Jim Kelly is a senior managing director and Asia Pacific Head in the FTI Strategic Communications practice and is based in Sydney.
Experience
Mr. Kelly has helped grow the agency into the largest specialist financial communication advisory firm in the country, and now leads a team of more than 75 people in Australia and Asia. His expertise lies in the area of financial communications – M&A, equity capital markets, capital restructures and major reputational issues confronting public companies.
Mr. Kelly has been involved with a number of the firm’s large accounts including the various Chinese SOEs the firm has advised, Insurance Australia Group, SAB Miller, Centro Properties Group, Alinta, Seven Network, Xstrata, Macquarie Bank, Woolworths and James Hardie. He has also led a large proportion of the firm’s M&A projects and IPOs.
Mr. Kelly was a founding partner of Third Person Communications, which was established in 2002 prior to the business being purchased by FD in 2007. In August 2011, FD was renamed the Strategic Communications practice of FTI Consulting.
Before establishing Third Person, Mr. Kelly was Director Corporate Finance at communications firm Cannings, during which time he was involved in some of the company’s largest projects including the NRMA demutualisation and IPO, the Woodside defence of Shell’s takeover attempt, the BHP Steel demerger and IPO, and the merger of Brambles and GKN plc.
Between 1994 and 1997 Mr. Kelly worked as a media advisor to several senior Coalition leaders, including the Health Minister in the Fahey Government and to the Leader of the Opposition, Peter Collins. These roles included the management of Ministerial profiles, the development of parliamentary strategies and the management of controversial issues.
Mr. Kelly has a Communications Degree from Charles Sturt University (BA Comm) and a Master’s degree in international politics (M.Int.S) from the University of Sydney.