VANESSA PINE
POLICY | ADVOCACY
STRATEGY | COMMUNICATIONS
ABOUT VANESSA
I have spent more than 20 years as a strategist, storyteller and activist, working on campaigns for grassroots charities, global corporates and political parties, in the UK, USA and Australia. I’ve been a Special Adviser in Government, Executive Director of a non-profit and an award-winning start-up Founder. I applied communications, coaching and strategy skills in each of these areas to make positive change.
In Government, I helped deliver statutory shared parental leave and gender pay gap reporting. In Australia and New Zealand, I managed the award-winning Share a Coke campaign and Australian Year of the Farmer celebrations. Back in the UK in 2019, I set up the first non-partisan leadership fund for women activists, which was subsequently named one of 28 political leadership incubators to watch globally by Apolitical Foundation. I’ve also made mistakes, lost hope, burned out and been frustrated at the slow pace of progress. I’m here to help others learn from my experiences.
My passion is inspiring and supporting people making change, be that personal, political or within your own organisation. These pages tell you little bit more about me and how I might be able to help you. If you like what you find, please book a taster session to discuss your challenge.
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Tell stories
Bring your team together with a workshop, craft brilliant copy, create compelling speeches, and nail your content strategy.
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Make change
Design strategic campaings, map your stakeholder landscape, research policy asks and measure your impact.
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Inspire others
Enhance your reputation with purpose-led employer branding. Get holistic one to one support for your inclusive leadership.
My Services
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Bring people together to craft new narratives.
Whether you need top lines, a conversation guide, a speech or a comprehensive communications toolkit, I can plan and facilitate workshops to engage your team and steer the content in the right direction.
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Translate the complex into the compelling.
I’ll mine your organisation for stories, transforming policy, research, data, spokesperson interviews and corporate jargon into engaging content. Together, we’ll define your tone of voice and create new materials for web, internal comms, live audiences or the media.
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Award-winning creative ideas that deliver real change.
With more than 20 years’ experience on grassroots local, national, corporate, political and charitable campaigns, I’ll help you refine policy objectives, define clear asks, and design a comprehensive strategy.
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Understand the power dynamics between individuals, organisations and governments critical to successful change-making.
I’ll help you map your stakeholders, clarify their priorities and refresh your campaigning tactics to persuade a broader audience.
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Establish and exceed realistic benchmarks for success.
Drawing on practical tips from my time in Government, in corporates, in non-profits and as a grant giver, I’ll share best practice in research and evaluation to help you secure internal or financial support and recognition.
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Protect and enhance your reputation by ensuring your rhetoric matches reality.
Whether complying with regulations or seeking to attract the best talent, your reputation depends on walking the talk. I’ll audit policy and day to day practices, help you define purpose and share that with current and prospective employees authentically.
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Research, create and evaluate powerful campaigns.
I’ll share my experience and tips for navigating stakeholder pressures, political opportunities and communications crises. Whether you’re starting from scratch or just looking for a tactical refresh, I’m here to help.
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Be a more confident, inclusive leader.
Blending my lived experience in leadership and advisory roles, with formal management and coaching training, I offer personalised one to one holistic coaching programmes.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY“I live and work on Kaurna lands in Tarntanya (Adelaide) red kangaroo place. I acknowledge the traditional custodians of these unceded lands and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are this land’s first storytellers and I honour them in my work. Kaurna spirituality recognizes the connectedness of people and culture with the worlds of plants, animals and stars, teaching us old ways and new ways to practice sustainability.
I am descended from British people who stole these lands, and created a racist system of government that denied the first nations people sovereignty, safety, dignity, respect, truth and connection to country. There is far more work to be done in dismantling this system and the attitudes it perpetuates today.
I share my experiences as a privileged white immigrant, practising anti-racist intersectional activism with humility. While I can never truly appreciate the intergenerational hurt those actions caused, I live in hope that my work contributes to a positive change now and in the future.”