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Management Consultant & a 2009 Australian Who's Who of Women

Avril Henry is the founder of the Sydney based management consultancy firm Avril Henry Pty Ltd and one of Australia's most inspiring business women and female leaders. In 2009 she was included in the Australian Who's Who of Women.

Avril is a high knowledgeable, captivating and authorative speaker. Over the last five years, she has delivered more than 550 Keynote Addresses to over 50,000 people in Australia, New Zealand and Asia to companies and industries as diverse as CEDA, IBM, BHP, Department of Defence, ATO, Murray Darling Basin, ABS, Leightons Construction, Queensland Health, NSW Health, NSW Police, WA Police, ANZ, Westpac, Astra Zeneca, UTS, Macquarie University, CPA Australia, Telstra, Mortgage Industry Association of Australia, Fitness Industry Association, Australian Superannuation Funds Industry, Real Estate Industry Association, the Property Council of Australia, The Chamber of Commerce in four states, and various Singapore government departments.

About Avril Henry:

Avril established her management consultancy firm, Avril Henry Pty Ltd in July 2003 to focus on leadership, change management, talent management, diversity, recruitment and retention strategies. Just five years later, in 2008 her business was one of the five finalists in the City of Sydney Business of the Year awards.

Avril was contracted by the University of Western Sydney in 2007 to develop a three-year leadership program for their gifted scholarship students, which she delivers in addition to their academic studies to better prepare them for leadership positions in the future. 

During 2006, Avril completed a Ministerial Review for the Minister of Defence, into Recruitment and Retention in the Army, Air Force and Navy.   The recommendations of "The Henry Report" were accepted by the government in December 2006.  Following the review, Avril was appointed as a Strategic Advisor to the Chief of Navy, and joined the Navy's People Committee, being the only female and civilian on the committee.

In 2009, Avril was appointed a director of Living Years, a newly launched social media networking organisation focussed on bereavement care.  She was also the only female judge for the Leighton's Excellence in Construction Awards in 2009.  In 2009 Avril was appointed to the Steering Group of the Year of Engineering Leadership (2010); and an ambassador for the R U OK? Day (2009), which raises awareness of depression and its consequences in society and business, and how to support people suffering from depression. From  2007 - 2009 Avril was a Director of the board of Hands Across the Water Australia, a charity which raises money to build and operate self sustainable orphanages in Thailand for Thai children who lost their parents in the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. 

Avril Henry's professional expertise has been acknowledged with several business awards. In 2002, she was one of five finalists in the Australian HR Awards for Best HR Director.  In 2006, Avril won the prestigious Lifetime Achievement in HR Award at the Australian Human Resources Awards.  In 2005, she was a finalist in the Sydney Business Review Business Woman of the Year.  In 2008, she was recognised by the NSW government, as part of International Women's Day, as one of the 100 women nominated for the NSW Woman of the Year 2008.  Avril has been honoured in the 2009 Australian Who's Who of Women, as one of the most inspiring businesswomen and female leaders.

Avril Henry speaks about:

Avril Henry tailors her presentations to meet individual client briefs. Her areas of expertise include Leading in Times of Crisis, Leadership, Change Management, Talent Management, Managing Diversity, Women in Leadership, Recruitment and Retention, Motivating and Managing Different Generations, Conflict Resolution, Communicating Effectively, Flexibility, Building Winning Teams, to The Workforce in the Year 2025.

Client testimonials

Cutting through all of the generational hype and bluster one person stands apart: Avril Henry. She tells it like it is and she tells it from the heart. Her conviction is palpable, her research is credible and her anecdotes are anchored in fact.

Bernard Salt, Demographer, KPMG

Fluent, captivating and authoritive presenter. A five-star performance; the highlight of the Congress. Great help for future reference and challenges ahead.

Delegate, CPA Australia National Congress

Avril’s presentation was excellent, she had people talking about Gen X and Y for the whole Forum. Everyone was impressed with her knowledge of the topic, speaking without notes. She truly captivated the audience.

Institute of Body Corporate Managers

In the past 12 months, Avril has conducted a series of management workshops for me aimed at growing and developing management skills, particularly focusing on emotional intelligence. Again her energy and commitment to develop high quality managers impressed everyone. Avril is very passionate about people development and takes every opportunity to sell her compelling messages to audiences across Australia.

Commonwealth Bank

I now understand fully why you elect not to use a power point presentation. You managed to maintain the full attention of our guests for the duration of your presentation with your wonderful content and style. You are very obviously passionate about your topic and it shows. Your ability to hone in on this particular audience and the relevance to their investments was excellent. The feedback I received was that your presentation was very entertaining and fresh and that the facts rang true with so many present.

First Samuel Ltd

Avril is a clear and strategic thinker and an excellent sounding-board. She has helped me to improve my communication and listening skills through practical applications. She has also assisted me in enhancing my strategic focus across our organisation. Head of Finance,

Banking & Financial Institution