The Kennedy Company’s expertise rests on a substantial body of work and the wisdom, some say the ‘street smarts’, that come from lived experience.

Narelle Kennedy’s leadership gives The Kennedy Company the benefit of the following achievements:

• A unique collaborative evidence-based research model pioneered through the Australian Business Foundation, which operated at the centre of a vibrant community of Australian and international scholars, policymakers, opinion leaders and business executives to produce fresh analysis on emerging high impact issues for Australian business and the wider community.  This was backed by initiatives to translate and apply this research intelligence in practical outreach programs for business and policy decision makers.

• A back catalogue of almost 40 published research studies on innovation, future scenarios, globalisation, sustainability, industry case studies and more, produced by the Australian Business Foundation under Narelle Kennedy’s direction. To view some of these key research studies, click here.

• Responsibility for the conduct of ground-breaking projects to boost Australian industry’s capability and competitiveness, eg feasibility study for a Venture Capital Fund for regional Australia; import replacement and supplier networks in Textile, Clothing and Footwear Industries; a white paper on the Future of Australian Manufacturing; analysis of Australia’s productivity performance and its impact on the Fair Work system.

• Innovative developer of new models of business regulation, eg North Coast Planning Charter, Environmental Marketing Code of Practice.

• International networks from participation in IBM’s Global Innovation Outlook forum in 2004 in New Delhi and in a Global Leaders Forum in St Petersburg in 2007.

• Enduring engagement with regional development policies and programs, including student projects in Western Sydney in 1974, contemporary research on place-based policies with international experts, investigations into the effectiveness of various industry clusters, hubs and precincts and current service as a director of Regional Development Australia, Sydney.

• Success as an experienced strategic policy analyst and adviser, both inside the public sector and as an external policy advocate.

• Track record of exceptional intellectual depth, problem-solving and analytic skills, the ability to cross-pollinate ideas from different disciplines and to conceptualise and articulate proposals and solutions to interest groups and the mainstream community.

• A history of being a highly competent researcher and research project manager.

• Consistently demonstrated and highly developed management and organisational skills, across operations, finance, people and governance functions, through experience at CEO, senior executive and Board decision-making levels.