Mia Swainson Consulting works with exceptional leaders, teams and organisations with the passion needed to make the world a better place. Mia and her team support public and non-profit organisations to be clear about their purpose, their impact and to resolve conflict. The mission for Mia Swainson Consulting is to empower people and organisations make the big decisions that matter, whilst having an overall positive impact on society and the environment.
Mia Swainson Consulting provides high quality strategy, facilitation, program design, program review/ evaluation, executive coaching and stakeholder engagement services. In all that they deliver, Mia and her team take a strategic, action oriented and collaborative approach.
Our team
Mia Swainson GAICD is an action-oriented facilitator, strategist and executive coach. She brings 20 years of experience in government, politics, international development and the non-profit sector to her consultancy practice. Her clients include the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Parks Australia, Policy and Cabinet Division of the ACT Government, the Australian Council for International Development, YWCA Canberra and Capital Region Community Services. Prior to establishing Mia Swainson Consulting, she led complex, successful stakeholder engagement programs in water, agriculture and climate change sectors. She navigated the web of political party politics through a successful Australia-wide election campaign. Internationally, Mia’s experiences include community development, peacebuilding, monitoring and evaluation in both Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.
Dr Greg Terrill brings more than 12 years’ experience as Senior Executive in the Australian Public Service. He has been CEO of the peak business group in Solomon Islands and has worked extensively with local people and governments in Papua New Guinea. Greg’s current roles include Chair, EcoCommons Advisory Board and independent reviewer of the Australian Government’s National Environment Science Program.
Julie Boulton is an experienced facilitator and strategist. She brings more than 14 years’ experience working in international contexts for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Monash Sustainable Development Institute. Julie has experience supporting diverse groups of people committing to a common purpose.
Our clients
- Parks Australia: Performance Criteria Review and Leadership Forum
- ACT Health Directorate: Business Planning Workshop Series
- ACT Housing: Evaluation of OneLink (Central Intake for Homelessness Services)
- Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water: Performance Framework Design
- Australian Council for International Development
- YWCA Canberra: Strategic Planning and strategic facilitation
- National Women’s Safety Alliance: Strategic facilitation
- ACT Government: Ngunnawal Community Engagement on Cultural Resource Management
- YMCA Canberra: Strategic planning
- Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s Behavioural Economics Branch: Business planning
- ACT Government, Policy and Cabinet Division: Strategic planning
- Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s Indigenous Affairs Group, Information and Evaluation Branch: Strategic and Business planning process
- Australian Government, Clean Energy Regulator, Small Scale Renewable Energy and Compliance Branch: Business planning
- Australian Government, Department of Infrastructure, National Water Grid Authority: Business Planning
- Australian Government, Department of Human Services, Fraud Division: Business Planning and team building
- ACT Government, Whole of Government Communications and Engagement: Strategic and Business Planning
- ACT Legislative Assembly, Ministerial office team: Team building
- Australian Government, Clean Energy Regulator, Communications team: Team building in a change context
- Canberra City Uniting Church, Early Morning Centre: Business planning and stakeholder engagement
- CARE Inc.: External Review
- SARRAH Summit: Strategic facilitation
- YWCA Canberra: Strategic facilitation
- Capital Region Community Services: Strategic planning
- A Gender Agenda: Strategic planning
Environmental and Social Responsibility
Mia Swainson Consulting gives at least 10% of business time to pro bono or ‘low’ bono clients. In 2021-22, 13% of clients were charged ‘low bono’ rates and 100% of clients were committed to public service, environmental or social benefit. Mia Swainson Consulting is owned by Mia Swainson.
Mia Swainson is President of the Canberra Environment Centre, and a founding member of Canberra’s Zero Waste Revolution. Mia’s book, Happy Planet Living, is about the simple ways to make a difference. Mia Swainson’s hugely popular 2019 TEDxCanberra Talk on How to Start your Zero Waste Journey launched her onto the Australian speaking circuit. Mia is an appointed member of the ACT Climate Change Council.
Mia Swainson Consulting is a business that’s committed to being a force for good. We believe that each person and organisation must be the change that they seek in the world. All business ought to be conducted as if people and place matters. Mia Swainson Consulting became Canberra’s fourth certified B Corporation, in May 2020.
