Gus Balbontin

Our closing session of the 2023 NIBA Convention will be brought to you by Gus Balbontin – someone who’s created a career, or, more accurately, a life, by thinking very differently indeed.

Born and bred in wild Patagonia, Gus Balbontin never allowed his small town and humble beginnings to get in the way of his dreams. He had – still has! – a healthy disrespect for authority and a severe case of FOMO – and this saw him arrive in Australia at just 17. 

By the age of 22, he had dropped out of uni, hitchhiked to South America, set up his first business and landed his dream job at Lonely Planet.

Fast forward just a few more years, and he was leading the company globally, working with businesses such as Google X, Nokia and Amazon on the latest technology, creative cultures and high-performing teams.  

However, his yearning for more saw him move on from corporate life, so he hung up his boots as the Executive Director and CTO of Lonely Planet and moved back to his entrepreneurial roots, becoming an investor, founder and mentor across the start-up ecosystem in Melbourne.

He loves sharing stories that make an impact on people’s lives and businesses, and over the last three years, he has presented to audiences thousands across regional Australia, New Zealand, North America, Europe, South America and Asia.

His session will leave you inspired – his simplicity disarms you, his energy infects you, and his counterintuitive way of looking at the world will motivate you to do things differently.

And, from the Convention’s closing session, what more could you possibly want?