Management Leadership & Professional Development Courses

For more than 25 years, Niall Kennedy has worked with organisations to make work simpler, clearer and easier to get right. His career did not start in learning and development.

Niall began with a Certificate in Civil Engineering in Ireland. He expected projects to be about plans, structures and getting things built. Instead, he also saw how paperwork, bottlenecks, duplication and outdated processes could make fairly simple work much harder than it needed to be.

An early contract working on infrastructure projects with the City of Chester in the UK reinforced that view. France and the Netherlands were even harder.While in the Netherlands, Niall was contracted to UPS. His grasp of Dutch was zip. It gave him first-hand experience of how easily communication can easily break down. ESL communication skills is now a very popular course that Niall designed

Niall also spent a couple of years in the United States, including time with United Artists. It gave him a taste for theatrics that has never quite disappeared. He delivered services Chevvy Chase, Paul Simon, Alan Alda and Billy Joel. Arriving in Australia in 1995 was a turning point. Niall got his second job with Day-Timer. It binded his interest in people, productivity, behaviour and making things simpler. It also moved his career firmly into learning and development.Since then, Niall has developed workplace learning programs across government, local government, health, infrastructure, utilities, education, manufacturing and professional services.

Clients at Preferred Training Networks have included BHP, ATO, Rio Tinto, SA Ambulance, Legal Aid Tas, Brisbane City Council, NSW Police, Multiplex, EY, Monash University, WA Country Health Service. Eastern Health, Alice Springs Hospital, IFM Investors.

Despite the different workplaces, many of the challenges are surprisingly similar. People need clarity. They need to know what is expected. They need systems that help rather than hinder. And they need learning they can actually use back at work. Niall likes evidence, but he does not believe every workplace problem needs brand new research. Preferred Training Networks often starts with what an organisation already knows. Primary data is often overlooked yet it’s a gold mine.

A lesson from home

Niall's interest in good organisations probably started well before his own career. His father worked for Shell. Growing up, Niall remembers how well the company treated their family. That left an impression. The way an organisation treats its people does not stop at the office or factory gate.

Niall holds a Master's degree in Marketing from Monash University and has written five business books. In his spare time he likes digging holes and planting trees. The theatrical streak from his United Artists days is still alive too. Niall continues to perform 90-minute stand-up comedy shows. Most importantly, he is the father of three wonderful kids. After more than 25 years in learning and development, the main idea has not changed much: Find the complexity. Challenge it. Make work simpler.

Deborah has a Diploma in Business Administration. Deborah has worked at Preferred Training Networks for 9 years. When Deborah joined the organization, we only had 28 capability development courses. Deborah has helped expand these courses to over 150. A co-author in leadership capability, Deborah can help any organization optimize their capability development.

Deborah’s strength is her questioning skills. “By listening to the client and asking pertinent questions, I can dig down to find the root cause. Then I just need to develop the capability to help the organization work through the challenge”.

Deb’s clients include; Dept of Defence, Maroondah City Council, Corpus Christi High, University of Qld, State Library, St Vincent de Paul Melbourne Assessment Prison, Catholic Church Insurance, City of Bunbury, Northern Beaches Shire, Koch Fertilizers, NSW Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council, SA Water, Frankston City Council…

Deborah is just back from a trip to the USA and is planning another trip to swim with humpback whales in Tonga. Swimming within a few meters of giant whales was exhilarating and she can’t wait to do it again next year. Her hobbies include gym, shopping, cooking and gardening.

David has a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Economics from South Africa. He is married to Kathy and has four children who he is very proud of. After emigrating to Australia in 1984 David spent many years working for a USA Fortune 500 Organization where he held roles as both National Sales Director as well as Asia Pacific Director (Postal Relations)

Since joining Preferred Training Network in 2008 as a Consultant, he has been able to add and diversify his expertise and expand his passion to now assist Organizations develop and grow through the Professional Development of their Staff. David drives our international operations and has been the main player in our recent work in PNG, Fiji, USA, UK and Vanuatu.

David’s clients include NEC, Hastings Deering, Bankstown City Council Central Cost Council, Hobsons Bay Council, Queensland Rail, WesTrac, PwC, Dr Jones and Partners, Urbis, Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, Bank of Qld, HCF, Penrith City Council,

He has been able to combine nearly 30 years of experience in the Corporate arena with his passion in the Learning and Development space. David’s interests apart from his family include music, reading, travel, cycling, bush walking.

Danielle Goding likes things organised. Properly organised.

She has spent 10+ years helping Preferred Training Networks coordinate professional development across Australia, with a particular focus on regional and rural organisations. That can involve a lot of moving parts. Different locations. Different facilitators. Travel. Dates. Participant groups. Organisational requirements. And the occasional last-minute surprise. Danielle's preference is simple. Plan properly and remove as many surprises as possible.

It is an approach that has served PTN well, particularly when delivering programs away from the major cities. Regional organisations often have fewer training options available locally. Getting the right facilitator, content and timing matters.

Before joining Preferred Training Networks, Danielle worked with organisations including CARE Superannuation, Hillross Financial Planning Services and STIHL Australia. In sales and client-facing roles, she was heavily involved in coordinating events, managing stakeholder relationships and ensuring complex activities ran smoothly from planning through to delivery. Those experiences developed many of the skills she relies on today. Attention to detail. Clear communication. Strong organisation and the ability to keep multiple projects moving at the same time. Danielle also has a strong interest in leadership development and organisational capability frameworks. She enjoys taking a client brief and working out how the learning should fit the organisation rather than simply dropping an off-the-shelf course into the calendar.

What capability is the organisation trying to build?
Where are the gaps?
What should people be doing differently afterwards?

Those questions help shape the program.

Danielle has supported work for organisations including Benalla Health, Cystic Fibrosis Community Care, Russell Kennedy, SERB Pharmaceuticals, Southern Downs Regional Council and Tasmania Fire Service.

Her work sits at the intersection of people, learning and organisational capability.

examples need to make sense. The logistics need to work. And the learning needs to connect with what the organisation is trying to achieve. Danielle's organised approach has also created a long-running contrast inside the PTN office. Danielle prefers everything booked early and running smoothly.

Niall has occasionally argued for something closer to "chaos management". Danielle remains unconvinced. And given the number of moving parts involved in delivering hundreds of programs around Australia each year, she probably has a point. Good learning may happen in the room. Good planning starts well before anyone walks into it.