PROFILE
Investigating homicides, leading international teams into scenes of crisis and disaster is not your normal path to being a global keynote speaker and business consultant. It was this unique path that provided insights into leadership which are so different yet offer relevant reflections and learnings to businesses facing change, growth or challenges of their own.
Peter Baines OAM worked in countries following major crisis including Indonesia, Japan, Thailand and Saudi Arabia. His grounding came from two decades as a forensic investigator that saw him unravel the mysteries and discover the secrets of criminals thought rested solely with them. Prior to finishing his career as a forensic investigator he would spend time working with both Interpol in Lyon, France and the United Nations Office of Drug and Crime advising on Counter Terrorism and capacity building.
But it was the work in Thailand that brought the biggest change. In response to the needs of the children left without a home or parents he would form Hands Across the Water and commence fundraising in Australia to build them a home. Almost twenty years after starting the charity, he now spends much of his time helping other charity and business leaders on how they can and indeed should benefit from their engagement with their community partners through corporate social responsibility programs.
In 2024, to acknowledge the 20th anniversary of the 2004 tsunami he ran 1400km’s in just 26 days in Thailand averaging 60kms a day in the heat and humidity of Thailand, the equivalent of running 33 marathons in 26 days.
When he is not engaged in work, you will find him driving his tractor on the farm where he lives with his wife, Claire, raising cattle and nurturing the ground on which they live. His other interests that he embraces with a passion is as a helicopter pilot flying at every opportunity he gets and crossing the finish line of ultra marathons with his dogs Burton and Frankie.
In 2025, Peter was identified as one of the top five most influential Australians working in Thailand.
SPEAKING TOPICS
Leadership When It Matters Most
What it takes to lead calmly and decisively when the stakes are high.
Audience Outcomes:
- Make better decisions under pressure
- Strengthen trust in volatile environments
- Build alignment when clarity is limited
- Lead with character, not just authority
Experience Matters
Resilience, accountability and the power of collective performance.
Audience Outcomes:
- Strengthen culture during change
- Build collective ownership
- Increase resilience across teams
- Align purpose with performance
The Long Road: Resilience Over Time
Blending mental toughness with strategic leadership, helping leaders build resilience that is not reactive, but repeatable.
Audience Outcomes:
- Strengthen personal discipline under prolonged pressure
- Build organisational resilience beyond the first wave of energy
- Maintain clarity and direction when fatigue sets in
- Lead consistently when conditions are uncertain
Leadership Simulation Workshops
Step into pressure. Lead in real time.
Peter’s simulation-based workshops place your team inside a live leadership scenario where decisions must be made, information is incomplete and consequences are immediate.
Participants are assigned roles within a crisis response environment and challenged to lead, collaborate and make decisions under pressure. The experience reveals how individuals and teams respond when conditions are uncertain and stakes are high.
These sessions are ideal for:
- Executive teams
- Leadership development programs
- Strategy offsites
Leaders will leave with a clearer understanding of how they think, communicate and lead when it matters most.
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