The Creation of the Self-Correcting Workforce
Orla Bakeberg | Speaker
BE YOUR CHANGE
30+ years in business, built across two continents, one clear message. Change does not wait for permission.
It starts the moment one person decides to take the first brave step.
About Orla
Orla Bakeberg, nee McConnon, built and scaled Expo Africa from the ground up, a regional promotions and marketing business operating across eight countries in Southern Africa, representing major global FMCG brands, before selling and exiting the company in 2017. She returned to Ireland in 2018 and, in 2022, co-founded An Even Better Place to Work, bp2w®, an Irish-owned, CPD-accredited employee engagement platform, now used by organisations worldwide.
She currently serves as 2026 Branch President of Network Ireland Mayo, is a 2026 SFA Awards Finalist in the Innovation category and won Creative Professional at the Network Ireland Mayo Businesswoman of the Year Awards in 2024. She is also a landscape photographer under OrlaPhotography.
What audiences take away
- A working framework for recognising the moment change becomes possible,
in a business, a team, or a career. - A genuine, three-decade story of building, losing and rebuilding, told without the
polish that makes it feel unreachable. - A closing message, Be Your Change, built to travel with people long after the room empties.
The Butterfly
Every talk closes the same way. It is bravery. It is unwavering belief.
It is tenacity, energy and resilience.
It is fearlessness and leadership.
In the end it is simply you, choosing that first quiet flutter of your wings toward something extraordinary.
[Full BUTTERFLY piece, “What Be Your Change Means,” available as a companion piece - ask for the complete version]
What people say
I have seen Orla present several times in the past months, and I continue to be amazed at how she manages to connect with her audiences.
She has a unique approach, “seeing the picture within the picture”, bringing in visuals from her photography work and marrying them with positive change and the power of the possible.
She helps people enjoy work life more, so they will want to give of their best. Her keynotes are content-rich, practical, inspirational, humorous and full of takeaways that work.
A first-class communicator.
Shay McConnon - Leadership Expert & International Speaker