Barbara Sharp

Barbara Sharp has over 30 years of work experience in the areas of public affairs, stakeholder engagement and conflict resolution. Barbara began their career in 1988 as a Press Secretary for the Minister for Health (Hon Caroline Hogg). Barbara then served as a Press Secretary for the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs (Hon Evan Walker) and a Feature Writer for Today Newspaper. In 1990, they were a Media Advisor for the Minister for Community Services (Hon Kaye Setches) and Press Secretary for the Minister for Primary Industries and Energy (Hon Simon Crean). In 1991, they were the Director of Public Affairs for the National Crime Authority. Barbara then worked as a Senior Consultant for Gavin Anderson & Company from 1994 to 1997. From 1997 to 2010, they were the Director of Offor Sharp & Associates, providing strategic advice and implementation for high-stakes stakeholder engagement in the mining, energy, infrastructure and government sectors. From 2010 to 2017, they were the Managing Director of Pax Populus, specializing in conflict resolution and strategic stakeholder engagement for high stakes projects. Currently, they are the CEO & Co-founder of Plaetos, an employee insight platform that provides Global 1000 company leaders with access to how well their employees' thoughts, feelings and beliefs align with the culture they need to transform.

Barbara Sharp completed a Bachelor of Arts at Deakin University in 1982, majoring in English and Literature. In 2010, they obtained a Company Directors' Course Diploma from the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Since then, they have taken courses in Leadership and Ethics at the Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership, and a Power and Society Alumni course in Ethics. Additionally, they have participated in a Getting to Yes Negotiation Skills workshop at Monash University and Conflict Management Australia since 2001.