David Austin

“If it’s not working for you, it’s working against you”

An experienced executive and negotiation strategist, David believes in this simple premise; when striving to persuade others and influence an outcome, anything that is not working for you is, by default, working against you. Put differently, someone else wins.

David helps organisations with strategies for tackling challenges behind questions such as:

• Why do we feel like we’re being “done over” by our contractors?
• ‍Why don’t we win the business we believe we should win?
• ‍Why don’t we get the deals on our preferred terms?
• ‍Why didn’t we win?

Central to David’s success in delivering profitable, measurable outcomes for his clients is the approach he takes. An outstanding communicator, David captivates his audience, creating an environment for people to be challenged, to learn and make positive change. David prides himself on practical solutions delivering real value. No nice theories here…

Experience

David brings more than 20 years’ experience across corporate and investment banking, commercial property, health services, consumer goods, government, manufacturing and media. He has experience working in both Australia and international markets.

With a proven track record of success with mergers and acquisitions, David has honed his skills in managing complex commercial transactions. He oversaw the commercial redevelopment and sale of over $1b of Department of Defence property assets. He also built and managed a $600m retirement and aged care strategy for Babcock & Brown.

David is keenly sought after by Government in providing strategic advice and negotiating complex commercial resolutions involving disparate stakeholders.

With a combination of strategic thinking and practical experience running businesses in disparate sectors, David provides clients with a genuine commercial advantage.

Specialist Focus

With a deep understanding of the human dynamics of negotiation, David applies practical strategies for influencing and gaining real value from complex negotiations. Key to this is understanding how the unseen human motivators impact on the achievement of commercial outcomes.

Qualifications

Degree in Economics from Sydney University