THE DECISIVE POINT TEAM

Brendan is all about supporting clients, particularly those who want to gain a competitive edge. Brendan has adapted many of his planning tools that served him well on military deployments for corporate clients that are seeking to align staff to a plan, clients who want to communicate with influence and clients who care about maintaining an advantage during periods of complexity and disruption.

No two stories are the same and Brendan’s story has a few points of difference. Whilst he may have grown up on the West Coast of Australia, Brendan was fortunate to have spent most of his career in the service of others. Brendan served in the Australian Army where he reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Through his multiple deployments in Iraq, Beirut and Afghanistan, Brendan learnt the importance of investing just as much time in the communication of a plan as in the development of a plan.

Brendan has managed to adapt a number of lessons learnt from the high profile appointments he has held. As the Unit Commander of the 1st Joint Public Affairs Unit, he was selected to deploy as the Head of Communication of the Victoria Bushfire Recovery and Reconstruction Authority in the immediate response to Australia’s largest natural disaster. Brendan was also selected to deploy to provide strategic advice during the search for missing Malaysian Airlines MH370. Brendan has had to face the cameras and lights directly when he fulfilled the role as spokesperson to deliver press conferences in the Middle East in response to high profile security incidents.

Since leaving Defence, Brendan has been a consultant for a number of years with clients such as the West Coast Eagles AFL team in Perth. He also worked in the education industry as the Director of Communication for Perth’s largest private school. Brendan moved back to the East Coast to take up a position as the General Manager Strategy for the Gold Coast Suns AFL team and he has been in charge of the corporate strategy and management of media for the Office of Commonwealth Games.

Brendan holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters in Strategy and Policy from the University of New South Wales. He received five commendations during his service in the Australian Army.

Chloe is a hard worker dedicated to delivering results and ensuring success for our valued clients. With her background in international relations, policy and strategy, Chloe brings great analytical skills to the TDP team and is an asset to the work we provide for Defence and Defence Industry clients.

In 2021, Chloe was awarded the prestigious New Colombo Plan (NCP) Scholarship by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The NCP program is a signature initiative of the Australian Government aimed at lifting the knowledge of the Indo-Pacific region in Australia and increasing the number of work-ready Australian graduates with regional experience.

In 2022, the NCP program saw Chloe spend 7 months in South Korea studying Political Science at Yonsei University and undertaking Korean language training. She then spent 2 months in the Maldives interning at Women & Democracy (W&D), a national leading NGO focused on championing good democratic governance and empowering women to participate fully in economic and political activities in the country.

In Chloe’s role at W&D, she coordinated and moderated an important roundtable discussion in collaboration with representatives from the U.S. Department of State, which brought together NGOs from all over the Maldives.

Chloe is passionate about giving back to the community, and annually volunteers at Bond Children’s Holiday Camp (BCHC) supported by the Sony Foundation. BCHC is a four-day-long camp held at Bond University for children with a disability and is aimed at providing respite for parents and care givers.

Chloe is currently living on the Gold Coast and holds a Bachelor of International Relations from Bond University.

With a background in international relations and business, Charlie exemplifies versatility and dedication. Her journey is marked by diverse experiences across various sectors, notably as a Policy Officer at The National Retail Association, where she developed critical thinking and analytical skills crucial for strategic decision-making. Her role emphasised policy development and navigating government legislations.

In 2023, Charlie’s expertise in international relations was recognised through her selection for the prestigious Japan-English Model United Nations Tour, supported by a New Colombo Plan scholarship from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. This accolade affirmed her academic and professional dedication, enriching her journey with international exposure.

Charlie is passionate about social impact which has been cultivated through her work with NGOs, including Share the Dignity and Cambodia Vision, where she leveraged her digital and communication skills to support their missions. A significant 12-week internship at The Decisive Point during her university tenure also enabled her to hone strategic communication and reputation management skills, applying her academic knowledge in a practical setting.

With a double bachelor’s degree from Bond University in International Relations and Business, Charlie possesses a profound understanding of global politics, policy, and strategy, particularly in International Business. These credentials, combined with her practical experiences, render her an invaluable asset to the TDP team.

Originally from Bundaberg, Queensland, where she grew up on a fourth-generation sugar cane and macadamia nut farm, Charlie relocated to the Gold Coast in 2021 for her university studies, which she continues to call home.

Scott has always had a fascination for international relations and cultures. Born and raised in British Hong Kong to Australian expats, he has spent a lifetime cultivating culturally diverse experiences.

