Robert Skeffington

For nearly 20 years, Robert Skeffington has specialised in helping senior executives manage the interface between public affairs and business strategy. He brings high-level problem solving skills honed through operating at the most senior levels of business and government.

Robert acts as a trusted advisor to a number of Australia’s business and government leaders, combining his background in strategy and communications to achieve positive commercial outcomes.

Robert was previously a Senior Advisor at leading global management consulting firm, McKinsey & Company. He specialised in strategic communications, reputation management, corporate strategy and regulatory affairs and served clients primarily in the natural resources and public sector. He partners with leaders as they navigate complex stakeholder relations to unlock the value behind their corporate strategies.

During his seven years at McKinsey, he was seconded for nearly two years as Head of Strategy at trans-Tasman media company APN News & Media. In that role, he led the company’s strategic initiatives, including corporate restructuring, asset sales and transformation.

Robert has an intimate understanding of the media, having worked as both a finance reporter in Melbourne and a political correspondent based in the Canberra Press Gallery. He was formerly Deputy Editor at business magazine BRW, and was a regular contributor to international publications such as the Wall Street Journal. His political experience was honed as a Canberra-based lobbyist for an industry organisation contributing to the economic reform initiatives of the 1990s.