Geoff Kelly

Biographical sketch:

Geoff Kelly set up consulting and coaching practice Kelly Strategic Influence Pty Ltd in 2001.

He is a widely respected expert in leadership influence. He works with clients who know their success depends on commitment - the extent to which they can get key staff, suppliers, customers and others to commit fully to their ideas and strategies.

Clients include the Victoria n Government, the Business Council of Australia, several top 40 Australian corporations involved in chemicals, financial services and manufacturing, and clients in public utilities, professional services, education and health care.

Geoff also is an in-demand speaker, writer and executive coach on leadership influence, persuasion, and applying leadership communication to achieving business results. He runs a course on strategic communication for graduate students at RMIT University , is a frequent speaker at the Australian Institute of Management, other professional associations and the national conferences of various organisations. He is also an excellent executive writer, and regularly publishes articles in professional magazines and journals.

Geoff was Group Manager Corporate Communication at WMC from 1995 until 2001. His responsibilities included issues and crisis management, corporate communication, media relations and special projects. He project-managed and edited WMC's first public environment report, which was the centre piece of WMC's successful programme to reposition itself as a leader in environment transparency. He also led a communication project that improved WMC's reputation with its core financial audiences, including financial media.

Before joining WMC Geoff held strategic influence roles including Managing Director - Melbourne at international consultant Burson-Marsteller; Project Leader - Communication for the Office of State Owned Enterprises, Victorian Treasury and Group General Manager - Public Affairs for Myer and Grace Bros. He has also worked at Coles Myer, CRA and BHP in related roles.

Geoff has been Chairperson of the Uranium Information Centre, President of the Public Relations Institute of Australia (Victorian Branch) and Executive Council Member of the Victorian Chamber of Mines.

He became a Fellow of the Public Relations Institute of Australia in 2000, and is a member of the Australian Institute of Management, the Public Relations Society of America, and the US based Society for the Advancement of Consulting.