Peter Snowden Wilson AM

Peter Wilson has worked with, and for, some of Australia’s most well-known names including five Australian Treasurers – Cairns, Crean, Connor, Hayden and Howard.

When the Cain Government was swept to power in 1982, Peter was drafted to the Treasury Department under Treasurer Rob Jolly, and ultimately became the Head of the Department of Industry.

Peter then changed tack and moved to the private sector where he headed up major divisions of ANZ over the next eight years.

From 2000 – 2006, Peter was Head of HR and Operating Risk at AMCOR, responsible for operations in 40 countries with 22,000 employees. He initiated a forensic accounting and IT audit which exposed that the then CEO of AMCOR had been operating a cartel with the VISY Group.

In 2001 Peter was awarded the Centenary Medal, bestowed by the Australian Government to honour people who have made a contribution to Australian society or government. In 2005, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for service to business and industry, particularly through the development of workplace reforms in the areas of safety, rehabilitation and compensation, and for community service.

Today Peter’s CV boasts a list of Directorships, Board memberships and Chairmanships that is as extensive as it is impressive, displaying outstanding leadership across the business, sporting, academic and financial worlds.

Positions include Chair of AHRI and Immediate Past Chair of Vision Super, Adjunct Professor in Management at the Monash Business School at Monash University, Director of the Vincent Fairfax Ethics in Leadership Foundation, Chair of Yarra Valley Water and Chair of A.N.D. (Australian Network for Disabilities Limited).

Peter has also authored a highly regarded book on mentoring, Make Mentoring Work, which draws on over 90 interviews with Australian leaders from business politics and sport. The second edition with 100 interviews was published in May 2015.

Perhaps Peter’s experience will culminate when he becomes World President of WFPMA (World Federation of People Management Associations) in 2016. Peter is currently Secretary General of this organisation, the world’s peak body for the Human Resources profession across 95 countries covering 700,000 HR professionals.