Leigh Gaitskill Email & Phone Number

Cape Town, Wc, Za

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

In the role as the Group Leadership and Culture Manager for DRA Global, an international engineering and project delivery firm, in the mining, minerals and metals industry. My experience at DRA Global spans across multiple disciplines of the group people and culture function. I help to shape our employee experience and am involved in leading and supporting several high-impact change management projects, demonstrating a strong capacity for detailed planning, effective stakeholder engagement, and an understanding of organisational culture to ensure successful implementation and adoption of organisational changes.

City Of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

In my role as a Senior Project and Change Manager, I was responsible for overseeing the project and change management of strategic people and culture projects across diverse global settings. My expertise was centred around applying fit for purpose change management strategies, ensuring effective adaptation and integration of new systems, ways of working and cultural practices.A key element of my role involved stakeholder engagement, where I focused on building and maintaining relationships across various organizational levels. This was complemented by my strong people leadership skills, where I led and nurtured project teams in a manner that promoted inclusivity, collaboration, and professional growth.Navigating the complexities of global environments and cultures was a significant aspect of my work. I tailored strategies and communications to resonate across different cultural landscapes, ensuring sensitivity and alignment with diverse organizational contexts.Strategic communication was integral to my role, enabling me to effectively articulate the vision and goals of change initiatives, thus aligning and motivating all stakeholders. Additionally, I focused on aligning these initiatives with the organization's cultural values, ensuring that changes were not only implemented but also ingrained and sustained.In essence, my role as a Senior Project and Change Manager was characterized by a blend of change management proficiency, adept stakeholder engagement, cultural sensitivity, and strategic communication, all geared towards driving successful and lasting organizational change.Highlight:- Recognised for significant contribution to the DRA Operational Excellence Programme- HR project management and change management lead:MS Dynamics 365 deployment LMS 365 deployment Global employee engagement implementation Operational Excellence - Change Management & HR workstreamGroup ExCo and Board reporting model and designTalent and Performance Management process

South Africa

I help deliver results through bringing structure, best practice and expert project, communication and change management skills to various business processes and projects.

South Africa

In my role as Senior Change Management Lead Consultant, I spearheaded the change and communication on a number of strategic programmes of work. These projects spanned across Human Capital, Employee Enagagement, Information Security and Group Technology. I supported, coached and directed the Change Management specialist and a number of project resources. As part of my role, I embedded awareness and understanding of the change management process and defined and implemented fit for purpose and bespoke change management processes and methodologies. I also led the strategic internal branding and positioning of Group Technology within the organisation, identifying and managing stakeholder groups, creating engagement platforms and conducting stakeholder reviews and reputational resettingHighlights: Established Change Management Office, processes, templates and methodologies.Strategic Change Lead – EOH Group Tech Transformation Employee Engagement Support – EOH People & Culture Change Management Enablement – EOH Group Tech Transformation Leadership Coach– EOH Group Tech TransformationGroup Technology Rebrand and Reputation Management

City Of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

I am a success partner working with Corporates and Individuals to achieve project and performance excellence through change management, communications and coaching strategies. Working with corporates to achieve business project success through effective team leadership, coaching, project and change management. Expertise in internal communications, change management employee engagement and project management. I also work with individuals to harness talent, unlock change, challenge the status quo, face challenges head on and create strategic, practical and implementable plans to achieve personal vision and goals.

City Of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

My role was primarily focused on driving positive employee engagement and facilitating organisational change through the development and implementation of impactful internal marketing and communications strategies. My responsibilities included enabling the execution of effective business strategies, meticulously planning, scoping, and delivering a range of employee marketing and communications projects that resonated with employees and supported the organization's goals, culture and vision. I also provided consultative, professional services to the Human Resources (HR) department on best practice internal communications and employee engagement strategies, ensuring that employees were adequately equipped to adopt changes, and that HR initiatives were effectively communicated and embraced by the workforce.I led a team of employee communications specialists, guiding and overseeing the communications strategies and assisting them in creating and executing communication plans that aligned with the organization's objectives. My leadership role extended to managing and executing HR employee engagement projects, where I ensured that each initiative was strategically designed to enhance employee experience and engagement.