With an international career across sales and marketing, the bulk of Scott’s experience is in the Australian creative advertising and branding space. Scott has worked on brands such as the Butchers Club Hong Kong, AMP Bank, Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream, Greyhound Racing NSW, Bundaberg Rum, Johnnie Walker, Talisker Whisky, NSW Cancer Council and Clubs NSW.

Having seen the direct effects of poor storytelling and misinformation during the Covid-19 pandemic, Scott followed his passion for international relations and made a career change to deliver communications and marketing for the defence industry and has not looked back since. Scott brings a passionate wealth of knowledge to both TDP and our Defence and Defence Industry clients.

A veracious consumer of information, Scott has a talent for combining a range of knowledge, disciplines, concepts, cultural references, and research methodologies to develop strategies and tactics that deliver honest storytelling to influence hearts and minds for our clients.

Scott holds a Bachelor of Arts (International Politics and Foreign Relations) from Macquarie University, a Master’s Degree in Public Relations and Advertising from the University of New South Wales, and has recently completed a Mini MBA in Brand Management from the highly coveted Marketing Week course by Mark Ritson. Scott plans to engage in further study as his career grows.

A self-described “Nomad”, Scott currently resides in Canberra; however, he is frequently traveling for one reason or another with his rescue Greyhound Effie.

He has worked in senior leadership and executive-level roles centred around communications and marketing in areas as diverse as professional sport, gaming, transportation and media.

Mark has also worked as a strategist for one of the largest private healthcare providers in Australia, with his remit covering areas as broad as stakeholder engagement, strategic partnerships, environmental scanning and internal communications.

A journalist by trade, after studying a Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Arts (Journalism) at the Queensland University of Technology, Mark became one of the first 20 people in the country to receive an Advanced Diploma of Neuroscience of Leadership in 2018, providing him with a significant understanding of how the human brain responds to collaboration, communication, change and decision-making. He has also undertaken study in areas ranging from strategic marketing to both individual and team coaching.

Mark is a well regarded MC, who has hosted everything from leadership events to tertiary-level graduations, conference panel sessions and even radio programs.

He is currently the Chairperson for Return Serve – a sporting not-for-profit which aims to create healthier lives and brighter futures for people through sport. As a past scholarship holder, Mark also acts as a corporate speaker and media talent for nationwide education charity, The Smith Family.

He lives in Brisbane with his wife Marissa, and their four young, sports-mad boys.

Kieron’s strength lies in critical thinking and complex problem solving, possessing the skill of being able to evaluate a myriad of information and subsequently develop strategies to position organisations to achieve positive business outcomes.

Kieron believes brand storytelling lies at the heart of any digital strategy and being able to align a message to a brand’s purpose is critical to forging connections with your audience.

Through the art of creative storytelling and active digital audience engagement, Kieron has developed one of the most passionate social media followings in Australian sport in a senior leadership role with the Adelaide Football Club.

The Crows were recognised as the most tweeted about sporting team in Australia in 2017 and maintain the largest following on the network in Australian sport. Kieron also has experience across new technologies (virtual reality, augmented reality, Chatbots), video production and digital project management across both desktop and mobile apps, with a heavy focus on driving commercial outcomes.

After three years in Financial Services, Kieron spent time at AFL Media, PERFORM Group and the Gold Coast Suns Football Club. He has overseen clients including FOX SPORTS Australia and the National Basketball League, while gaining exposure to the Australian PGA, National Rugby League and Big Bash League across his career-to-date.

Kieron holds a Bachelor of Business and Commerce from Monash University, majoring in Marketing and Sports Management.

Nathan firmly believes a client’s story, purpose and ethos should be at the heart of all that they do. It’s through this belief that Nathan understands the power of conversations to guide and drive the development of strategic communications plans to meet organisational goals and objectives.

Since graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (Journalism and Public Relations) from Curtin University, which also included a stint at the University of Oregon (Eugene, OR, USA), Nathan has held positions in digital marketing, media management and, most recently, commercial partnership management in the education and sporting sectors.

After starting his career as a digital marketer for Perth’s largest private school, Nathan has spent the past five years with Netball WA, West Coast Fever and Shooting Stars, firstly as a digital marketer, then media manager and now, commercial partnerships manager. Through his knowledge of the digital sphere, Nathan grew netball in WA’s digital following to more than 100,000 people, before pivoting to traditional media management, with a focus on driving the strategic media and communications strategy for the largest female sport in WA. Nathan now manages a suite of corporate partners for the sport, across a number of industries.

Nathan is highly regarded MC, hosting numerous functions and events in Perth, as well as serving as the on-court announcer for all West Coast Fever home games.

Nathan lives in Perth with his girlfriend, Amy, and is a passionate golfer.