Thea Robotis

With 5 years' experience as a senior leader, I have steered strategic direction across communication, stakeholder engagement, and digital channel management to align with enterprise priorities. I have developed high-performing teams through capability building, coaching, driving continuous improvement and applying best practices.

Results-oriented, I employ a customer-centric, collaborative, and evidence-based approach to achieve strategic goals and foster meaningful and effective stakeholder engagement. My professional expertise is complemented by my experience working with regulatory, transport certification, and public transport organisations.

LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE (2015 - present)

MANAGER COMMUNICATION | Australian Maritime Safety Authority, May 2022 - present

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, I manage the Communication branch with 4 direct reports. I am responsible for AMSA's for communication and engagement strategies, digital channels, safety campaigns, digital service design, media relations, issue management, and the contact centre. I worked collaboratively across the senior leadership group and Executive Team to achieve strategic priorities and operational outcomes.

Key achievements

• Stakeholder engagement framework: Developed AMSA's stakeholder engagement framework which outlines the strategic approach to engagement and provides practical advice and guides on to how to consistently develop and deliver fit-for-purpose engagement, that is effective and meaningful to our stakeholders. The framework aligns with industry best practice and has adapted the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) spectrum of public participation.
• Project management: As the senior responsible officer, I successfully oversaw the delivery of the intranet redevelopment project. The project achieved a greater scope of work than originally planned, staying within budget and timeframe, resulting in a superior product and minimising post-launch business impact. While overseeing project activities, I focused primarily on internal stakeholder engagement to address significant resistance to the project and the changes it entailed
• Campaign management: Introduced an evidence-based approach to better manage AMSA’s safety education campaigns and support safety outcomes. This approach included user research to establish baseline attitudes and behaviours, user-testing of campaign messages and design, and post-campaign research to measure recall, recognition, and changes in behaviour and attitudes.

DIRECTOR MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION | Comcare, May 2019 - May 2022

Managed a team of 10 staff, with 4 direct reports. I was responsible for the Comcare's external communication and digital channels. I worked collaboratively across the senior leadership team and Executive Team to achieve strategic objectives and operational outcomes.

Key achievements

• Strategic direction: Led the establishment of Comcare's new external marketing and communication function, concurrently fostering communication capability within my team and across the agency. Through strategic thinking, I aligned external communication with Comcare's purpose and priorities, with an inaugural annual communication plan. This plan effectively consolidated, prioritised, and coordinated external communication activities agency-wide.
• Continuous improvement: Upon assuming my role, I overhauled the biennial flagship event—Comcare National Conference and WHS Awards—to reverse declining trends in customer satisfaction, attendance and sponsor interest. Through strategic repositioning, dynamic marketing, robust project management, engagement of high-performing staff and an improved product offering, the 2022 conference was successful. It drew 980 attendees, attained a 92% customer satisfaction rating (11% increase from 2018) and a 41.8 net promoter score, and regained sponsors' and exhibitors' interest. As a cost-recovery program, the event generated $1.08M in revenue with a modest surplus, laying a strong foundation for future cycles.
• Project management: As the senior responsible officer, I led the redevelopment of three websites—Comcare, Seacare Authority, and the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission. The project was delivered on time and within budget, and the new websites were praised by internal and external users for being customer-centric and user-friendly.
• Crisis communication: I led the strategic approach for Comcare's crisis communication in response to COVID-19 and the 2019-20 national bushfires. I collaborated with senior leaders and marshalled subject matter experts to swiftly develop accurate and practical regulatory guidance amid the challenge of non-existent information. The task required creating new and timely communication and content amidst evolving situations, providing crucial updates on employer and worker regulatory obligations during both the pandemic and bushfires.
• Regulatory communication: Led the strategic development of the 'Workplace Sexual Harassment: Never part of the job' campaign and provided regulatory guidance on work health and safety for employers, managers and workers. This included the delivery of the Workplace Sexual Harassment National Forum hosted by Comcare in collaboration with Safe Work Australia and state/territory work health and safety regulators.
• Digital channel management: : Successfully introduced new digital channels—email marketing and webinars—while optimising existing ones with strategic frameworks. This resulted in a substantial year-on-year increase in audience reach and engagement, such as a 107% growth in LinkedIn followers, and 4,400 e-newsletter subscribers to within 3 and 2 years, respectively.

