Melissa Speaks
International Protocol Officer
Executive Producer, High Impact Events
International Relations Consultant
Keynote Speaker
C-Suite Advisor and Coach
With an energetic and down-to-earth approach,
Melissa’s sessions will help you rise
to the next level in business and life.
Melissa Tony-Stires has spent two decades in the rooms most people never get into: palaces, global forums, and the delegations where international business actually gets done. A Certified Advanced International Protocol Officer, she has led more than 60 delegations across 33 countries and advised royal families, heads of state, and the world's most recognizable business leaders.
She speaks on what she learned there: that access is built, not granted, and that the smallest human gesture almost always outperforms the grandest one.
KEYNOTE
SPEAKING TOPICS
DELIGHT, DON'T DAZZLE
The Unwritten Rules of Doing Business Across Borders
The handshake, the business card, the seating chart, the gift, the details that decide whether a deal moves forward or quietly dies. Drawing on 33 countries of protocol work, Melissa gives teams the practical fluency to walk into any international room and get it right.Audiences leave with the Pre-Flight Five: a five-point protocol check to run before any cross-border meeting.
STOP WAITING FOR THE INVITATION
How Access Is Actually Built
Most of us were taught to do excellent work and wait to be noticed. Melissa's career is proof of the opposite. From handing out name tags to riding a bus with the richest man in the world, this is a talk about building relationship wealth, the compounding asset almost nobody manages on purpose.Audiences leave with five practices for creating access instead of waiting for it.
STAY MORE HUMAN™
Leading With Presence in an Automated World
AI will make your people faster, smarter, and more capable. It will not make them more present, more trusted, or more human — and those are now the scarce skills. A practical, non-technical session for leaders responsible for adoption, culture, and the human consequences of new technology.Audiences leave knowing which parts of their work to automate and which parts to protect.
TAKE THE DAMN PICTURE
Stop Waiting for Your Life to Look Perfect Before You Live It
A closing keynote about presence, priorities, and the difference between what is urgent and what is irreplaceable. Warm, funny, and disarmingly direct, designed for the final slot, when the room needs to feel something before it goes home.Audiences leave with permission and one specific thing to stop postponing.
Dr. Deepak Chopra & Melissa Stires
Cannes Lions International Festival 2024.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Davos, World Economic Forum Speaker
Cannes Lions International Festival Speaker
UNGA Speaker
Amazon Best-Selling Author
Top Voice Public Speaking/Relationship Building
Launched first-ever educational partnership with Fortune Global Forum, Chengdu, People’s Republic of China
Directed and produced the 40th Anniversary Celebration for H.E. Qaboos bin Said Al Said, Sultan of Oman
Spearheaded more than 60 global delegations spanning five continents
Certified International Advanced Protocol Officer
Keynote Orlando Women’s Conference 2025
International Trainer for corporate teams and nonprofit teams specializing in leadership, emotional intelligence, change management, and mindset.
She brings the party. We dare you
to find a more enthusiastic presenter!
Melissa Stires is a Certified Advanced International Protocol Officer and an accomplished event, marketing, and fundraising executive with experience in the global, corporate, tech, academic, and government sectors. Melissa has been privileged to work with, advise, and train members of royal families, politicians, nonprofits, and business influencers from all over the world. From the boardroom to the banquet hall, Melissa knows how to motivate her audience and help them achieve greatness.
Originally a small-town girl with a laugh so distinctive she tried to change it (the change did not last). Melissa set out to make her mark. She never dreamed she would travel the globe meeting so many world leaders she's had the privilege to work with and lead. These varied experiences allow Melissa to bring her expansive knowledge of cross-cultural communication into her consulting business, which focuses on training and equipping teams in high-impact event management, protocol advising, executive coaching, and much more.
Melissa has been on the stage since she was two years old. With her larger-than-life personality, she leaves audiences feeling energized, inspired, focused, and confident. Taking lessons from her life (and sometimes bursting into song), Melissa is guaranteed to be one of the most uplifting, informative, and delightful sessions you experience.
Want Melissa at Your Event?
