SenateSHJ's Founding Partner, Neil specialises in reputation management, corporate communications, and crisis and issues management. He has deep experience in issues relating to the energy, transport, finance and government sectors.
Within SenateSHJ, Neil heads the reputation management and corporate relations team, providing strategic counselling, corporate communications, and crisis and issues management advice to clients. Recently he has advised clients on crises including cyber-attacks, employee fatalities, governance issues, Royal Commission responses and the release of official inquiry reports. He regularly presents on crisis management and has contributed to several books on reputation management and crisis management in recent years.
Neil is a well-known and respected figure in New Zealand business, with a 35-year career that has seen him operate in New Zealand, Australia and New York. His previous roles include Chairman and Chief Executive of SenateSHJ, Managing Director of Logos Public Relations, and Chief Executive of Porter Novelli Australia, and New Zealand. He is Vice-Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Crisis Group for PROI Worldwide, the world's largest global international partnership of independent public relations firms. He has also previously been APAC’s representative on PROI’s international Board.
He was a trustee of Motu Economic and Public Policy Research (a not-for-profit research institute that carries out socially beneficial research), and a past chair of the Motu Foundation.
Neil was awarded PRovoke (formerly Holmes Report) Individual Achievement APAC Sabre Award In 2021, and Corporate Vision Magazine's 2021 Corporate Excellence Awards named him as the Most Outstanding Leader in Corporate Communications 2021 - New Zealand.
Outside of work, Neil is still trying to justify owning golf clubs.