Senior counsel when the stakes are highest
Clear judgment in moments that matter
Outcomes that build reputation
Peter Wilkinson brings 24 years of crisis and reputation counsel, shaped by 30 years as a journalist. His senior specialists will guide you through demanding communication challenges.
Peter is Chair of Wilkinson Butler, a leading corporate affairs agency
About
Wilkinson Group comprises a small, senior team. Every client works directly with experienced practitioners.
Wilkinson Group is the firm to call when the stakes are high and the margin for error is low. We provide senior counsel in two areas: reputation management (a specific advanced service called Wilkinson Confidante) and crisis communications.
Wilkinson Confidante: Our model is deliberate. We work with a select group of organisations on a long-term basis, so we understand your business deeply and build your reputation. We build trust, aligning behaviours, communications, and culture with the expectations of customers, employees, and the community.
Crisis Comms: We’re leaders in the field. We’ve been doing it for 24 years. We help leaders regain control, get ahead of the narrative, and make decisions that stand up to public, media, and other scrutiny. No layers. No churn. Just senior counsel moving fast, thinking clearly.
1.
Building Reputation
Reputation is the expression of what an organisation does, how it behaves, and how its decisions land with the people who matter, externally and internally.
Our team works with leaders to build reputation deliberately — aligning communications strategy to the business plan, and embedding the behaviours and disciplines that build lasting trust.
Pressure on reputation comes from everywhere: employees, customers, regulators, journalists, and communities. All expect transparency, honesty, and follow-through.
In an environment where scrutiny is constant and information moves instantly, reputation is not a branding exercise — it is the ongoing discipline of making decisions that stand up, and communicating them with clarity.
2.
Crisis Communications
Peter has helped organisations through some of the toughest situations a leader can face — data theft, media pile-ons, industry shake-ups, product recalls, court cases and inquiries, activist pressure, pollution incidents, extortion attempts, sexual abuse and harassment matters, and major fires and explosions.
Crises can escalate fast — driven by a sceptical public, social media, competitive media deadlines, or reactive politicians.
And recovery is rarely just a communications challenge — it often requires confronting, disciplined change.
We help you lead through it — and come out with your reputation stronger.
Peter is Managing Director of Wilkinson Group & Chairman of Wilkinson Butler.
He has spent 24 years advising boards and senior executives through crises and complex reputation challenges — drawing on 30 years prior experience as a journalist.
That combination — deep practitioner judgment and the ability to understand how media, public opinion, and stakeholder dynamics interact — defines his advice.
Peter is a member of Reputation Advisors International, a global network of crisis and reputation professionals, and is a past Chair of the Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom, which advocates for media freedom in Australia and the Asia Pacific.
Peter’s skill is ensuring boards and executives can handle a crisis with confidence.
About
Wilkinson Group comprises a small, senior team. Every client works directly with experienced practitioners.