Warwick Agnew

Lived Experience:

• I have a unique experience set as a senior leader across both the private and public sector. This includes execution and leadership driving towards a ‘for profit’ motive and for ‘public service’ objectives.
  
  
• My leadership journey commenced in large complex commercial transactions where success required laser focus and drive toward hard outcomes, however delivered in an environment with multidisciplinary and small high performing teams.
  
  
• As chief executive a core focus has been delivering organisational capability uplift and employee engagement in numerous organisations. This includes organisations with regionally dispersed teams, complex stakeholders and large multidisciplinary workforces.

Success factors:

• In leadership, you must take personal responsibility for understanding your context. You must act to understand the bigger picture and the ‘system” within which you are operating and then find meaningful ways to communicate the context to those that you are leading.
  
  
• In business and in leadership, everything is about a relationship, be it a relationship between people (professionals) or a contractual relationship between legal entities. Therefore, you must seek to understand through listening and seek to be understood through communication.
  
  
• Transparency is a key factor in building trust. If you have trust, you can take positive steps forward and people will go with you.

Core values:

• Invest in the growth of others and yourself
• Transparency, honesty and integrity
• Win the morning, win the day

Knowledge:

• The majority of my career has been focussed on advancing the Queensland economy and as a result I have a deep understanding of its regions, industries, economic strengths and weaknesses, and an extensive peer network in government and the private sector.
  
  
• As my career has progressed, what ‘balance’ looks like has also had to progress and change - however, over 30 years I have never taken my eye off the ball on maintaining a balance.

Career highlights:

• Commercial leadership roles on two major infrastructure projects in Queensland, each one from opposite sides of the public/private sector table - 2nd Gateway Bridge in Brisbane ($1.3bn project); Airport Link Tunnel ($3.5bn project).
  
  
• Director-General for three State Government economic agencies spanning local government, small business, employment, training, mining, land legislation.
  
  
• 6 ½ years as Government Champion for Lockhart River (Cape York) discrete aboriginal community.

Best advice received:

Every day just do three things:

1. Do the right thing.
2. Do the best you can.
3. Show people you care.

Favourite business model:

Partnerships - Anything that drives a partnership approach

Book recommendation:

Unbeatable Mind by Mark Divine

 Unbeatable Mind by Mark Divine - favourite concept “...one day, one life…”

Warwick Agnew | LinkedIn Profile