Nicholas Barnett

Nicholas Barnett is one of Australia’s most experienced board advisers, helping boards strengthen their performance, effectiveness and impact.

With more than 40 years of leadership, governance and advisory experience, he brings a rare combination of boardroom, executive and consulting expertise. Over the past two decades, he has conducted more than 300 board and governance reviews across a diverse range of organisations, including Dexus, GrainCorp, HESTA, Snowy Hydro and World Vision. His advice is practical, evidence-based and grounded in a deep understanding of what drives board effectiveness.

Nicholas combines extensive board review expertise with significant boardroom experience. He is Chair of Pro Purpose and has previously served as Chair of Ansvar Insurance, First Samuel and Ambit Group. He has also served as a director of Mission Australia and Stillwell Motor Group.

Following a successful career that included serving as a Partner at KPMG Australia, Nicholas founded Board Benchmarking and Insync Boards, which have become leading providers of board reviews, benchmarking and governance advisory services. He is a recognised author, speaker and commentator on governance, leadership, organisational culture and board effectiveness, and has authored three books on leadership, culture, engagement and transformational change. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (FAICD).