Speakers Profile - Katherine Teh-White










Travels From:
Melbourne

Fee Range: C


Katherine Teh-White's pioneering social licence to operate methodology and problem-solving approach can make organisations more successful in this current era of fast-changing community expectations. Her approach integrates public policy, public affairs, risk communication, foresight, 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 licence to operate. She has successfully created a social licence for projects ranging from $40 million to $40 billion dollars eliminating regulatory and political threats through effective planning, engagement and capacity-building. Having worked on complex outrage issues from climate change to leukemia clusters and uranium mining, she has developed strategies that enable the issues to be resolved with company, government and community support. 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.

With an established track record of highly successful solutions for corporations, communities and governments alike, Katherine is a proven agent of change who benefits her clients and the affiliated stakeholders of the organisations she assists. The sectors that she has worked in include minerals and manufacturing, natural resources, energy, banking, telecommunications and media. Clients include: Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, OneSteel, Boral and the Australian Banking Association.

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). During her time as an executive in resource development she worked on a series of industry-wide initiatives such as the the development of a minerals industry code for environmental management as well as input into the development of the EPBC Act, NEPM for air quality and the Basel Convention. She also either ran the public affairs for major projects or reviewed the socio-political risks. Other functions included: reputation turnarounds, annual report, sponsorships, lobbying and communications.

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. Highlights of her career include: Tiananmen Square massacre, Bougainville, Woody Allen, Michael Caine and Luc Besson.

Katherine currently sits on the Advisory Board, Masters of Politics and Policy at Deakin University and is a board member of the Castan Center for Human Rights at Monash University. She is the former chairman of the project approval sub-committee of the Earth Resources Development Council advising the Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources. She has been a director on a series of boards including: Chairman of the Academic Advisory Board for the Bachelor of International Studies in the Arts Faculty of Deakin University, environmental purchasing specialists, Eco-Buy, independent private school, Ruyton Girls' School, public school centre, Alpine School for Leadership and women's enterprise-development, Business Matrix.