Ric Willmot

Ric is a driven and commercially astute CEO and General Manager with a proven track record of improving organisational performance through a whole-of-business approach. He is highly regarded for delivering strategic and transformational change, strengthening stakeholder engagement, improving performance, and driving multi-million-dollar growth across complex organisations.

Ric specialises in professional and personal services firms, sporting organisations, not-for-profits, and scaled multinational businesses. His experience spans Australia, the Pacific Islands, Asia, and the Middle East, where he has led organisations through periods of growth, restructuring, financial recovery, and cultural transformation.

Throughout his career, Ric has consistently delivered measurable results. He successfully led a not-for-profit semi-professional sporting association through the COVID period, achieving significant growth and performance improvements over more than two years, including a 51.8% increase in total income, 61.7% growth in net profit, and a 198.7% increase in cash reserves, while reducing total liabilities by 73.8%.

Ric has extensive experience in organisational diagnostics and strategy execution. He conducted a comprehensive organisational audit across three divisions of a Philippines-based quantity surveying firm, developed a five-year strategic plan, and led an 18-month restructure supported by a robust change management and corporate culture program to deliver on the strategy.

In the private sector, Ric has consolidated financial operations, implemented cost-reduction initiatives delivering a 28% annual decrease in operating expenses, while simultaneously increasing revenues by $1.4 million, representing 18.55% net growth. He has secured Professional Services Agreements with iconic Australian brands and successfully positioned businesses for acquisition and buyout.

His commercial acumen is further demonstrated through the creation of new service offerings, pricing strategy reform, reduced discounting, and strategic partnership negotiations that doubled organisational value. Ric has also led not-for-profit organisations out of insolvency into financial strength by developing clear strategies supported by action plans, commercialisation models, government engagement, and grant funding success.

Ric’s management focus is centred on increasing performance and profitability, building organisational capacity, enhancing individual capability, stimulating positive change, and aligning teams around practical solutions and clear pathways forward.

He has attracted and worked with clients including Air Niugini, Bendigo Bank, Commonwealth Bank, CPA Australia (Fiji, Malaysia, PNG and Singapore), Grant Thornton, Mineral Resources Authority, New Hope Coal, PwC, Rider Levett Bucknall, and more than 100 other international organisations.

Ric has been recognised by Law Firm Marketing Masters as “Australia’s leading law firm management and marketing consultant” and “One of the Top 10 Law Firm Marketing Experts in the World”. He is the author of seven business books and more than 250 published business articles, including contributions to Russia’s leading business magazine, Svoy Business. Ric is regularly interviewed by ABC Radio and Qantas Radio as a trusted authority on leadership, growth, and organisational performance.