Our people are the heart and soul of our business and share a passion for strategic communication excellence.
FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT
An accredited business communicator, and past global chair of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), Adrian Cropley is widely recognised as one of the world’s foremost experts and consultants in strategic communication. With a career spanning over 30 years, Adrian has worked with clients all over the world, including Fortune 500 companies, on major change communication initiatives, internal communication reviews and strategies, professional development programs and executive leadership and coaching.
At the IABC he implemented the IABC Career Road Map, kick-started a global ISO certification for the profession and developed the IABC Academy. Adrian pioneered the Melcrum Internal Communication Black Belt program in Asia Pacific and is a sought-after facilitator, speaker and thought leader. He has been a keynote speaker and workshop leader on strategic and change communication at international conferences in Canada, the U.S., Europe, Middle East, Malaysia, Singapore, China, India, Hong Kong, Thailand, New Zealand and Australia. He has received a number of awards including international Gold Quill awards for communication excellence.
Adrian is a member of the Program Advisory Committee for the RMIT School of Media and Communication, is currently chairing the IABC’s Big Ideas Taskforce and in 2020 was named a Fellow of the IABC.
DIRECTOR, CENTRE FOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE
Sia Papageorgiou is a multi-award-winning certified strategic communication management professional with a 20+ year track record of delivering creative communication strategies and employee engagement programs that drive understanding, impact and performance.
During the 12 years she worked at the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) she earned an enviable reputation as a versatile and results-oriented innovator. Throughout her career Sia has led high-performing, cross-functional teams and worked on major projects for clients across Australia and internationally, achieving results in challenging environments, delivering controversial areas of work and reaching disengaged employees.
Sia specialises in the development and implementation of best practice communication policies and standards, digital media, professional development, communication research, operational change management and comprehensive employee and stakeholder engagement strategies that will strengthen your business and create a happier, more productive workforce. A proactive leader, she offers a wealth of experience complemented by diverse skills in business impact analysis, strategic communication planning and risk assessment.
Sia is immediate past president of the Victorian chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), past director at IABC Asia-Pacific, and is vice chair of the Global Communication Certification Council. In 2020 she was named IABC’s Chapter Leader of the Year. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Media and Communications, a Graduate Certificate in Management, and a Diploma in Business Administration.
HUMAN RESOURCES SPECIALIST
During his 25-year career Patrick has gained extensive experience in implementing HR initiatives, particularly in remuneration, relocation and share plans. He is a collaborative team player and an expert at building successful relationships with people at all levels. His strong understanding of HR policies and principles and underscores his work on Cropley Communication internal communication and change projects.
Patrick helps clients manage the impact of change on staff and define how their HR processes will reflect the change. He also manages recruitment for one of the firm’s major clients.
MANAGER, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Tilottama Pillai ABC, is an accredited business communicator with over 12 years’ experience. Prior to joining Cropley Communication she worked as the Head of Communication and Sustainable Business at Unilever in Sri Lanka and has worked with Unilever in three other countries including India, South Africa and Malaysia. She also led Unilever’s Global Communication Capability.
Tilottama has worked on major change projects throughout her career including mergers and acquisitions and factory closures and has extensive experience in strategic internal and external communication including media relations, government relations, stakeholder management and employee engagement.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (Hons) and a Diploma in Public Relations.
PARTNER & GLOBAL FACULTY
Passionate. Motivated. Committed to excellence. Claire’s 30-year track record of leading global teams to collaborate, think strategically, act creatively, implement precisely, and exceed expectations delivers bottom line business results at every turn. With a flair for creative thinking and a strategic focus, she leaves no stone unturned in her determination to perform at peak capacity for her clients and students.
Her expertise encompasses research and measurement, internal and change communication, branding, marketing, public and community relations, advocacy and corporate social responsibility. Claire served as an executive for governments, private companies, associations and not-for-profits. She has taught extension classes for the University of Regina and developed unique training courses for the Centre for Strategic Communication Excellence.
Claire consults to global, provincial and national companies on their communication needs. She holds 33 international and 150+ national and provincial Awards of Excellence. In addition, she has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from IABC Regina, Master Communicator designation from IABC Canada and the IABC Chairman’s Award for leadership in the profession.
PARTNER AND GLOBAL FACULTY
Dr Amanda Hamilton Attwell was the first woman in Africa to be awarded a Doctorate in Communication Science. Over the last 34 years, Amanda has taught, coached and mentored thousands of communication professionals. She has worked with hundreds of organisations to demonstrate the value of strategic communication and has delivered significant business results for her clients.
