Katherine Teh-White
Managing Director
Katherine's pioneering proactive risk management methodology and problem-solving approach can make organisations more successful in this current era of competing demands and stakeholder expectations. Her approach integrates public policy, public affairs, risk communication, a strong grounding in change management and an appreciation of science.
Katherine has led projects that have resulted in organisations recovering their regulatory or social license to operate. She has developed strategies that enable a client to achieve project approvals with less controversy than anticipated. She has also guided organisations on how to navigate new policy environments such as corporate responsibility, business and human rights, the impact of air emissions on health, climate change, transparency and accountability.
Katherine has successfully created social license for projects ranging from $40 million to $20 billion dollars and has worked on complex outrage issues from climate change to lead poisoning and uranium mining.
With an established track record of highly successful solutions for corporations, communities and governments alike, Katherine has proven immeasurably beneficial to both the reputations and the affiliated stakeholders of the organisation she assists. The sectors she has worked in include minerals and manufacturing, natural resources, energy, banking, telecommunications and media. Clients include: BHP Billiton, BP Australia, ANZ Bank, OneSteel and Boral.
Prior to being a consultant, Katherine was public policy and government relations project manager for WMC Resources (formerly known as Western Mining Corporation) and community issues adviser for North Limited (formerly known as North Broken Hill Peko). She started her career as a journalist at ‘The Age’ newspaper as an 18 year-old cadet. She spent most of her reporting career in business journalism including a stint at ‘The Australian’ newspaper.
Katherine was formerly the chair of the project approval sub-committee of the Earth Resources Development Council advising the Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources. She remains a sitting member of the Council. She is Director of Eco-Buy, the centre for excellence in environmental purchasing.
Skills
- Sustainable development policy and positioning
- Project approvals (strategic advice)
- High-level strategic communications and media management skills
- Stakeholder engagement and community consultation (strategy development, stakeholder analysis, risk and opportunity assessments, etc)
- Risk communication (‘outrage’ prediction and mitigation)
- Proactive issues management
Experience
In the world of sustainable development and corporate responsibility Katherine is a widely renowned and respected strategist, having worked on a vast number of complex issues ranging from:
- Sustainable development issues and policy challenges across the mining industry - such as for BHP Billiton sustainability positioning and reporting, WMC environmental reporting, Xstrata Coal human rights
- Provided advice reducing project approval risks (eg. Chevron’s Gorgon Project, Newcrest’s Cadia Valley, Jabiluka, Lake Cowal, Queensland Fertilizer, Olympic Dam, North-South pipeline, Marathon Resources)
- Secured complex project approvals such as the Hampshire Satellite Mill while working for North Limited
- Pioneered approaches to recover social licenses to operate about community-critical issues such as WMC’s Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter’s sulphur dioxide issues, WA, OneSteel’s dust issues in Whyalla, SA, Zinifex’s lead in blood of children in Port Pirie, SA and Blue Circle Southern Cement’s alternative kiln fuels in Berrima, NSW
- Developed transparency, accountability and engagement strategies that resolved community concerns such as BHP Billiton’s Port Kembla, NSW on radiation risks
- Created proactive cultural change programs for Alcoa’s Victorian operations and Department of Environment, WA
- Developed a regional strategy for the Gladstone industry to deal with significant community concern about health impacts of industrial emissions
- Participated in international and national public policy development including national native title, environmental impacts of major projects, toxic waste, human rights and corporate responsibility
- Advised on the reputation and outrage aspects of class actions and other litigation for corporations including Pasminco, OneSteel and BHP Billiton
- Reviewed the crisis after-the-fact for BP, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, and Shell
- Is a member of the Academic Advisory Board for the Arts at Deakin University.
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Arts (Politics and Communication), Deakin University
- A-graded journalist
- Qualified trainer
Awards and Recognition
Katherine has won a number of awards including the Golden Target award from the Public Relations Institute of Australia (1994), Telstra Business Woman of the Year private sector awardee (2001) and Victorian Women’s Honour Roll (2003). She has been listed in Who’s Who of Australian Women from 2007. She participated in the leaders group with Kofi Annan UN Secretary General at UN Global Compact conference, New York, USA (2004) and she has worked actively to engage Australian companies to sign-on to the UN Global Compact.
She is a frequent speaker on corporate reputation and responsibility, modern corporate governance, accountability, transparency, stakeholder engagement and sustainable development.
Her speaking engagements include:
- Addressed the UN Global Compact office, New York, USA (Nov 2008)
- Amnesty International Australia Corporate Responsibility Group Forum: ‘Challenges in Ethical Business’(2006)
- Presentation at Prince of Wales Leadership Group, session introduced and facilitated by the Governer General Sir William Dean (2003)