Justin Harness

Executive summary

Justin is a Partner in BDO’s Consulting team in Sydney; he leads the New South Wales Strategy and Transformation and Sustainability practices.

Justin has over 20 years’ experience as a strategic transformation expert, leading some of Australasia’s largest and most complex programs across both government and private sectors. His key strength lies in driving sustainable transformational change and improved operational business performance in complex, often geographically-dispersed organisations.

Justin has worked as a global and national leader in strategy and business transformation for global accounting firms, international law firms, and banks in London, Auckland, and Sydney.

He has extensive experience in strategy, sustainability, business transformation and optimisation, mergers and acquisitions, strategic sourcing and procurement, and change management.

Expertise

• Transformation and program delivery
• Corporate services transformation and optimisation
• Strategy
• Sustainability/Environmental social and governance (ESG)
• Operating model design and implementation
• Stakeholder management
• Business restructuring
• Business performance management

Experience

• Program director for a large-scale government transformation project. This engagement includes leading organisational change, establishing a PMO and governance structures, multi-agency and external stakeholder engagement, and resource management
• Undertook review and analysis of a state government reform program to provide robust insights and recommendations to executive leadership. Developed a 90-day improvement plan to address key risks and issues
• Led the first phase of a state government department’s modernisation program, considered one of Australia’s most substantial and complex business transformation programs, and rated nationally significant in terms of size and complexity
• Program manager for a substantial sector transformation in one of New Zealand’s largest regulatory departments, including extensive consultation with industry and the public
• Led the uplift and delivery of a transformation portfolio at an ASX-listed company across all streams, including digital systems and corporate services.

Qualifications and affiliations

• Bachelor of Laws
• Legal Practitioner of the Supreme Court of New South Wales
• Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England & Wales
• Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand

Professional engagements and activities

• Member, BDO’s National Sustainability Advisory team