Associate Professor Robert Heath

Dr Robert Heath is a psychologist who has consulted nationally and internationally in management and communication issues since 1982, in crisis management since 1986, and in risk management since 1995. He has also worked as a counsellor, particularly advising in post traumatic and prolonged duress stress management.

His doctorate researched how business decisions may be shaped and influenced by the information made available to decision makers and how this shaping and influencing can alter decision maker confidence.

In 1999 Dr Heath was awarded the UK Business Continuity Personality of the Year Award. This national award recognised his contribution to the business continuity industry, particularly in terms of advancing the industry into the 21st Century. He is currently listed in a number of Who's Who biographies, including the international edition of the Marquis Who's Who in Science and Engineering 2002-2003 (6th Edition) for his work in developing risk and crisis management theory and practice.

Dr Heath was an Executive Member of the International Board of Local Authorities Confronting Disasters and Emergencies (LACDE) from 1995 to 2002 and was Chairman of this organisation's International Scientific Committee from 1995 to 2000. He is a Fellow of the Business Continuity Institute and a Member of the Australian Psychological Society.

His book, Crisis Management for Managers and Executives (Financial Times/Pitman Books, 1998) provides a definitive foundation for crisis management for mangers and practitioners in business and related organizations. This book is translated into Chinese and Russian editions.

Among many refereed and professional papers, Dr Heath has written a standard for the Business Continuity Institute on Crisis Communication and Public Relations and a chapter on the links between business continuity and crisis management for The Definitive Handbook of Business Continuity Management (John Wiley, 1999). He is currently writing a theory and practice text on risk management that includes risk balancing, consequential decision evaluation, emerging orders of risk.

His advice and practice covers a large range of expert interests including -- - identifying serial criminals (basic profiling) - physical and psychological security practice - terrorism - risk evaluation and management (community and organisational/business) - image, issue and media management - thinking effectively in pressure and crisis situations - designing and developing crisis management systems and coordination/control centres - dealing with stress and post traumatic stress disorders - negotiating in pressure-driven and in business settings - strategic thinking and planning - consequential decision evaluation - risk balancing - developing profile predictors of human behaviour - competitive and cooperative strategies and tactics.

Dr Heath provides regional, national and international advice to communities, businesses and corporations on virtually all aspects of risk, crisis and strategic management. He also provides development programs and undertakes speaking engagements in these areas.

• Risk and Crisis Management
• Strategic Management
• Decision Making
• Negotiation and Coimmunication Practice
• Psychology of Risk and Crisis
• Organisational Behaviour and Development
• Change Management
• Image Management

Australian Pychological Society

Business Continjuity Institute

PhD (University of Queensland)

BA (Hons Psychology)(University of Queensland)

BA (Hons English Literature and Language)(University of Queensland)

BA

• Risk Management -- theory, evaluation, management; integrated risk, risk bakancing, risk - outcome-consequential-evaluation (ROCE)
• Crisis Management -- psychology of, theory and practice, evaluation and audit, exercise development and conduct, business and commercial crisis and issue management, natural disaster management, human-caused crisis situations, managing in crisis and pressure situations, counterterrorism, hostage negotiations, command and control / coordination and communication systems and certres.
• Decision Making -- biases, heuristic, confidence in judgement, modelling
• Strategic Management -- evaluation and audit; corporate development; strategic business systems
• Human Behaviour -- under pressure, criminal/terrorist profiling, crisis incident debriefing and post-traumatic stress management, risk

I am able to provide media comment in the following areas of expertise:

Discipline: Management

• Business & Political issue management
• Risk Management in communities, business organisations, and government/political
• Crisis Management in communities, business organisations, and government/political
• Human Behaviour in pressure and crisis situations
• Government, public, and business management of issues, risks, and crisis situations
• Corporate Management (including corporate risk and crisis management)
• Disaster and Emergency Services management
• Negotiation (commercial, industrial, international political, seiges, cross-cultural)
• Transportation safety
• Psychological trauma management