S3 Ep4 - Brian Walsh - COVID + Sport = Issues Rich Environment

From a career as a journalist working as a police reporter covering some of the worst crimes in Victoria’s history to the Executive General Manager Corporate Affairs, Government and Communications at the Australian Football League, Brian Walsh has had an amazing career in issues and crisis management. In this interview on Crisis Talks, we talk about his formative years as a journalist and how the “high emotion” of dealing with people on their worst day helped prepare him for his role in a highly emotive and high profile industry he works in now. 

Brian discusses the importance of empathy and starting with the truth in any situation and how organisations that seek always to “do the right thing” in line with the purpose and values of the organisation tend to navigate their way through any issues. Brian shares some amazing insights into the league’s inner workings through COVID and the way they engaged with the different government, community and other stakeholders to deliver two successful seasons despite the logistics challenges they faced.  This episode is a must listen for anyone that is in the corporate affairs and issues management space, or anyone that is interested in the way that sports governing bodies navigate different stakeholder landscapes.