A Bunbury based professional speaker has been awarded the 2018 Nevin Award, Australia’s highest professional speaking honour.
Graham Harvey received the prestigious award at the Professional Speakers Australia annual awards gala dinner at the Sofitel Hotel in Brisbane on Saturday, March 17.
Mr Harvey is only the second speaker from Western Australia to win the Nevin Award in its history.
First presented in 1991, the Nevin Award is named after John Nevin, the founder of Professional Speakers Australia.
It is professional speaking’s most coveted accolade, and is awarded annually to recognise outstanding individual contribution to the organisation and to the speaking industry since it beginnings.
Recipients are chosen due to their selfless acts of sharing, guiding, supporting and inspiring other members and growing the industry by embodying the spirit of John Nevin.
Mr Harvey said he was overwhelmed and humbled to receive the award.
“Over the years there have been many outstanding professional speakers to have received this award,” he said.
“It is a great honour to be recognised alongside those who have given so much to the industry over the years, and to be recognised as a role model among my peers.”
Professional Speakers Australia was established in 1987.
The Association was a founding member of the Global Speakers Federation and is one of only two national associations which grants the international Certified Speaking Professional designation.
Mr Harvey has twice served as State President for the organisation in WA, first in the late nineties, and more recently from 2014 to 2017.
He is a Certified Speaking Professional, of which there are just over 100 across Australia.
He is a previous winner of the Western Australian Professional Speaker of the Year Award for speaking excellence and service to the speaking industry.
Mr Harvey is recognised as one of Australia’s foremost thought leaders on service design, customer experience, and relationship marketing.
He is the bestselling author of Seducing the Vigilanté Customer - 101 winning strategies to attract and retain happy customers and healthy profits.
Married with three adult children, Mr Harvey lives in Dalyellup on the South West coast of Western Australia where he bases his business activities.
