Burson-Marsteller

Bill joined Burson-Marsteller in June 2004 and has more than 25 years experience in government and public affairs, corporate affairs and reputation management, financial and investor relations, social marketing and media relations.

Bill is the global account leader for Royal Dutch Shell, leading multi-country teams that provide counsel and services across a wide range of areas. His other major clients at B-M have included Dow Chemical (Europe, Middle East, Africa and India), Kraft Foods International, L-3 Security & Detection Systems, Johnson& Johnson Europe, Colgate-Palmolive Europe, Bacardi-Martini, GlaxoSmithKline, Neste Oil Corporation, Government of Morocco and De Beers

From 1999 to 2003 Bill was Senior Counsel with Hill & Knowlton Australia, leading national and regional client accounts across the public affairs, healthcare, and corporate practice groups. His major clients included Invest Australia, Heinz-Wattie’s Australasia, Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited, Telstra, GlaxoSmithKline, National Australia Bank, EDS, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, the Australian Food & Grocery Council, Kellogg, The Woolmark Company (AWRAP), Multimedia Victoria, and numerous Federal and State Government departments and agencies. He also led training programs in media relations, crisis management, speechwriting and lobbying.

Between 1997 and 1999 Bill served as a Special Adviser (Media) to the Federal Minister for Health and Aged Care. In this role he was the Minister’s sole media spokeperson as well as key adviser on short- and medium-term political strategy, parliamentary tactics and legislation. Bill also supported the Minister in his roles as Regional Chairman of the World Health Organisation and Chair of the Program Coordinating Board of UNAIDS, and participated in a four-nation tour of ASEAN countries in August 1997 examining regional responses to the HIV-AIDS pandemic.

Bill previously served as the head of the Public Affairs Branch of the Victorian Department of Health and Community Services.

His early career was in national politics with the Liberal Party of Australia’s Federal Secretariat. From 1984 to 1986 he managed research, marketing and marginal electorate campaigns, then from 1987 to 1989, as senior adviser in the new Strategy and Campaigning Unit. He served as speechwriter, policy adviser and media adviser to the Shadow Minister for Education and Training in 1986-87, and as speechwriter and policy adviser to the Leader of the Opposition in 1989-90. He later served as a consultant speechwriter and adviser to the NSW Government.

Bill was a lobbyist and public policy consultant from 1990 to 1995 working on major projects including deregulation of the telecommunications industry, aviation infrastructure, electricity supply industry (ESI) reform and financial services industry (FSI) reform.

Other clients during his consulting career have included the Australian Superannuation Funds Association, Apple Computer, Acer, numerous investment trusts and financial institutions, and non-profit educational and employment foundations. He has developed and implemented regional and global investor roadshows for floats, IPOs and annual results announcements.