When a crisis hits, the first hours define the outcome.
Media calls are coming in. Employees want answers. The board is asking what happened. Social media is filling the silence. And every decision you make in the next 24 hours will be scrutinised — by journalists, regulators, competitors, and the public.
This is not the moment to be working out your response from scratch.
Senior Crisis Communications Counsel — Australia
Wilkinson Group is one of Australia’s most experienced crisis communications consultancies. We provide crisis PR and crisis communications advice to CEOs, boards, and general counsel across Australia. We are a small, senior firm. When you call us, you work directly with experienced practitioners — not account managers or juniors.
We help leaders regain control, get ahead of the narrative, and make decisions that stand up to public, media, and legal scrutiny.
The Crises We Handle
Over 24 years, Peter Wilkinson has advised organisations through some of the most demanding situations a crisis communications consultant can face:
- Data breaches and cyber incidents — managing disclosure obligations, regulator communications, and public response simultaneously
- Media pile-ons and investigative journalism — when a story takes hold and the coverage is escalating
- Regulatory inquiries and royal commissions — crisis PR counsel that works alongside your legal team, not against it
- Product recalls and safety incidents — protecting consumer trust while meeting compliance obligations
- Sexual abuse and harassment matters — navigating sensitive disclosures with care for victims and integrity of process
- Industrial accidents — fires, explosions, fatalities — crisis communications in the immediate aftermath and the long recovery
- Activist pressure and campaigns — understanding what is driving the campaign and what will defuse it
- Extortion attempts — managing threats that cannot be made public while keeping the organisation safe
- Executive misconduct — advising boards on disclosure, separation, and reputation recovery
Why Organisations Choose Wilkinson Group?
When reputations are at risk, organisations need experienced crisis communications advisers who understand the pressures faced by executives, boards and legal teams.
Wilkinson Group has advised organisations across Australia for more than 24 years, helping clients navigate complex crises, media scrutiny, stakeholder concerns and reputational challenges.
Led by Peter Wilkinson, a former journalist and experienced crisis communications consultant, the firm provides practical advice that helps organisations communicate with confidence during high-pressure situations.
Whether responding to a cyber incident, regulatory investigation, product recall or executive reputation issue, our focus is protecting trust, maintaining credibility and supporting long-term reputation recovery.
How a Crisis Communications Consultant Works
- We move quickly. Crises escalate fast — driven by competitive media deadlines, social media, and reactive politicians. We are available when you need us, not on business hours.
- We think clearly under pressure. Peter Wilkinson spent 30 years as a journalist before moving to crisis PR counsel. He understands exactly how reporters think, what editors want, and how stories gain momentum.
- We work with your legal team, not around them. Crisis communications and legal strategy must be aligned. We have extensive experience working alongside senior counsel and external lawyers in high-stakes situations across Australia.
- We tell you what you need to hear. Recovery from a crisis rarely requires only a communications solution. It often requires confronting, disciplined change. We will tell you that plainly — and help you lead it.
Why the First Response Matters Most
Organisations that respond to a crisis quickly, honestly, and with visible leadership recover faster and more completely than those that go quiet, minimise, or deflect.
A slow or evasive response does not buy time. It creates a second story — the cover-up — that is often more damaging than the original event.
Crisis Communications and Reputation Management
A crisis does not exist in isolation from reputation. How an organisation handles a crisis becomes part of its reputation permanently. Wilkinson Group combines crisis communications expertise with long-term reputation management counsel.
Read more about our reputation management services: https://www.wilkinson-group.com.au/reputation-management/
Crisis Preparedness
The best crisis communications work happens before the crisis. Wilkinson Group offers crisis preparedness as part of the Wilkinson Confidante retained advisory service — including crisis simulation, tested response protocols, and ongoing risk intelligence.
Learn more about Wilkinson Confidante: https://www.wilkinson-group.com.au/#confidante
About Peter Wilkinson — Crisis Communications Consultant
Peter Wilkinson is one of Australia’s most experienced crisis communications consultants. As Managing Director of Wilkinson Group and Chairman of Wilkinson Butler, he has spent 24 years advising boards and senior executives through crises and complex reputation challenges.
Before moving into crisis PR, Peter spent 30 years as a journalist — a background that directly informs how he reads a situation, anticipates media behaviour, and shapes a response strategy.
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.