Originally a journalist and a lecturer at the University of South Africa, Amanda has spent most of her career conducting communication and organisational research at the National Productivity Institute in Pretoria. In 2000 she started Business DNA as a communication and organisational research group. As her client base grew she extended her services to include training and implementation solutions.
She specialises in stakeholder research, measuring communication ROI, communication audits, communication structure, facilitation of strategic planning, communication professional development and the design and implementation of communication campaigns specifically to address absenteeism, unsafe behaviour and poor production.
She has served on numerous community and industry boards and committees. She was a board member of the Gauteng Chamber of Commerce and Industry for several years, is the past president of the Northern Areas Chapter and deputy president of the Africa Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).
PARTNER & GLOBAL FACULTY
Mary Hills is business principal of HeimannHills Marketing Group in Phoenix, a global consultancy that works with companies to develop, communicate, implement and evaluate change and growth initiatives. Her career has spanned more than 30 years with service at global brand name organizations in marketing, communication and leadership, including The First Wisconsin National Bank in Milwaukee, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, NiSource, Northern Trust, Center for Management Development and Whiteco Advertising Agency.
Mary serves as Adjunct Faculty in the Master of Science: Global Strategic Communication program at Loyola University Chicago, teaching organizational leadership and change management, communication ethics and law, corporate communication and the graduate capstone. She also serves as an MBA Visiting Professor at Keller Graduate School of Management.
She is a six sigma green belt and an Accredited Business Communicator through the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). Mary was named the 2012 IABC Chairman Award recipient, recognizing her work in advancing global standards in organizational communication. IABC Chicago awarded her the 2015 Karen Utterback Award. In 2016, she was named an IABC Fellow.
Mary speaks national and internationally about marketing, communication, standards and practices and leadership and is published internationally.
In 2021, Mary was recognised with the IABC Rae Hamlin award as a member of the Career Roadmap Task Force that developed a Career Assessment tool, enabling communication professionals around the world to assess their practice excellence against the Global Standard of the Communication Profession.
GLOBAL FACULTY
Martha Muzychka, ABC, MC is Principal of Praxis Communications, an independent communications consultancy based in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada and an accredited, award winning communications professional with more than 25 years’ experience in strategic communications and policy analysis in the health, social policy, gender, and natural resource sectors. A believer in lifelong learning as part of embracing change and uncertainty, Martha began exploring creativity strategies to make workflow, planning, writing, and communications practice more efficient, inspiring, and entertaining. Martha is an experienced, popular trainer whose workshops and seminars have been well received by adult learners of all ages. In 2015, Martha was named IABC’s Regional Leader of the Year for her contributions to IABC, and in 2016, she was named Master Communicator by IABC Canada for her contributions to the communications profession in Canada and the world through personal and professional excellence.
GLOBAL FACULTY
Jane Mitchell is based in London. She is an independent advisor to organisations, global and local, public and private, with a particular focus on supporting them in developing and embedding values and ethics programmes. From Codes of Ethics to values-based leadership programmes, and guiding Executive Teams, Jane helps organisations to connect dots that may be apparently disconnected. These include Rolls-Royce plc, BAE Systems, BP, Tesco, Schlumberger, Serco, Meggitt, Airbus. She has served as a member of the International Association of Business Communicators International (IABC) Executive Board, is a Past President of the IABC UK Chapter and past member of the EMENA Board. She is also a founding Board member of leading engagement agency Karian and Box, also based in the UK and is a Faculty member of the Centre for Strategic Communication Excellence.
GLOBAL FACULTY
Paulo Henrique Soares is the Director of Communication at IBRAM – the national entity that represents the companies and institutions that work in the mining industry in Brazil. Prior to that, Soares was Head of Corporate Communication and External Relations for Brazilian mining giant Vale S.A., where he worked for more than 21 years and was instrumental in building the communication department to cope with the company’s expansion from 9,000 employees in 1997 to 110,000 employees in 2016.
Paulo is also Director of Aberje, the Brazilian Association of Business Communication in Brasília and has served on the International Executive Board of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). He has won many awards during his career including: two Silver Dolphin Awards at the 2014 Cannes Corporate Media and TV Awards, first prize at the International Festival of Preventative Media, four IABC Gold Quill Awards and over 30 Aberje Awards, including Communicator of the Year in 2012 and again in 2015. The Holmes Report has included Soares on its annual Influence 100 list of the most influential in-house communicators around the world five years in a row from 2015-2019.
Melbourne, Australia
Phoenix/Chicago, USA
London, UK
Pretoria, South Africa