QUALIFICATION SUMMARY

• High-caliber Communications Executive with over 13 years of multinational experience in public and private sectors.
• Provide effective communication strategies, advice, and support to Chief Executives, Board of Directors and Government Ministers.
• Extremely adept in business transformation and change, including M&A, restructures, brand change, regulatory programs, and new markets.
• Strong performance in the development and delivery of corporate communications training programs to diverse audiences.
• Excellent experience in personnel training, team building and leadership.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

DIRECTOR, Altitude Consulting Group, Wellington, New Zealand. Provider of communications advice and services to public and private-sector organizations.

• As founding partner participated in firm's start-up, direction, growth, and management. Principal responsibility for directing the design and delivery of communication/marketing strategies for key client engagements.
•  Developed communication infrastructures, business cases, training programs, public relations activities, marketing communications plans, and corporate branding strategies. Completed multi-million projects on-time and within budget. Effectively managed project budgets of $1M.
•  Equally strong contributions in strategic planning, business development, and account retention. Cultivated relationships with senior business leaders, landing engagements in excess of $100K. 2003-06.

DIRECTOR OF CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS, Fonterra Co-operative Group, Ltd., Auckland, New Zealand. Leading multinational dairy company. Employs 17,000 with $13B in annual revenue.

• Served in high-profile role, fully responsible for developing and implementing a company-wide communications strategy. Garnered support from senior management for program execution. Managed four direct reports. Administered a $1M budget.
• Developed continuous disclosure documentation as well as other material disclosures, such as public offerings, acquisition opportunities, quarterly and annual financial reporting, and information circulars.
• Provided advice and guidance to board of directors on communications related issues. Interfaced with the media and acted as company spokesperson. Developed strategic relationships with key members of the press. 2002.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

• Directed a 17-month, $100K strategic communications integration and branding program for new multi-divisional government agency.
• Developed an 18-month communications strategy to support introduction of major regulatory reform bill, introducing occupational licensing requirements for designers and builders.
• Represented Ministry of Economic Development as media contact at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) SME Meeting.
• Produced a presentation for the New Zealand Government's economic response to the Asian Financial Crisis, spawning positive responses from economic commentators and business leaders.
• Played key role as communication strategist in the sale, and subsequent listing, of two of New Zealand's largest airports on the New Zealand Stock Exchange (NZX).
• Served as media spokesperson for the world's 4th largest dairy company following a critical service failure, water contamination, and serious injury of a farmer shareholder. Positioned company in media as both responsible and proactive.
• Provided communications advice and support regarding adversarial union negotiations to publicly-held telecommunications company, directly contributing to a cease of court action by Australian union.
• Led highly successful branding campaign for new product line developed by leading international fashion designer and a New Zealand paint manufacturer.
• Managed public relations program and served as on-location spokesperson for the NZ Army and United Nations Protective Force during "peacekeeping" mission in Bosnia.
• Integral part of creative collaboration leading to the development of an on-line women's military museum, honoring the lives of women who have served across all services, in all countries.
• Authored "Writing for Success & Presentation Skills" training workshops for public and private sectors. Conducted 3 workshops in 2 months, generating $26K in additional revenue.