Edith Hurt

Overview

edith hurtA senior business advisor / consultant with considerable depth and breadth of experience in a range of industries and roles, including insurance/financial services, health, training & development and import/export industries.

Edith provides skills in consulting, change management, operational management, project management, program management and program office management. Using coaching and facilitation skills as a means of enabling others to perform their roles to the best of their abilities. Solid practical knowledge with a focus on balancing outcomes with the human factor is applied in meeting clients’ needs.

Key strength and strategic benefit to clients is in supporting those in challenging management roles in the face of daily change and aggressive performance targets, while helping to engender a positive working culture and developing techniques for achieving work/life balance.

Strong belief in the values of courage, optimism, determination, integrity and self belief, which are applied in developing managers’ “soft” skills and increasing their awareness of leadership qualities, political savvy and practical change management techniques. Processes to facilitate achievement of personal, professional & organisational goals include creation of “communities of practice”.

Often working as a part-time team member in the client’s organization, Edith assists in the implementation of practical business projects, such as setting up OH&S committees, implementing customer contact databases, or conducting risk management and compliance assessments, then guiding the hand-on actions which result from these activities.

Preferred engagement is on an “advice and guidance” or ad-hoc assistance basis. This can include external mentoring, high-level project advice and/or ongoing occasional consultancy, with an emphasis on cross-skilling and up-skilling senior managers and their direct reports. Involvement in teams as facilitator of team building or planning sessions provides practical assistance to many clients.

A Brief Summary of Key Skills and Experience

  • Strong strategic vision and implementation planning capability, including problem/opportunity identification and clarification; participation and influence at all levels of the organization; supporting change leaders through mentoring and peer support programs;
  • Inluencing and stakeholder management using sophisticated communication and engagement skills to reach consensus; strong leadership by example, working with key personnel, developing action plans for business delivery, while helping staff with their own performance plan achievement;
  • Effective standard practices implementations for HR, OH&S, business initiatives, project prioritization, project and systems development delivery;
  • Implementing and supporting HR processes, including high performance team selection, leadership and retention; coach, trainer and facilitator, one on one, small and large groups on a range of business, presentation and life skills.
  • Accredited Workplace Trainer and conference speaker with beyondblue, the national depression initiative (ING, BT, NSW State Library, Mercer HR, other).
  • RegPM Level 6 – Master Project Director (MPD) accreditation with Australian Institute of Project Management (AIPM).
  • Management Diploma 2004 Deakin University

Current Assignments

  • Change Manager embedding project management practice and raising professional status of PMs in large financial services organisation.
  • One on one goal achievement coaching with “C” level manager as they transition to a more senior role in a financial services organization.
  • Consulting to MD of SME as it transitions from “small” to “medium” status, assisting with change management, processes to support operational growth and staff role changes.
  • Conducting 6 monthly IT department “culture” survey for national financial services co.
  • Personal and Professional Development Director for Northern Beaches Business SWAP.
  • Presentation skills coaching for national power company.

Previous significant engagements

  • Chloride Power Protection
  • MLC; AMP; SSFS
  • Beyond Blue
  • Associated Customs and Forwarding (ACF)
  • Commonwealth Bank
  • St. George Bank
  • MBF Australia Ltd
  • Promina / Vero
  • Royal & SunAlliance
  • Sterling Software
  • Academy Bureau, London
  • Power Human Resource Development

Examples of Past Projects

AMP, Consultant 2006

Change Consultant, Project & Practice Management, IT@AMP

  • Design and implement an induction process for Project Managers and other resources working on projects.
  • Design and implement a process for user feedback on SDLC and Project Management methodologies.
  • Design, socialise and start-up a Project Management community of practice (CoP), including a successful three month pilot with self-managing CoP Committee

Change Consultant, Enterprise Architecture, IT@AMP

  • Design, socialise and start-up an Architecture community of practice (CoP)

Associated Customs & Forwarding (ACF), Consultant 2004 – present

Management Consultant

  • Risk Management and Compliance – eg: Implement and manage OHS process.
  • IT – eg: Manage 3rd party IT supplier relationship and IT projects, such as implementation of CRM database and company intranet.
  • Business Process – redesign inefficient processes while documenting key business policy and procedures and lifting staff competency

MLC, Consultant 2004

Project Office, Masterkey Program

  • Implement and run an administrative Project Office for the Masterkey Program

Promina, permanent employee 1997-2003

Program Manager, Business Model Implementation (BMI)

  • Facilitate agreement between MD and Executives for the new Promina business model following the de-merger of Royal and Sun Alliance UK/International and it’s Australian/NZ operations. Run the BMI Program to socialise and implement the new business model across Promina corporate, shared services and business divisions in Australia and New Zealand.

Project Office Manager, Vero

  • Design and implement a central Project Office for the Vero (general insurance) division, including PM selection criteria, PM performance management approach and tools, PM remuneration model, SDLC and PMgt processes.
  • Manage the Project Office, 20 project managers, 15 Business Analysts and the strategic project approval process, Executive Steering Committee process, being as strategic or hands-on as required.

Project Manager, Royal & Sun Alliance

  • Cross divisional data warehouse project – 3 stages over 2 years (Architecture/Design, Infrastructure Implementation & Data Population)
  • Introduce Project Management methodology to Life Insurance division by example – major system retirement project, data conversion & system closure
  • Instalment system enhancement project – 12 month BPR & system upgrade project used as a pilot (read “shining example” to both business and IT) for newly introduced SDLC and Project Management Methodologies