Cameron Schwab is a leadership expert and former AFL CEO known for transforming underperforming organisations into thriving, united teams.
5.00 of 5
Top rated!5 of 5
You’ll be learning from the very best I have seen.
Rodrigo Pizarro, Managing Director
L’Oreal Australia and New Zealand
Cameron Schwab’s journey is one of resilience, strategy, and leadership at the highest level. Appointed CEO of Richmond Football Club at just 24, he became the youngest in AFL history to hold the position. Over the next 25 years, he led three AFL clubs Richmond, Melbourne, and Fremantle each facing severe financial and cultural crises. Through vision, courage and a focus on people, he turned each organisation around. Today, Cameron shares his hard-earned lessons in leadership, decision-making, and culture-building, helping leaders and teams thrive in complex and competitive environments.
Cameron Schwab’s story began with an extraordinary appointment. At just 24 years old, he was named CEO of the iconic Richmond Football Club, becoming the youngest chief executive in AFL history. The club was in crisis financially unstable, divided, and losing support. Cameron immediately developed and launched the now-famous “Save Our Skin” campaign, which rescued Richmond from bankruptcy. The campaign became so significant that it was later voted Richmond’s Defining Moment of the Century during its 2008 centennial celebrations.
His leadership journey from that moment became a benchmark for transformation under pressure. Across three AFL clubs Richmond, Melbourne, and Fremantle Cameron built a reputation for stepping into the most challenging environments and creating genuine, lasting change.
Each of Cameron’s CEO appointments had one thing in common: the club was at its lowest point. Yet, he led with purpose and empathy, balancing commercial demands with a deep understanding of people and culture.
At Melbourne Football Club, he took charge when the club had nearly merged with Hawthorn. His leadership centred on unity and rebuilding trust. Within a year, Melbourne rose from last place to the top four, becoming Grand Finalists just two years later. Attendance grew by 65%, and the club operated profitably for the first time in years.
At Fremantle Football Club, Cameron oversaw a complete transformation. When he arrived, the club was burdened by debt and had never placed higher than 12th. Under his direction, Fremantle became one of the AFL’s most competitive and financially stable clubs. Revenues grew by 320%, the balance sheet strengthened by $13 million, and Fremantle rose to the top three clubs in profitability and resources.
Beyond the clubs, Cameron’s strategic impact extended to the broader AFL landscape. As CEO of AFL Online (afl.com.au), he pioneered the sale of the AFL’s online rights to Telstra creating what would become one of the league’s most valuable digital assets.
Later, returning to Melbourne Football Club, he once again led a dramatic recovery. Within 12 months of taking the role, the club turned a $3 million loss into a profit. Continued financial success enabled the elimination of $5 million in debt and the creation of a $6 million asset base. Under his leadership, revenue grew by 60%, despite the structural challenges facing the organisation.
Cameron’s leadership story goes far beyond sport. His insights apply to any leader navigating uncertainty, change, or adversity. He speaks candidly about the emotional challenges of leadership the weight of responsibility, the importance of courage, and the need for humility.
Through storytelling, reflection, and practical lessons, Cameron explores what it truly means to lead when everything is on the line. His experience offers a powerful perspective on decision-making under pressure, creating cultural alignment, and turning vision into reality.
Cameron Schwab is now one of Australia’s most respected voices on leadership and transformation. He delivers keynote presentations and workshops that inspire leaders to embrace vulnerability, resilience, and authenticity. His message resonates with executives, educators, and teams striving to perform at their best.
When you book Cameron Schwab for your event, you engage with a speaker who has lived leadership in its rawest form facing scrutiny, crisis, and success. His ability to connect the lessons of elite sport with the realities of business and leadership makes his sessions both inspiring and deeply practical.
Key themes Cameron explores include:
Leading through crisis and uncertainty
Building culture and alignment in teams
Decision-making under pressure
The emotional intelligence of leadership
Sustaining performance and purpose over time
Cameron’s talks remind audiences that great leadership is not about title or power—it’s about trust, purpose, and courage when it matters most.
5 of 5
You’ll be learning from the very best I have seen.
Rodrigo Pizarro, Managing Director L’Oreal Australia and New Zealand
5 of 5
It was truly incredible to sit in the energy of a room of people completely captivated by your storytelling. Your vulnerability and the art you have mastered in weaving your personal story into some incredible lessons for leadership and life. Thank you Cameron for a very moving and insightful session with our key clients overlooking the MCG. The feedback on the day and in the messages posted was just fantastic. We are very grateful.
Suzie McInerney, CEO Six Degrees Executive
5 of 5
I’ve had the privilege of listening to Cameron talk about leadership and life twice now. I was so impressed the first time that I asked him to present to my Leadership Team. You could have heard a pin drop on each occasion and everyone, sports enthusiast or not, got so much out of the session. Cameron tells a powerful, entertaining, and deeply personal story that resonates with everyone who has experienced change and challenge.
Joe Barr, Chief Executive Officer John Holland
Keynote by Cameron Schwab:
Cameron delivers a game-changing framework that aligns purpose and performance, particularly as it relates to the complex mix of culture, strategy, leadership and decision-making judgment. Then, as Hall of Fame NFL coach Bill Walsh would say… “The score takes care of itself.”
Keynote by Cameron Schwab:
Cameron models his ‘Being Brave’ mantra – a seven-step process to find the answers for yourself, rebuild confidence, and be the leader you aspire to be.
Keynote by Cameron Schwab:
Cameron articulates four core leadership habits, immediately executable, to create the behaviours and culture to lead with authenticity and achieve high performance outcomes.
Keynote by Cameron Schwab:
Cameron fully explains a seven-step process, immediately executable, enabling leaders to establish performance accountability, where people consistently set high expectations of themselves and behave to those expectations, and most importantly, do the right thing, even when it’s hard.
