Craig Coleman has more than 35 years’ experience working on complex and difficult projects around the world. Craig has extensive leadership experience in the development and implementation of multi-dimensional and challenging projects in the defence, mining, construction, humanitarian and disaster response sectors.
Craig's career has included operational duty with the Australian Army and commercial operations in Asia, the Middle East, the Pacific and Africa. Craig has managed large and complex projects funded by private construction, global development, mining companies, the United Nations, various military organisations and Australian and foreign governments.
Craig has worked in executive and project director roles in challenging projects and environments around the world including: ► land mine and explosive ordnance clearance programs in Cambodia and Pakistan ► security, logistics and garrison support projects in Papua New Guinea, Bougainville, and Nauru; ► construction, security, facilities, logistics and business development projects in Afghanistan; ► mining and construction projects in Burkina Faso and Bougainville; and ►agricultural and infrastructure projects in Cameroon.
Craig specialises in identifying the underlying causes of risk and develops strategies that significantly reduce the likelihood of risk events occurring.
Craig adapts to diverse and challenging environments by engaging with people and becoming familiar with their ethnic, religious, cultural, and tribal systems and by gaining an understanding of the issues and motivations of various stakeholders. He uses this knowledge to develop sustainable operations which incorporate local communities in planning, decision making, project implementation and dispute resolution.
Craig's expertise in implementing successful project solutions has led to his advice being sought by political and industry leaders and speaking and presenting opportunities in Australia and overseas at the highest levels of defence, government, think-tanks, peak industry groups and the media.
Craig has been recognised for leadership and dedication to duty through the awards of the Medal of the Order of Australia and the Conspicuous Service Medal.
There's a big difference between being culturally aware and displaying good manners. Unfortunately, some organisations confuse the two and believe their people are culturally aware when in reality, their people simply understand what constitutes good manners in the country they are visiting.
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In Afghanistan, an international engineer was conducting a post-build inspection of 50 km of road which had been completed six months earlier. The engineer was travelling in a vehicle convoy along the road with his small team of Afghan engineers and security guards and they would stop regularly to examine the road and associated structures.
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Each November marks the end of Year 12 for thousands of Australian school leavers and the start of the 'rite of passage' event known as Schoolies which is predominantly held on the Gold Coast but also held in other locations in Australia and overseas. Teenagers, some of whom have turned 18 and some who have not.
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There's no argument that organisations have a duty of care to look after their employees during international business travel. Many organisations facilitate their obligations through travel alert services provided by government or commercial information providers.
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An international construction company was building a road through a region in southern Afghanistan when their relationship with the head man of a local village started to sour. The construction company sought advice from their private security provider who told them to increase their security force by 1,000 armed guards.
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It's better to reduce the exposure of employees to risk than to simply plan to respond when incidents occur. Too often, employers implement safety and security initiatives that they believe are effective but when tested, reveal that they won't make anybody safer.
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Smarter thinking and better process saves lives, money, projects and reputations. Many organisations waste money on risk response initiatives that are either not required at all or are not targeted at specific threats or vulnerabilities. This article will look at the differences between likelihood reduction and response approaches.
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Employee tracking and monitoring is arguably useful, almost always controversial, and never well understood. There are an increasing number of devices, apps and systems available to track and monitor people who travel to, or work in high risk countries or work alone. It seems that each day a new gadget.
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Having medical evacuation insurance doesn't mean you have an effective medical response plan. Medical evacuation insurance provides cover for emergency medical transportation to take an injured or sick person to a place where they can receive suitable medical treatment.
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Travel safety advice and planning is an important part of corporate travel safety management. Many organisations rely on government travel advisory services such as Smartraveller (Australia), Voyage (Canada), Foreign & Commonwealth Office (UK) or State Department (US) but is this most effective approach for business travel?
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Travel to, and project work in less-developed or post-conflict countries will present risk to people assets, operations and reputation. The achievement of success in these locations will require a clear understanding of the threats that exist and the implementation of effective methods to prevent incidents from occurring.
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It's prudent for businesses that send employees on overseas assignments to assume that Australian work health and safety laws apply. Company officers and managers have a duty of care obligation and must therefore ensure that they fully prepare their company prior to sending employees on work related travel.
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