Julia Cookson
Business Transformation Specialist
Julia’s work bringing together a strategic workforce plan showed her exceptional skills in understanding complex environments, distilling information and engaging with people at all levels at Uniting. I valued the strategic vision Julia has, along with her ability to cut through issues to find the root cause. Julia also brings Executive presence and a broad set of skills from her extensive background.
Shane Leversha,
General Manager People & Culture, Uniting Vic Tas
Julia is an interim executive, qualified Director, and Chair of Advisory Boards with over 25 years of senior leadership, strategic development, and executive experience.
She is a catalyst for organisational transformation, crafting bespoke strategic workforce plans, HR blueprints and stepping into senior HR roles to lead intricate transitions. Her strength is knowing how to engage people, which comes from her Psychology Degree, deep human resources and change experience combined with her governance, strategy, finance and risk expertise.
Julia has a keen interest in governance and supports NFP Boards to turbocharge board performance and structures to drive smarter, swifter decision making.
Capabilities
Transformation and change
- organisational design review/strategy
- workshop facilitation
People, culture and wellbeing
- interim HR executive/consulting
- HR strategy
- strategy workforce plans
- organisational change strategy/management
- talent strategy development
- culture audits/advisory
Strategy, risk and governance
- board recruitment
- board evaluation/development/mentoring
Clients
EduGrowth
East Gippsland Marketing
Uniting Vic Tas
Neami National
Housing Industry Association
Qualifications and recognition
Telstra Business Women - Innovation
Master of Commerce
Australian Institute of Company Directors
Certified Chair, Advisory Boards
Director, Lorne Community Hospital
Chair F&A, Connect Health
Chair, Project Respect
"I engaged Julia as a consultant/interim executive, and later appointed her as Executive Director People and Culture to lead a change process in the Victoria Parliament. I based my decision on her reputation and work at the VBA and Uniting Vic Tas.
Julia was appointed to lead the development of a new strategy to reposition DPS in light of a range of new post-pandemic challenges and growth. Initially as a Consultant/Interim and subsequently as Executive Director, Julia engaged with a broad range of challenging stakeholders, in a politically charged and contested environment characterised by a range of entrenched and competing cultures to develop a people and culture strategy and roadmap that was successfully adopted and was in implementation when I left Parliament. I found Julia to be a natural leader, curious and discerning, able to synthesize often conflicting viewpoints and negotiate common ground that moved the agenda forward to address some of our key culture and performance issues. While leading strategically, Julia was also responsible for the People & Culture Directorate operations, including Industrial Relations and Remuneration matters. This required her to deal with politically sensitive day-to-day employment issues involving Members of Parliament and their staff. She established herself quickly as a trusted advisor and problem solver.
I have no hesitation in recommending her services: her ability to enter a new organisation, quickly read the landscape, develop rapport with key stakeholders, and develop a reputation of a trusted professional partner was a big part of her successful work at Parliament.”
Peter Lochert,
Secretary, Department of Parliamentary Services
"Julia delivered modules to health board directors and senior leaders as part of the Victorian Healthcare Association's Health Board Essentials program. Julia consistently received outstanding feedback from participants, particularly regarding her ability to bring the content to life with real life, practical examples. It was a pleasure to work with Julia in the lead up and during delivery of these sessions; she was always prepared and provided great insights and suggestions."
Giulia Portelli,
Learning and Development Manager, Victorian Healthcare Association
