Olympic gold medallist and world champion rower Rob Waddell’s Invercargill event will focus on shared themes of success in sport, business and life.
The High Performance Advantage — An Evening with Rob Waddell will be held at the Ascot Park Hotel tonight.
Mr Waddell said the link between sports and business had become somewhat cliché, but there were still valuable lessons to learn.
"When I was competing I wondered what will happen when I ever grow up and get a proper job, would any of these things I'm learning about sport help me in the real world?"
However, he found his experience as a high performance athlete aided him well in business.
"I picked up a lot, work ethic was a big one, commitment to quality, mindset, resilience and determination."
He also said it helped with taking leadership, showing initiative, and "having really good people around you".
"At the heart of it all is doing something you care about greatly and something that you're really passionate about ... those things cross over really well."
He highlighted the fine line to strike between passion and working smart.
"We can spend lots of time chasing things that we think are making the boat go faster, but you also need to have a critical lens on it."
Great South chief executive Chami Abeysinghe said having a speaker of Mr Waddell’s calibre was important in supporting Southland’s business community.
"We are really pleased to be able to bring Rob to Southland. He brings a unique perspective on what it takes to perform at the highest level, and importantly, how those lessons translate into business and leadership."
Mrs Abeysinghe hoped the event would "deliver real value to attendees".
"Rob will help businesses think differently and embrace the behavioural changes needed to tackle the unknown, lift capability and build long term resilience and success."
The event will take place tonight at 5pm; tickets can be bought from southlandnz.com