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Crisis & Issues management

Experience Matters

Peter Wilkinson has spent 21 years solving crises following 30+ years as a journalist

Be strategic, not uncertain.

Be proficient, not unready.

Peter is Chair of Wilkinson Butler, a leading corporate affairs agency
1.

Crisis PR & Communications

A crisis involves chaos. It can trash reputation and revenue. Clarity and nimbleness are essential in Crisis PR, so is experience.

As a Crisis PR & Recovery expert, Peter has achieved successful outcomes including data theft incidents, media and social media attacks, industry restructures, product recalls, court cases and judicial inquiries, activist campaigns, pollution spills, extortion and blackmail threats, sexual abuse/harassment, and fires/explosions.

A lot of these crises are exacerbated by social media; others, as companies struggle to cope with the rapid changes brought about by structural, cultural or digital transformation. The ‘recovery’ part of a crisis often involves significant change management – transformation.

2.

Leadership

Directors and CEOs must generate growth in an increasingly disrupted environment. Change is now faster than ever. Change involves uncertainty.

Peter is a trusted mentor/advisor to Boards and Executives on how to build a company’s reputation. Most of his work starts with an issue, a crisis or some other disruption.

Most of us have been enamoured by the exciting promises of globalisation, the Internet and social media. But it’s also brought chaos, globally and domestically with massive unpredicted changes, and within businesses extraordinary challenges: customer fickleness, staff mobility, the complexities of transparency and media/social media intrusion, cross-channel and targeted marketing and unprecedented measurement capabilities. Each disruptor influences the transformation almost every organisation is undergoing.

3.

Disruption & Transformation

Disruption exposes vulnerability but presents an opportunity for transformation. Possibly the most disrupted sector globally is communication.

Since founding the company, Peter has worked with companies particularly advising on the disruption within marketing/communications. He has built a number of communications teams within companies.

Every leader and every board presents with different dynamics, built around the personalities of the people involved. The art of building unity around a common goal is a constant challenge, exacerbated by increasingly rapid changes. Peter’s skill includes building strong & honest relationships, creativity and nimbleness.

4.

Social Media & Media Training

This is often where our relationships start, helping organisations to optimise media and social engagement. Our foundation skill is journalism.

Media: Peter is recognised as having been one of Australia’s most respected newsmen after over 30+ years working on a variety of programs including the ABC’s This Day Tonight and The Journal (early versions of 7:30), and Four Corners, and then Channel Nine’s ACA and 60 Minutes.

Social Media: Peter is a passionate thought leader and critic on social media issues. He has expertise in building marketing and communication teams. As an advisor, he brings the tough journalist standards of truth, facts and accuracy to the largely chaotic and ill-disciplined social environment.

His advice is sought on how to the optimise the use of traditional media and social media as tools, to help stakeholder communication.

Media Training: essential to optimising media and social media outcomes, this includes demonstrating how to analyse benefits against risk. The four components in our training model are transformational for leaders.

Peter Wilkinson

Peter is Managing Director of Wilkinson Group & Chairman of Wilkinson Butler.

Wilkinson Group specialises in Crisis PR, disruption and transformation.

Wilkinson Butler specialises in sustainability and crisis. Its foundation strengths are strategic Corporate Affairs and Digital/Social. It gives advice to midsize/large companies including media relations, government relations, community engagement, internal communications and cultural change, social media and online reputation management.

Peter is former Chair, now a director of the Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom, advocating for media freedom in Australia and the Asia Pacific.

He is former Chair of the Global Communications Alliance, one of the world’s premier partnerships of independent consultancies.

Peter’s skill is ensuring boards and executives can handle a crisis with confidence.

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Level 11, 1o Carrington St,
Sydney, 2000
Australia