Avril Henry graduated from the University of Cape Town in Accounting and Economics, migrating to Australia in 1980, with two suitcases, $500 and a dream to live freely and make a difference. Avril’s career has spanned senior roles in Finance, IT, Project Management, Change Management and HR across multiple industries and countries.
Avril is a Fellow of CPA Australia, a Senior Associate of the Australian Institute of Banking & Finance, an Associate Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management, a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Australian Human Resources Institute.
In 2011 Avril was appointed as a Director of the board of the Australian Women Chamber of Commerce & Industry and is their Governance, Risk and Audit Committee Chair. Avril is Director of the board of Living Years, a social media networking organisation focussed on bereavement care and from 2007 - 2009 was a Director of the board of Hands Across the Water Australia, a charity which raises money to build and operate self sustainable orphanages in Thailand for Thai children who lost their parents in the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami.
Avril was the only female judge for the Leighton’s Excellence in Construction Awards in 2009, a judging panel she has been on since. In 2009 Avril was appointed to the Steering Group of the Year of Engineering Leadership (2010); and an ambassador for the R U OK? Day (2009), which raises awareness of depression and its consequences in society and business, and how to support people suffering from depression.
Avril has a weekly radio program as the expert on workplace relations and HR, which is broadcast to 16 countries in Asia. She is regularly featured on radio and TV, and contributes articles to several industry publications and newspapers. Over the last decade, Avril has delivered hundreds of keynote addresses and workshops to over 100,000 people in Australia, New Zealand and Asia to companies and industries as diverse as IBM, BHP,
Avril Henry graduated from the University of Cape Town in Accounting and Economics, migrating to Australia in 1980, with two suitcases, $500 and a dream to live freely and make a difference. Avril’s career has spanned senior roles in Finance, IT, Project Management, Change Management and HR across multiple industries and countries.
Avril is a Fellow of CPA Australia, a Senior Associate of the Australian Institute of Banking & Finance, an Associate Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management, a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Australian Human Resources Institute.
In 2011 Avril was appointed as a Director of the board of the Australian Women Chamber of Commerce & Industry and is their Governance, Risk and Audit Committee Chair. Avril is Director of the board of Living Years, a social media networking organisation focussed on bereavement care and from 2007 - 2009 was a Director of the board of Hands Across the Water Australia, a charity which raises money to build and operate self sustainable orphanages in Thailand for Thai children who lost their parents in the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami.
Avril was the only female judge for the Leighton’s Excellence in Construction Awards in 2009, a judging panel she has been on since. In 2009 Avril was appointed to the Steering Group of the Year of Engineering Leadership (2010); and an ambassador for the R U OK? Day (2009), which raises awareness of depression and its consequences in society and business, and how to support people suffering from depression.
Avril has a weekly radio program as the expert on workplace relations and HR, which is broadcast to 16 countries in Asia. She is regularly featured on radio and TV, and contributes articles to several industry publications and newspapers. Over the last decade, Avril has delivered hundreds of keynote addresses and workshops to over 100,000 people in Australia, New Zealand and Asia to companies and industries as diverse as IBM, BHP,
Department of Defence, ATO, CEDA, ABS, Leightons Construction, Queensland Health, NSW Health, NSW Police, WA Police, ANZ, Westpac, Astra Zeneca, UTS, Macquarie University, TAFE NSW, TAFE Sunshine Coast, CPA Australia, Telstra, Mortgage Industry Association of Australia, Fitness Industry Association, Australian Superannuation Funds Industry, Real Estate Industry Association, the Property Council of Australia, and various Hong Kong and Singapore government departments.
Avril was contracted by the University of Western Sydney in 2007 to develop a 3-year leadership program for their gifted scholarship students, which she delivers in addition to their academic studies to better prepare them for leadership positions in the future.
During 2006, Avril completed a Ministerial Review for the Minister of Defence, into Recruitment and Retention in the Army, Air Force and Navy. The recommendations of “The Henry Report” were accepted by the government in December 2006. Following the review, Avril was appointed as a Strategic Advisor to the Chief of Navy, and joined the Navy's People Committee, being the only civilian on the committee. In 2002, Avril was one of 5 finalists in the Australian HR Awards for Best HR Director. In 2006, Avril won the prestigious Lifetime Achievement in HR Award at the Australian Human Resources Awards. In 2005, she was a finalist in the Sydney Business Review Business Woman of the Year. Avril’s business was one of 5 finalists in the City of Sydney Business of the Year 2008 awards. Avril has been honoured in the 2009, 2010 and 2011 Australian Who’s Who of Women, as one of the most inspiring businesswomen and female leaders.
Avril is the author of “Leadership Revelations: An Australian Perspective”, “The Who What When and Y of Generation Why?”, and is a co-author of the book “Ideas, Original Perspectives from Leading Thinkers”. She is featured in the book “Secrets Exposed of Inspiring Leaders”, as one of Australia’s most inspiring female leaders. Her latest book is entitled “Inspiring Tomorrow’s Leaders Today: Breaking Down Generational Barriers At Work”. In 2010 she released her first children’s book and is currently working on her next leadership book, due for release in 2012.