City Of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

I helped business develop their internal communication and marketing strategies, executed and managed communication and change projects and delivered business unit strategies, employee engagement programmes.Key responsibilities:• Partnered with business to provide a high-end strategic marketing and communication services which included copywriting and copy editing, event management, campaign development and project management to drive effective change and entrenchment of business strategies and projects• Entrenching the business strategy through communications and change initiatives• Thought leadership and consultation on best practice• Lead, coached and enabled the Enabling Functions Communications team• Quality assurance and development of communication standards and guidelines • Defined the team vision and strategic objectives

Johannesburg Area, South Africa

I lead a team of specialists to provide strategic internal communications services to a unit of close to 20 000 staff across 8 divisions.• Partnered with executive leadership across multiple divisions and developed communication strategies in support of divisional objectives• Developed communications team strategy and objectives in line with Group Strategy. • Led a team of specialists; hired, trained and managed performance of individual team members. • Developed communication standards and guidelines and drove adherence to best practice principles across all business units.

City Of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

Coordination and management of the consolidation of all Group IT Communication services into a centralised, strategically focused centre of excellence. Establishment of the Communications Strategy, service catalogue, skills matrix, target operating model and resource model. Oversight and direction of all communications initiatives and leadership and management of the One IT Comms team.Key responsibilities:• Planned, implemented and managed the consolidation of Group IT Communications across 14 business areas into a single centralised shared service• Designed and implemented the service catalogue, skills matrix and target operating model• Developed and implemented the One IT Communications strategy and plan • Engaged and built relationships with Executive stakeholders • Development of standards, guidelines and templates for communications based on the One IT strategy and vision• Mobilised the One IT Strategy• Managed the One IT Communications Team• Stabilised the team environment through Change Management • Mentored, educated and coached team members• Developed and executed talent management & succession plans• Ensured that staff follow relevant compliance and training requirements• Directed and lead all IT Communications projects and events• Managed the One IT Communications budget

Johannesburg Area, South Africa

Established the Internal Communications Function responsible for execution of the internal and external communications strategy and plan. Oversight. direction and accountability for all communication initiatives Full accountability for all IS internal marketing campaigns. Leadership and management of the GIS Communications team.Defined, planned and project managed all information Risk awareness initiatives. Identified and executed internal employee engagement strategies. Strategic communications. Establishment and production of the first newsletter.

City Of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

Project Consultation, Operational Risk Impact Analysis, Change and Release Management, Stakeholder Management, Remediation plan definition and management.• Awareness and cascading of new Information Security policies, standards and guidelines• Facilitation of end-user training and information security awareness initiatives • Compliance reviews against information security policies and associated procedures (scorecards)• Programme consultation to accurately assess impact of technical vulnerabilities• Workshop facilitation to assess all technology systems• Management of remedial action deliverables and evidence assurance • Communicated all IT Security related audit findings and track resolution within timescales• Peer review on all technology changes logged in the environment• Mentoring• Stakeholder engagement

City Of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

Planned and executed an extensive number of Infrastructure projects at the Barclays Data Centre.• Management of all infrastructure projects from conception to closure• Presentation of project documentation• Workshop facilitation to define project requirements, goals, objectives Identification and management of project risks, assumptions, issues and dependencies (RAID)• Developed and managed work breakdown structure based on deliverables • Created project change control process• Management of project resources• Task definition and allocation• Progress reports

South

Jointly planned and executed the communications, marketing and advertising strategy with agency. Full management and execution of prestiige client events. Business analysis, process documentation and optimisation review. Office management and administration.

Johannesburg Area, South Africa

Started as a Regional Assistant to the IT Manager and within 11 months, was promoted to a Project Administrator. Shortly thereafter I was planning and executing a number of IT projects across various parts of the business. It was here that my ability to schedule, plan and execute work as well as manage teams began to develop.

National Diploma, Public Relations And Communication Science

Graduated in Public Relations with distinction

High School, Biology, Geography, Maths, Science, English, Afrikaans

Activities and Societies: Head of SCAMatriculated in 1993. Head of SCA, Chapel Prefect