On stage, on air, in print.

Dara Simkin is a globally recognised expert on play at work and one of the few practitioners in the world successfully translating the science of play directly into organisational performance, leadership development and change readiness.

As founder of Culture Hero and co-author of Full Stack Human (Wiley, 2026), she has spent over a decade designing experiential learning for organisations across technology, finance, healthcare, retail and the public sector — with one consistent argument: play isn't a distraction from serious work. It's how serious work gets done better.

Most change initiatives fail not because the strategy is wrong — but because the humans it lands on weren't ready for it. Dara fixes that gap. Through research-backed, play-driven experiential learning, she helps leaders and teams build the human capabilities no algorithm can replicate: adaptability, curiosity, psychological safety and the capacity to perform when the stakes are high.

Her research partnership with RMIT University's Behavioural Business Lab on Playful Work Design has demonstrated measurable gains in engagement, belonging and learning adaptability in enterprise settings. Her collaborations with Dr Stuart Brown of the National Institute for Play and a global toy foundation have advanced recognition of play as a core mechanism for resilience, creativity and adaptive thinking. Clients include McKinsey & Co., AGL, ANZ, PwC, Chevron and Google.

Grounded in neuroscience, behavioural psychology and applied improvisation, Dara brings humour, clarity and rigorous science to every stage she walks onto.