Peter Baines OAM

With a career forged in some of the world’s most challenging environments, Peter Baines spent 22 years with the NSW Police, including time leading international disaster response teams across Southeast Asia. He played a key role in the forensic response to the 2002 Bali bombings and was deployed to Thailand after the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004, where he led multiple rotations of international teams working to identify thousands of victims. These experiences tested his leadership at every turn and ultimately shaped his philosophy that true leadership is found not in titles, but in action.

It was that same sense of responsibility that led Peter to establish Hands Across the Water in 2005, a charity born from the devastation of the Boxing Day tsunami and a promise to help the children left behind. Since then, Hands has raised over $40 million AUD and continues to support hundreds of children across Thailand through education, housing, and pathways to independence. At the heart of its success is a model built on shared experiences—most powerfully through the multi-day charity bike rides Peter still leads each year. Looking ahead, Hands is focused on creating a sustainable future by growing its social enterprise, expanding vocational opportunities, and building a model where charity and business work together to deliver long-term impact without reliance on traditional donations.

In the final chapter of his policing career, Peter was seconded to the National Institute of Forensic Science, where he led national and international projects focused on building leadership capability and strengthening counter-terrorism strategies. His expertise was sought by global agencies including Interpol in France and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Southeast Asia. Following devastating floods in Jeddah, he was invited by the Saudi Arabian Government to assess their emergency response and provide strategic advice on crisis leadership. In 2011, he was deployed to Japan to assist following the catastrophic tsunami that claimed thousands of lives.

Peter’s insights have earned him national and international recognition. He was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2014 for his humanitarian work and was the first Australian to receive the Rotary International Professional Excellence Award. In 2016, the King of Thailand honoured him with the Fifth Class of the Most Admirable Order of the Direkgunabhorn. In recognition of his long-standing contributions to Thailand, Peter was named one of the five most influential Australians working in the region in 2025.

Peter is also an accomplished author and sought-after speaker. Together We Can is his fourth book, following the release of Hands Across the Water (2011), Doing Good by Doing Good (2014), and Leadership Matters (2023). His keynotes connect deeply with audiences—from corporate leaders to change-makers—offering powerful lessons in resilience, values-based leadership, and creating legacy through service. When he’s not writing, speaking or leading charity rides, Peter lives with his wife Claire on a rural property in New South Wales where they run a glamping business called Wildnest. A qualified helicopter pilot and ultra-marathon runner, Peter marked the 20th anniversary of the Boxing Day Tsunami by running 1,400 kilometres across Thailand in just 26 days—equivalent to 33 marathons— raising funds and awareness for the next generation of leaders supported by Hands.