MARKETING AND BRAND MANAGER | Bureau of Meteorology, Sep 2015-May 2019

Managed a team of 9 staff, with 4 direct reports. I led the Bureau's marketing and brand function across campaigns, stakeholder communication, customer satisfaction research, webinar program, email marketing program, brand management, and the national call centre.

Key achievements

• Operational excellence: Improved the operations of the national call centre to deliver a better service and customer experience. The national call centre team transitioned into my portfolio during a restructure. In less than 12 months the call centre's abandoned call rate reduced from an average of 30% per month to 6.2%. This was achieved by conducting an internal review of the service, and implementing new operational procedures and systems, setting key performance targets and monthly reporting, and building capability.
• Innovation: Introduced a new digital channel and product—BOM Webinar program—for business-to-business engagement and enabling the Bureau to deliver its content and position its expertise to industry. The webinar program was developed by adopting best practices, industry benchmarks, platform and internal buy-in to trial a pilot to show success. In its first year, the program achieved an average 42% conversion rate—exceeding webinar benchmarks.
• Marketing excellence: Developed the marketing campaign for the BOM Weather app, which was launched in October 2016. The award winning campaign contributed to more than 250,000 downloads—with 75,000 downloads on launch day. During the product development, I influenced the app's product name and icon design to harness the 'BOM' brand.
• Campaign management: Initiated the still used ‘Know your weather. Know your risk.' campaign to which amalgamated all communication across tropical cyclones, bushfire weather, heatwaves, severe thunderstorms, drought, and floods under the one umbrella campaign. In alignment with the agency's goal of 'zero lives lost through natural hazards,' the campaign differentiation the Bureau's severe weather communication from its standard operational weather information, which aimed to raise community awareness and prompt preparedness.

EXPERIENCE SUMMARY (1994-2015)

• Communication Program Manager (Enterprise) | Bureau of Meteorology, Jan 2013-Sep 2015
• Industry Liaison and Communication Manager | Bureau of Meteorology, Feb 2008-Dec 2012
• Marketing Communication Manager | Transport Certification Australia, Jan 2006-Feb 2008
• Communication Manager | ConnectEast Group, Feb 2005-Dec 2005
• Manager Project Communication | VicRoads, Sep 2001-Jan 2005
• Public Relations contractor | YellowPages, Sensis, Jan 2001-May 2001
• Communication Manager | National Express Group, Aug 1999-Dec 2000
• Public Relations Officer | Bayside Trains, Nov 1997-Aug 1999
• Corporate Public Relations Officer | Public Transport Corporation, Aug 1995-Nov 1997
• Advertising Officer | Public Transport Corporation, Apr 1994-Aug 1995
• Marketing Officer (MetTrams) | Public Transport Corporation, Feb 1994-Apr 1994

Employer awards

• 2024 Australian Maritime Safety Australia: Champion Award for Project Excellence: Intranet Redevelopment Project
• 2022 Comcare Australia Day Award: Workplace Sexual Harassment National Forum
• 2021 Comcare CEO Awards: Workplace Sexual Harassment: Never part of the job.
• 2020 Comcare CEO Awards: National Bushfires and COVID-19 crises communication
• 2017 Bureau of Meteorology Excellence Awards, CEO Choice, BOM Weather App Team
• 2004 VicRoads Major Projects Division Award for Getting Things Done
• 2003 Business Area Commendation Award: 2003 Community Open Day.

Industry awards for BOM Weather app marketing campaign

• 2017 Australian Marketing Institute Awards for Marketing Excellence: Marketing Campaign of the Year (joint winner)
• 2017 Australian Marketing Institute Awards for Marketing Excellence: Best Public Sector Marketing Award
• 2017 Public Relations Institute of Australia's Golden Target Awards 2017 - Government Sponsored Campaign (State Winner, Victoria)
• 2017 Public Relations Institute of Australia's Golden Target Awards 2017 (Highly Commended, National)