Our People

Paul Barratt AO

Paul Barratt brings to CEO Collegiate a unique combination of experience: thirty years in business-related areas of Federal Government, international trade negotiations in more than thirty countries, and four years working with Australia's business leaders as Executive Director of the Business Council of Australia.

His senior Federal Government appointments included Deputy Secretary, Department of Trade and Resources, Special Trade Representative for North Asia, Deputy Secretary, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Secretary, Department of Primary Industries and Energy, and Secretary, Department of Defence.

In his domestic assignments he concentrated on issues relating to natural resource management, mining and primary production. In his international trade assignments he concentrated on bilateral negotiations in areas where government support in difficult markets could add to the chances of success for Australian business. In both fields he had a strong focus on the role of leadership and organisational effectiveness in the development and delivery of strategy, and reforming governmental processes to achieve the objectives of government while minimising the costs to business.

Under his stewardship the Business Council of Australia's key priorities in the mid-1990s were making the case for industrial relations reform, business innovation, and Australia's response to climate change having regard to the well-being of the Australian economy.

He has an Honours Degree in Physics from the University of New England and an Arts Degree ( Economics and South Asian Civilization) from the Australian National University.

He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and of the Corporate Directors' Association of Australia, and is a founding director of Australia 21 Limited, a non-profit company established in 2001 to raise research funds to tackle complex multi-disciplinary issues relevant to Australia's future.

In 1997 he received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of New England, and in 1999 he was made an Officer in the Order of Australia, for services to public administration, public policy development, business and international trade.

Hugh King

Hugh King is a private sector lawyer and has been based in Sydney throughout his professional life. Since 1980 he has specialized in the broad areas of commercial law, governance, ethics and the process of government and has developed sub-specialities in serving the aviation, tourism and health sectors.

In 1971 he became a partner at Phillips Fox, which during his thirty years as a partner grew from a small Sydney commercial practice to become a major Australian law firm with offices also in New Zealand and Vietnam. He participated in the firm's expansion as a member of the leadership group over many years. Since July 2001 he has been an active Consultant to the firm and retains full access to its people, skills and facilities.

He has been a long-term active member of law profession groups including the Law Society of New South Wales, and since 1990 he has been a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He has been a director of Australian public and private companies and a variety of professional and industry associations.

He was an early national chairman of the Aviation Law Association of Australia and New Zealand, and from 1996 to 2002 he was a Director of the Regional Airlines Association of Australia. He was an author (Australian section) of the standard international law text Aviation Finance for many years. Having a deep professional involvement in the tourism sector deriving from his commercial law and regional aviation interests, has served as a Director of Tourism Council Australia and as an invited judge of the National Tourism Awards over several years. He has had a very close professional association with See Australia and with Tourism Australia.

Hugh was a committee chair (Aviation and Space Law) at the Inter Pacific Bar Association for some years. He has contributed law papers and seminar leadership within the health profession and co-authored a submission to the Commonwealth's Review of Private Health Insurance in 1997. In 1997-2002 he was a director of the Australian Institute of Health Law and Ethics.

He has a B.A. and LL.B. from the University of Sydney and is admitted to practice as a Solicitor in both New South Wales and Victoria.

Allan Behm

Allan Behm, a Principal and Director of Knowledge Pond Pty Ltd and a consultant to CEO Collegiate, specialises in political and security risk evaluation, and brings to CEOCollegiate analytical and advising skills and an extensive personal network throughout Asia, the United States and New Zealand.

Following a couple of years as a tutor in Asian Studies, Allan spent nearly thirty years in the Australian Public Service working in the Australian diplomatic service, the Prime Minister's Department, the Department of Defence and the Attorney-General's Department. He specialised in international relations, defence strategy, counter-terrorism and law enforcement policy, and had a two-year stint as General Manager in the Attorney-General's Legal Practice. From the mid 90s, as head of the International Policy and Strategy Divisions of the Department of Defence, he was responsible for the overall management of Australia's strategic intelligence relationship with the USA, defence relations with Indonesia (a critical aspect of Australia's successful intervention in East Timor) and broader Asia-Pacific security affairs.

Following his departure from the public service in 2001, Allan established Knowledge Pond Pty Ltd, an international group advising on political risk.

Dennis Rutzou

Dennis has been a public relations consultant for over 40 years with wide experience in Asia, the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States and Australia, and is a principal of Dennis Rutzou Public Relations (DRPR - www.drpr.com.au).

He brings to CEO Collegiate a considerable depth of experience in planning and implementing public relations programs for clients in industry, commerce and government.

Dennis advises on every aspect of modern public relations practice including strategic and issues planning, media coverage, executive communication training for public and media appearances and the production requirements of written communication in print and electronic form. He has handled clients in many different fields including aviation, tourism, food, wine, brewing, homemaker, investment, electrical, environmental, engineering, property development, fashion, motor vehicle and industrial relations.

Although Sydney-based for the past 30 years, Dennis began his career in Melbourne as a cadet journalist on a metropolitan daily newspaper and also worked for other newspapers, radio and television before entering the public relations field.

Today he keeps his journalistic hand in by producing and presenting the daily three-minute 'Business Break' radio segment on the North Shore community radio station FM99.3 that is broadcast by 15 other stations around Australia via the CBAA satellite link.

His lifetime enthusiasm for jazz is expressed by producing and presenting the extremely popular two-hour weekly radio program 'Jazz at Five' every Tuesday on FM99.3.

Dennis has served his profession as a President of the Public Relations Institute of Australia (Victoria). He has been secretary and a National Councillor of the Institute, and he was for six years the Honorary Editor of the National Journal. Naturally he is a Member of the Public Relations Institute of Australia, as well as The Food Media Club, The National Aviation Press Club and The Australian Society of Travel Writers. The consultancy is a Member of the Registered Consultants Group which operates under the auspices of the Public Relations Institute of Australia.