Generative AI Authority, Founder of Kia Ora AI & Innovation Speaker

Matt Ensor is one of New Zealand's most in-demand voices on generative AI — founder of Kia Ora AI and FranklyAI, Chair of the AI Forum NZ Large Language Models Working Group and an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Auckland — known for making complex AI topics genuinely usable for boards, executives and entire workforces.

Who is Matt Ensor?

Matt Ensor is a New Zealand AI leader, speaker, consultant and governance advisor. He spent more than 28 years at engineering consultancy Beca, including as Business Director for Transport Advisory and Project Lead for Conversational AI, where he led the development of Tala — an AI agent that converses in Samoan to enable more inclusive community consultation. In 2020 he founded FranklyAI, a conversational AI platform used by organisations across Aotearoa, and he now leads Kia Ora AI, accelerating practical generative AI adoption in NZ organisations. He chairs the AI Forum NZ Generative AI Working Group, is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Auckland, and is an INSEAD alumnus.

Career Highlights

• Founder, Kia Ora AI — accelerating practical generative AI adoption in NZ

• Founder and CEO, FranklyAI (2020) — conversational AI for community engagement

• Chair, AI Forum NZ Large Language Models Working Group

• Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Auckland (Applied AI in Engineering)

• Former Business Director, Beca — 28+ years with one of Asia-Pacific's largest consultancies

• Subject Matter Expert on AI for the Institute of Directors NZ

• Advisor to the NZ Infrastructure Commission on a 30-year digital strategy

• INSEAD Business School (France) alumnus

Key Speaking Themes

• Generative AI, large language models and ChatGPT

• Practical AI adoption for boards and executive teams

• AI ethics, governance and regulation

• AI for community engagement, equity and accessibility

• The future of work and the AI-enabled organisation

What Your Audience Will Gain

Matt's superpower is demystification. Audiences leave with a clear, jargon-free understanding of what generative AI really is, where it adds value (and where it doesn't), and a practical, confident sense of what their organisation should do about it — at board, executive and team level.

Ideal For

• AI, technology and innovation conferences

• Board offsites and executive strategy days

• Industry conferences (engineering, infrastructure, professional services)

• Future-of-work and leadership programmes

• University, public sector and not-for-profit events

Frequently Asked Questions about Matt Ensor

What does Matt Ensor speak about? Generative AI, large language models, AI governance, ethics, and the practical adoption of AI in organisations.

Where is Matt Ensor based? Matt is based in Auckland and travels nationally and internationally for speaking and consulting work.

What is Matt Ensor best known for? Founding Kia Ora AI and FranklyAI, leading NZ's LLM working group at AI Forum NZ, and designing the Tala Samoan-speaking AI agent.

Is Matt Ensor suitable for board and executive audiences? Yes. Matt regularly facilitates IoD courses and advises boards and executive teams on AI strategy and governance.

Can Matt deliver workshops as well as keynotes? Yes. Matt offers keynotes, executive briefings, board workshops and ongoing advisory engagements through Kia Ora AI.

Is Matt Ensor available for international events? Yes. Matt engages with global AI discussions and is available for offshore engagements and virtual keynotes.