Rod Barnett has experience in management, education, training and organizational change in Australasia, South Africa, Ghana, Indonesia, U.S.A. and Brazil.
After working in student leadership training in Brazil in 1982, he returned to South Africa and taught in a secondary school for three years. Rod then spent three years setting up and managing a change and educational development program with students and young adults in a troubled Black township outside Johannesburg.
During the 1980’s and early 1990’s he was involved in other development work with people from disadvantaged communities in South Africa. This included work with anti-apartheid organizations and liaison with international embassies and businesses.
For seven years Rod was the Human Resources Development Manager for all the South African operations of a multi-national pharmaceutical company. This role included accountabilities related to training, industrial relations, personnel issues, and social justice.
He directed the corporate social responsibilty program for Wyeth-Ayerst and was tasked with ensuring corporate compliance with the Sullivan code of practice for American companies operating in South Africa.
He was seconded to a project team that led major changes across the whole organization during a year long productivity improvement program.
During this time he continued to work extensively with non-profit and non-government organisations.
In 1995 he established Salient Consulting which has since provided services to a wide range of organizations in numerous countries. In seeking to bring about changes in organizations, and in various parts of South African society during a crucial period, he gained experiences that have been widely applicable in organizations seeking to make significant changes as they create the right environment to improve engagement with employees.
Rod holds degrees and post-graduate qualifications in the Arts, Education and Theology from the University of Witwatersrand and the University of South Africa. He also holds an honours degree in Organisational Psychology. Rod makes extensive use of the ‘Systems Leadership’ approach in his work with organisations.
Rod is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and of O.D. Australia.
He is Vice President of I.O.D.A. the International Organisation Development Association.
Clients have included: Rio Tinto Coal Australia, Pacific National, Phillips Fox, Tinto Alcan (Australia and New Zealand), Palabora Copper (South Africa), Hamersley Iron (W.A.), Queensland Alumina, Centre for Appropriate Technology (Alice Springs), McDermott Aboriginal Foundation, Kaiser Aluminium (U.S.A.), Auscott (Cotton farmers NSW), Kaltim Prima Coal (Indonesia), Very Special Kids (Victoria), Northparkes Mine (NSW), Caltex NSW, Tomago Aluminium (NSW), Rio Tinto Minerals (California and Montana), BHP Billiton Illawarra Coal, Valco Aluminium (Ghana), Port Kembla Coal Terminal, CSR Sugar, Department of Education Training and the Arts, Desert Knowledge CRC (Alice Springs), One Steel, Metso, Barrick Gold, and Commonwealth Bank of Australia.