Crisis leadership

21 & 22 MAY 2025

Executive Education

9.00am - 4.30pm

137 St Georges Terrace Perth

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Cost

$1750 or $1650 for current Curtin University students.

Don’t miss out on our Early Bird Offer! Register and pay for any masterclass before 31 January 2025 to enjoy an automatic 15% discount.

Please note: If this program is rescheduled or cancelled, a full refund or credit note to use at another Executive Education program valued at the same price will be provided.

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Crisis by its very nature, whether organisational, community or national, is an unprecedented event. Such events typically cause confusion and uncertainty, with little time to plan and prepare, and leading employees to look to leaders for answers.

Organisations need to understand the nature and impact of a crisis event, and how to augment the leadership competencies required to tackle such an event. Organisational culture is key to creating an environment where people are important and proactive crisis management strategies, plans and actions, a priority.   A crisis is the moment where leaders and businesses must rise to the occasion.

This two-day masterclass will allow participants to explore the tools, actions and leadership strategies to respond to the situation at hand. The workshop will focus on understanding the risks inherent in a crisis event, and the importance of proactive preparedness. Crisis management will be explored through a communication lens with critical roles such as corporate relations, human resources, health and safety and management more generally identified as key to effective crisis management.

About the facilitators

Dr Eileen Aitken-Fox

Dr Eileen Aitken-Fox is an expert and highly experienced industrial relations, people and culture, and organisational development professional. Eileen undertook a PhD in small business compliance and industrial relations with the Curtin Graduate School of Business, and is an experienced qualitative researcher.

As an industry professional, Eileen has worked in leadership roles in listed companies, higher education, and the not for profit sector. She has worked extensively in the Asia Pacific region, holding Managing Director accountability for an ASX listed organisation working across multiple countries and locations.

Eileen has extensive experience leading diverse and virtual teams as a business professional, and this experience underpins her theoretical skills and knowledge as a teaching academic.

Dr Katharina Wolf

Katharina is the lead of the public relations program at Curtin University. Katharina has 20 years of communication and media experience, as an educator and practitioner. Her industry experience encompasses communication and research roles in Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and Australia. Her research interests focus on community advocacy, civic engagement, diversity and employability.

Katharina is the Chairperson of the Public Relations Institute of Australia’s (PRIA) national Education Committee, a former President of the Public Relations Institute of Australia (WA Chapter) and national Board member. She is a regular judge of the PRIA Golden Target Awards for excellence in communication. Katharina is a Fellow of the Public Relations Institute of Australia and a member / Accredited Practitioner of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR). Katharina holds a first class honours degree in Media and Communication Studies & Spanish Studies from the University of Wolverhampton, a MA Public Relations from Manchester Metropolitan University and a Doctor of Philosophy from Murdoch University.

Dr James Earnest

James teaches and researches supply chain, operations and leadership discipline. James completed his PhD in post-conflict reconstruction in Kosovo and has worked in post-conflict countries for a decade. He has worked in public and private industries and the education sector, with expertise in project/program management, supply chain optimisation, logistics, procurement and operations management.

James has more than three decades of experience, as a practitioner and academic. He considers himself as more of a ‘pracademic’, senior global procurement, logistics, contract, and project management consultant.
James has experience in directing project management, logistics, procurement and supply chain operations in the manufacturing, housing, education, healthcare, utility, oil and gas (downstream), mining and humanitarian sectors (UN and NGOs).