FAQs
ABOUT THE FIRM
What does Highett Partners do?
Highett Partners provides communications strategy and language counsel for organisations navigating high-stakes corporate events — enterprise bargaining, workforce restructure, leadership transition, and ESG disclosure. We provide the thinking, the framework, and the language. We do not manage the process, own the change programme, or sit in every meeting. The principals are in the room when it matters, not at every meeting.
How is Highett Partners different from a general communications agency?
We operate only at the strategy and language level in four specific service areas. We do not manage media, run campaigns, or provide general internal communications services. Most communications agencies offer a broad range of services and staff engagements with teams of varying seniority. We work with a small number of clients at any time, and the principals are directly accountable for the work. Our value is concentration and specialist judgment, not breadth or headcount.
Why only four practice areas?
Because concentrating on them means we do them well. Enterprise bargaining, workforce change, and leadership transition are the three recurring high-pain trigger events where organisations are most exposed. ESG disclosure has entered that category as mandatory reporting obligations have taken hold. Outside these areas, we are not the right firm.
Where are you based and do you work nationally?
We are Melbourne-based but work with clients across Australia. The nature of our work — strategy and language counsel — means many engagements are conducted remotely, with in-person attendance for the moments where physical presence matters: the first substantive brief, key decision points, and critical announcement preparation.
OUR SERVICES
Do you provide execution as well as strategy?
We provide the strategy and the language — which includes writing the specific communications that leaders deliver. What we do not do is manage the distribution, own the change programme, brief the media on an ongoing basis, or take responsibility for implementation. Our role ends at the point where the strategy and materials are in the hands of the people who will deliver them. That distinction is deliberate and it is the reason clients engage us rather than a full-service agency.
Can you work alongside our existing communications team or agency?
Yes, and we do so regularly. Many of our clients have in-house communications capability or a retained agency relationship. Our role is typically to provide the specialist strategy and language for the specific trigger event, which the internal team or agency then integrates into their broader communications activity. We are clear about scope at the outset and do not create overlap or confusion about accountability.
Do you work with employment lawyers and HR advisers?
Yes. Often, we are introduced through employment lawyers, executive search firms, management consultants, or HR advisory firms who recognise that communications strategy is outside their scope but essential to the outcome their client is trying to achieve. We work closely alongside legal advisers — we never give legal advice, and we never substitute for it, but the communications strategy and the legal strategy need to be developed in parallel rather than sequentially. We are experienced at navigating that boundary.
Do you provide media training?
Preparing leaders for media engagement is a component of many of our engagements — particularly leadership transition and workforce change work where a CEO may need to address media questions arising from an announcement. We advise on what to say, how to say it, and how to handle the predictable difficult questions. If a client requires formal media training as a separate programme, we can recommend specialist providers.
ENGAGEMENT MODEL
How does a typical engagement begin?
With a direct conversation. There is no credentials deck, no capability statement, and no proposal until we understand the situation. Most engagements begin with a call or meeting where the client describes what is happening and we assess whether we can add value. If we can, we scope the work and agree a fixed fee. If we cannot — because the situation is outside our practice areas, or because the timing does not allow us to do the work properly — we say so.
Do you work on retainer or project basis?
Project basis, scoped and fixed-fee. Engagements are defined by outcome rather than hours. We do not offer retained communications counsel because the nature of our work — high-stakes trigger events — does not suit a retainer model. An enterprise bargaining engagement may run for several months; a leadership transition announcement may be completed in a week. The scope and fee reflect the situation, not a monthly billing cycle.
How quickly can you start?
We maintain capacity to take on urgent work. The nature of most of our practice areas — EBA notifications, redundancy announcements, unexpected leadership departures — means that timing is rarely predictable. If an engagement requires an immediate start, contact us directly. We will be clear about our current capacity and, if we cannot take on the work ourselves, we will tell you that promptly rather than manage expectations poorly.
How many clients do you work with at any one time?
A small number. This is deliberate. The quality of the work requires attention, not scale. When a client is in the middle of an EBA negotiation or a restructure announcement, they need to be able to reach us and get a response that reflects genuine focus on their situation, not a relationship managed by a junior team member.
FEES AND SCOPE
What does an engagement cost?
Fees are scoped individually based on the complexity and duration of the engagement. All fees are quoted exclusive of GST.
Are fees fixed or can they change during an engagement?
Fees are fixed at the point of scoping. If the scope changes materially — for example, if an EBA negotiation extends significantly beyond the agreed timeline, or if a leadership transition announcement expands to include a broader communications programme — we discuss and agree any variation before proceeding with the additional work. We do not expand scope and invoice for it retrospectively.
Do you charge for the initial conversation?
No. The initial conversation — however long it takes to understand the situation properly — is without charge. We do not start the clock until we have agreed a scope and a fee. If the initial conversation leads to a conclusion that we are not the right fit or that the work is outside our practice areas, there is nothing to pay.
CONFIDENTIALITY AND DISCRETION
How confidential is the work?
Completely. We do not publicise clients, publish case studies, reference past engagements in pitches, or discuss client work with any third party without explicit written authorisation. Confidentiality is not a policy — it is the precondition for doing this kind of work. The situations we are engaged to support are often legally sensitive, personally difficult, and commercially consequential. Discretion is not optional.
Do you sign non-disclosure agreements?
Yes, readily. Many clients require an NDA before sharing the details of a situation, particularly in the early stages of an EBA process or before a restructure is announced. We are comfortable signing standard NDAs and do not require extensive negotiation of standard confidentiality terms.
How do you handle conflicts of interest?
We check for conflicts at the point of engagement and disclose any relevant relationships before work begins. Because we work with a small number of clients at any time, actual conflicts are uncommon — but we take them seriously. We will not act for parties on opposing sides of the same matter, and we will not take on work where a prior engagement creates a meaningful information advantage that could disadvantage a current client.