FIPRA Network
Public affairs is about being exceptional rather than just good: John L Richardson
Key to our success has been long-standing relationships with clients and with those in power, says John L Richardson, Director of Richardson Coutts / FIPRA Australia
From making a bit of a “dream start” as an Advisor to Australian Attorney General Lionel Bowen, moving on to head Corporate Affairs for the Australian branch of a blue chip global company, to setting up a truly bipartisan political consultancy in Australia, John L Richardson is in it for the long run.
A shared belief in maintaining long-term relationships with clients and those in power drew him to working with Stephen Coutts, who he knew since 1988 when they were observing the US presidential elections.
In 2007, they co-founded Richardson Coutts which together with FIPRA’s Network of Special Advisors based in Australasia, comprises one of the most successful teams of government relations professionals down under.
In this interview, John, who serves as a member of the Advisory Board of the FIPRA Network, shares with us some highlights and learnings from his illustrious career of over 30 years which involves a blend of political and corporate advising practice in government relations.
Tell us about your origin story
John: My first engagement with politics started straight after university when I worked as a political advisor to the then Deputy Prime Minister and Attorney General of Australia Lionel Bowen. I had the great fortune of learning from him and I believe that he will always remain a major influence in my life.
After 15 years of political advising, I moved into the corporate world with P&O Australia (later bought by DP World) and eventually started a multi-client advising practice in government relations.
In Australia, lobbying firms tend to follow a political persuasion, and we thought that it would be a good opportunity to offer bipartisan experience to clients. So together with Stephen, who has a strong advisory background with the Liberal Party, and me as a political advisor with the Labour Party, we worked together towards building our credibility across the political divide. We are happy that we were successful in achieving this.
Most memorable career highlights
John: I am happy that I have been able to get an in-depth experience of being able to advise clients across industries such as tourism, energy, legal and professional services, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage and so on.
To be very honest, the highlights in my career have been all the times that I have helped my clients to wade through tough but critical situations with strategic advice and support. It is these longstanding relationships based on trust, confidence and support from our clients, that have been a highlight for me in my career. And it is these strong long-term relationships with our clients, that have kept us motivated all these years.
It is these longstanding relationships based on trust, confidence and support from our clients, that have been a highlight for me in my career. And it is these strong long-term relationships with our clients, that have kept us motivated all these years.
John L Richardson, Director of Richardson Coutts / FIPRA Australia
Distinct characteristics about public affairs in your region?
John: Australia is a healthy democracy and that is very clearly reflected in the fact that government responsibilities are shared evenly by the major parties across various jurisdictions.
The bipartisanship in Australia at the moment is highly significant because both the major parties in power are in different states with an almost equal representation. And so we feel that having a bipartisan public affairs business is reflective of that reality and is therefore a good discipline to follow.
Australia as a political system also has a very strong public service and we at FIPRA Australia have always been focused on understanding all the levels of decision and policy-making. It has been our priority to maintain good relations with bureaucrats as they will remain even after the politicians are out of power. A lot of people focus just on current politicians, and we believe that is a short-sighted approach.
We are in it for the long run and we want to work towards reaching out to people and agencies that have survived and thrived regardless of who’s in power. This is an important strategy which certainly has helped us.
In the FIPRA Network, there is a mutual sharing of international experiences, knowledge, ideas and best practices which is beneficial and enables me to advise and help my clients on a regular basis.
– John L Richardson, Director of Richardson Coutts / FIPRA Australia
How does the FIPRA Network add value for your clients?
John: When you’ve been in public affairs for as long as I have, you get to understand and appreciate what makes an advisor really exceptional rather than just good.
What I personally really like about FIPRA, and what I know my clients are impressed by, is the quality of colleagues that are in the Network. There is a mutual sharing of international experiences, knowledge, ideas and best practices which is beneficial and enables me to advise and help my clients on a regular basis.
In my opinion, my FIPRA colleagues have an unrivaled understanding of their political and bureaucratic environments, through which they have helped me to shape responses and provide solutions to the challenges my clients face.
The pandemic has taught us that the world is small and at the same time remarkably diverse; and we need to be able to draw on and learn from this diversity of experience.
We at FIPRA Australia enjoy what we do, and I am pleased to say that Stephen and I have a great time with the integrated network of FIPRA colleagues and their collective intelligence, wisdom and know how is a great motivation for us.
(As told to Esther Read)
