphys, Blooms The Chemist, Monday.com, EIS, Lendlease, Civic, Westpac, Cisco, Arinex, Intermedia Group, Government NSW and many industry bodies.

Anna’s storytelling is relatable, down-to-earth, and fun. They are a real powerhouse who is optimistic and engaging. Anna takes the audience on a journey leaving people feeling educated and inspired to be the change they want to see in the world.

Speaking topics include:

Kindness as a source of Competitive Advantage (how to make a brand a movement)
The 5 Pillars of Kind Leadership
Meet you at the intersection (Diversity & Inclusion starts with kindness)
Accelerating Women; Makes the World Kinder
Tomorrows Leader is a Kind One
Building a Kinder Economy through ESG

Impact Producing:

Anna Sheppard, a highly sought-after Impact Producer, employs the bedrock of positive psychology in crafting transformative event/learning and team experiences. Renowned for their dynamic approach, Anna infuses multimedia, music, and playfulness, creating the secret sauce for genuine engagement. Each project not only captivates but leaves a lasting impact on attendees.

A key benefit to working with Anna is access to a diverse team of experts at hand, capable of covering an extensive range of popular topics. This portfolio of exceptional humans exclusively features impact speakers, each with authentic and diverse stories. Anna's unique methodology extends to program structures, concept development, and talent sourcing, ensuring a seamless and impactful project from start to finish.

Notably, Anna Sheppard was honored with a prestigious Vibe Award last year for excellence in this space. If you need a little help joining the dots and adding the Va Va Voom you have come to the right place.

Corporate Programs:

*****LEADERSHIP LITERACY PROGRAMS

This is a progressive academy-style program running from between 3 - 6 months. Build to support organizations in the development of their leadership by building knowledge through self-managed learning, 1-1, and group coaching. A favorite with brands big and small, this program is designed with a focus on the embedment of kinder strategies and the relation to value across the whole system chain. Outcomes include improved Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) leadership set to develop customer engagement, workplace culture and well-being, and the measurement and development of social and environmental impact. This program is perfect for organizations that are working to build a sustainable, culturally healthy organization for the future.

Bambuddha Group is a social enterprise. We take pride in giving back to the sector by paying forward 50% of corporate client profit into programs designed to reduce underrepresentation in business. Since 2020 we have provided $750K in program scholarships and advisory services as a result of paid programs. We believe in a future where every leader and business is committed to creating a sustainable world of equality for everyone.

Learn More

*****GOOD FOR BUSINESS PROGRAM

The Good for Business Program is a facilitated 5 step program that coaches senior leaders and organizations through the baseline metrics, planning, and integration of kindness and ESG across all business areas. This program is suited to businesses that are ready to take a deep dive to become an authentic brand that works hard at working kind.

We all know that sustainable and inclusive business is kinder, but how do we get started, and how can we truly make a difference? From recycling in the office to learning how to reduce slavery in your supply chain, companies and organizations are now more aware of the risks involved with not understanding your impact on your people, planet, and community.