Experience

Executive General Manager,
Media and Communications, NRL

Executive Director, Public Affairs Branch,
NSW Police Force

Executive Media Adviser to NSW Police
Commissioner Mick Fuller

Deputy Director of News and
Current Affairs, Nine

National Executive Producer
A Current Affair, Nine

Executive Producer
John Laws Morning Show, 2UE

Detective Senior Constable,
NSW Police Force

Grant Williams

Grant Williams’ remarkable breadth of experience and skills developed over the last three decades, now see him as one of Australia’s most formidable practitioners in the fields of media, crisis, issues and reputation management.

Prior to commencing a long and successful career in journalism, Grant was a well respected detective with the New South Wales Police Force and performed criminal investigation duties for just under 10 years, investigating murders, armed robberies, extortions and complex and protracted fraud matters and also trained in high-risk negotiations.

In 1999, Grant was offered a position as a Producer on the Nine Network’s flagship nightly current affairs program A Current Affair. There he rose to Senior Producer specialising in long form investigations and also performed the role of Chief of Staff before moving to a Senior Producer role working alongside the hosts of Nine’s Today Show.

Grant was then recruited by John Laws, Australia’s king of talkback radio in 2005 and appointed Executive Producer of Laws’ morning radio program syndicated to 70 stations right around Australia.

Returning to the Nine Network in 2007, Grant was subsequently promoted to National Executive Producer of A Current Affair in 2009, a role he held for almost a decade.

In 2016, Grant was also promoted to National Deputy Director of News and Current Affairs for Nine with additional responsibility for the Network’s Australia-wide and International News and Current Affairs operations.

Grant’s multitude of skills and scope of experience placed him as one of the country’s leading media executives and he was nominated for a number of prestigious Walkley Awards along the way. In 2012, the ‘Power Index’ also nominated Grant as one of Australia’s 15 most powerful journalists and editors.

In addition to his news and program management responsibilities Grant was called upon to deal with special issues and crises of a highly sensitive and commercially delicate nature both within and outside the Nine business.

In early 2018, Grant left the Nine Network and was appointed to the Senior Executive of the NSW Police Force as Executive Director of Public Affairs, along with the additional role of Executive Media Adviser to the Commissioner of Police Mick Fuller.

As Executive Director he led the delivery of public affairs strategies and programs to enhance and protect the reputation of the NSW Police Force and drove the development and implementation of all internal and external communications.

He also advised the Commissioner on strategy on a 24/7 basis and assessed and anticipated public opinion issues relating to the Police Force, maintaining an awareness of economic, social and political trends that could affect its reputation or brand, while also ensuring fear of crime in the community remained low.

In addition to major and high-level criminal and terrorism investigations, Grant led crisis management and communications strategies for the NSW Police Force during numerous emergencies and crises, including the NSW Government response to COVID-19 and bushfires and floods.

Grant was also based for extended periods at the State Emergency Operations Centre during the COVID-19 emergency to support the Commissioner and lead crisis communication strategy across government.

In June 2022, Grant was appointed Executive General Manager of Media and Communications for the National Rugby League where he led crisis, issues and reputation management across the game and developed, promoted and maintained strategies to enhance the NRL’s voice, brand and reputation and drive positive coverage.

Grant left the NRL in February 2024 to commence Grant Williams Consulting having overseen media and crisis communications during what has been widely lauded as the most successful period in the game’s history, both on and off the field.

Grant Williams Consulting offers you an unrivalled level of experience to ensure both you and your brand are protected and best equipped to meet challenges and fully recover when your reputation is at risk.

The high potency mix of executive experience across policing, journalism, television, radio, public affairs, sport, crisis management and strategic communications is without equal.

In 2019, Grant completed the Australia and New Zealand School of Government ‘Executive Fellows Program’.

He is a benefactor of the Children’s Cancer Institute and a former director of NSW Crime Stoppers.