Issue #15 March 2011
Balfour Consulting - 25 years of Success
In March 2011, Balfour Consulting celebrated its 25th birthday. The company was established by Mary Balfour in 1986, in Melbourne, and quickly gained a successful reputation for excellence in Strategic Communications, Community Consultation and Public Relations. Since then the company has operated offices in Melbourne, Sydney and Townsville, with the Townsville office opened by Colin in 1999 following his time as Director of Marketing with Sheraton Townsville. In 2003 Mary decided (very sensibly) that North Queensland was a far nicer place to live than Sydney, so she closed the Sydney office and headed north.
Balfour Consulting has continued to grow and is now one of the most experienced and successful management consulting firms in regional Australia and certainly within North Queensland. With four senior consultants offering national and international experience along with extensive involvement in both the public and private sectors, Balfour Consulting has a highly skilled group of consultants to deliver tailored solutions with tangible and measurable results. Further to this, Balfour Consulting can draw on the expertise and specialist knowledge of a network of associates and colleagues from consulting firms businesses and universities across Australia.
Meet our 2011 Team
Colin Balfour - Managing Consultant
Colin offers our clients:
- Over 30 years of management and consulting experience in the public and private sectors.
- Particular skills and experience in strategic planning, strategic management, market and social research and marketing planning.
- Extensive experience in the design and development of research projects.
- Extensive experience in project development and managing change.
- Eleven years consulting experience in North Queensland over a broad range of businesses, as well as Federal, State and local government.
Colin offers national and international experience in strategic management, marketing management and project analysis roles in Australia, New Zealand, South-East Asia and Europe. Colin brings to Balfour Consulting extensive expertise in the fields of tourism, retail and services management.
Mary Balfour - Managing Consultant
Mary offers our clients:
- 30 years of experience in business communications.
- 15 years of experience in business development and strategic planning.
- Facilitator, researcher, writer, planner - with an arts and science background.
- Specialist in consultation and research for the development and implementation of cooperative programs across disparate groups.
- Extensive experience in community and stakeholder consultation and engagement will stop
Mary has management and corporate experience, as well as acknowledged expertise in strategic communications. Mary has worked with government, unions and business in the development and implementation of cooperative marketing, branding and issues management programs. She has consulted on projects from Cairns to Perth for a diverse range of private and public sector clients and has won numerous state and National awards along the way.
Chris Chappell - Senior Consultant
Chris offers our clients:
- Over 14 years of senior management experience in State and Federal government.
- Over 6 years of experience as the North Australia Manager of major labour market recruitment agencies.
- Extensive experience in strategic planning, program planning and operational planning.
- Experience as a ministerial adviser at both federal and state levels.
- Particular experience in the development of public policy including youth, Indigenous, migrant, labour market, childcare, disability services and community housing policy.
- Experience in community and stakeholder consultation.
- Extensive experience in working with Indigenous communities and organisations across northern Australia.
- Over nine years consulting experience across northern Queensland.
Chris has held a number of senior federal policy and program management positions, and worked as a lobbyist and as Policy Adviser to two Federal Ministers and the Minister Assisting the Premier in North Queensland. He has led major organisational change in both the public and private sectors, managed operations with up to 500 staff, and provided policy research and advice at the highest levels.
Melissa George - Associate Consultant
Board Member, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
Chair, Indigenous Advisory Committee to the Minster for Environment, Heritage & Arts
Melissa has been actively involved in working with Traditional Owners to protect and manage land and sea through community natural resource management projects, as well as liaising with and advising the Queensland and Australian Governments. She has been a member of the Indigenous Advisory Committee (EPBC Act 1999) since 2002 and Chair since 2006. She was appointed to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Board in 2008 for a four-year term.
Some highlights of Melissa’s work with Traditional Owner groups include:
- Facilitated and supported the development of effective partnerships between Traditional Owner groups, mining companies, State and Local Government.
- Supported and facilitated Native Title and Cultural Heritage negotiations.
- Supported the development of Indigenous Land Use Agreements, Exploration Agreements and Cultural Heritage Management Plans.
- Organised and facilitated regional, sub-regional and country-based Traditional Owner Forums.
- Built relationships and facilitated partnerships between Traditional Owners and other parties.
Neil Begley - Project Supervisor
Neil brings extensive experience as a Production Manager with advertising agencies in Sydney, including Samuelson Talbot and more recently Grant & Associates. Neil has managed the development of advertising materials for major national accounts and coordinated the delivery of materials for major national advertising campaigns. He has developed excellent skills in project management and the ability to meet tight and demanding deadlines.
Neil supervises a range of projects at Balfour Consulting P/L including community engagement and consultation and market and social research.