Kat is an experienced leader focused on designing systems with and for people. She has 20 years’ experience spanning policy and advocacy, engagement, project management, system and service design, regulation and media and communications. She has led complex policy projects, managing sensitive relationships and establishing influence to deliver strategic initiatives across the government, not-for-profit and private sectors.
Kat currently runs her own consultancy, KG Advisory, and as an Associate of URA, provides strategic guidance, project management and stakeholder engagement services to clients trying to solve complex problems. Kat has extensive experience across consumer affairs, regulatory policy, financial and social inclusion, Native Title, health and human services and family violence. Career highlights include:
- Designing and delivering Australia’s first regulatory consumer vulnerability strategy, Getting to Fair, which she led while at the Essential Services Commission. While at the ESC she also worked on the implementation of family violence reforms, review and redrafting of water customer service codes, and set up the Commission’s inaugural Community Sector Roundtable, which is enduring and just appointed its first independent Chair.
- Leading projects including the implementation of recommendations from the Royal Commission into Mental Health, the establishment of the Regulator for Social Services and cost-benefit analysis for the Victorian Transmission Investment Framework while at EY.
- Leading Energy Consumers Australia’s (ECA) research program, including redesigning nation-leading consumer surveys and leading a consortium of consumer and community organisations to develop a joint advocacy strategy in the Australian Energy Regulator’s Review of payment difficulty protections in the National Energy Customer Framework. She was also responsible for the delivery of ECA’s 2025 Foresighting Forum and public launch of its 3-Year Plan.
Kat is Chair of the Board at Hope Street Youth and Family Services, Chair of the Legal Services Board and Commissioner’s Consumer Panel, and was previously a Non-Executive Director at CHOICE, where she Chaired the Governance, Culture and Ethics Committee. Kat has a Master of Law, focussed on consumer and competition law and regulation of emerging technologies.
Relevant Experience
KG Advisory, Principal (2026 – present)
Leading strategic projects for organisations trying to solve complex problems; providing expert advice and guidance,
strategic planning, project management and stakeholder engagement services.
- leading the delivery of a nation-wide evaluation of alternative dispute resolution schemes for energy, providing recommendations for better practice and improvements, and managing sensitive stakeholder relationships and collaborative workshops, with Consumer Policy Research Centre.
- developed the first advocacy strategy for GenWest’s Western Integrated Family Violence Committee including engagement with governance groups and membership.
Energy Consumers Australia, Associate Director, Research and Community (2023 – 2026)
Led teams to deliver the organisation’s research and community engagement functions.
- led an audit, review and redesign of ECA’s bi-annual surveys, including stakeholder engagement across government and Ministerial departments.
- redesigned and delivered ECA’s flagship industry conference, the Foresighting Forum.
- designed and launched flagship research into the future of energy technology.
EY, Manager, Strategy and Transactions (2021 – 2023)
Led the delivery of complex, large budget strategic policy reform, system and service design projects for the Victorian
government.
- led the development of recommendations for the Victorian Government’s review of its concessions program, including providing capability building support to the client’s team.
- led the design and delivery of a future state analysis to support the implementation of Victoria’s Royal Commission into Mental Health, including managing extensive stakeholder engagement in an adversarial, sensitive and highly complex operating environment.
- led the development of a Regulatory Impact Statement and developed options for regulatory design for Victoria’s new social services regulator, including facilitating stakeholder engagement with executive leaders across sectors.
Essential Services Commission, Project Lead, Vulnerability Policy & Research (2020 – April 2021)
Led delivery of the Commission’s first consumer vulnerability strategy, Getting to Fair.
- developed partnerships across government and other regulators to exchange intelligence and identify systemic issues.
- mobilised leaders and staff across the commission with a shared vision and purpose.
- built new community sector relationships including establishing the inaugural Community Sector Roundtable, which is enduring.
- adopted new and innovative engagement practices, including a citizens’ jury which saw the successful incorporation of co-design and consumer voice into the strategy.
Essential Services Commission, Senior Policy Advisor (2019 – 2020)
Led a review of regulatory codes governing consumer entitlements in the water sector, including drafting new codes.
- convened a working group of executive leaders in the water sector to develop code changes through a collaborative process.
- led capacity building activities in the water sector in relation to the development of more accessible customer communications.
Department of Justice & Community Safety, Senior Project Officer, Native Title (2018 – 2019)
Provided policy advice for the Native Title Unit and Attorney-General on Native Title, human rights, land justice and related
areas.
- managed a legislative review of the Traditional Owner Settlement Act 2010 (Vic) to assess compliance with human rights commitments, resulting in the design and implementation of new internal processes to enhance human rights best practice and compliance.
- provided scoping advice for the ‘first principles review’ including scrutiny of settlement contracts, issues relating to self-determination and free, prior and informed consent.