Peter Baines OAM

Peter Baines OAM has spent much of his career working in environments where pressure is high, information is incomplete and decisions carry real consequences. During 22 years with the NSW Police, Peter worked across forensic investigations and major crisis environments, including the Waterfall train disaster, Bali Bombings, 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami and floods in Saudi Arabia . These experiences shaped Peter’s understanding of leadership—not as a title or theory, but as the ability to remain calm, make decisions, build trust and provide direction when others are relying on you.

Following the Boxing Day Tsunami, Peter founded Hands Across the Water to provide long-term support for children and communities in Thailand. What began as a response to tragedy grew into an enduring commitment and a powerful example of purpose-led leadership in action. Twenty years later, Peter returned to Thailand to undertake one of his greatest personal and physical challenges: running 1,400 kilometres across the country in just 26 days. The Run to Remember reinforced a lesson that sits at the heart of Peter’s work: resilience is not built in isolation. It grows through discipline, connection, shared purpose and the people who continue moving forward alongside us.

Today, Peter brings these lessons to corporate, government and industry audiences across Australia and internationally. His presentations explore the realities leaders and teams face every day— change, uncertainty, responsibility, fatigue, trust and the pressure to perform when the way forward is not always clear.

Peter does not speak from theory alone. His lived experience gives audiences a compelling and practical perspective on what pressure reveals, what trust requires and how leaders can help their people move forward through change.