About Tom

Tom McAtee: Leadership in Action

From Chief People Officer to Strategic HR Leadership

With nearly five decades in HR leadership, I’ve dedicated my professional life to transforming workplaces into vibrant, high-performing environments. My career has been built on tackling the tough stuff—complex workforce challenges in highly unionised, heavy industries like mining, energy, and capital-intensive sectors. It’s the kind of work where strategy meets people, and innovation is a daily necessity.

I’m passionate about driving positive change, whether that’s through enterprise bargaining, organisational restructuring, or fostering cultural transformation. My toolkit includes deep expertise in Industrial Relations, Employee Relations, and Remuneration Strategy, all aimed at delivering practical solutions with real, sustainable results.

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of advising executive teams and boards, helping them navigate their thorniest organisational challenges with a mix of strategic insight, honesty, and a touch of creativity. Whether working with massive corporations or smaller organisations, my mission remains the same: to create workplaces where both the business and its people thrive. It’s challenging, it’s rewarding, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

My work is all about creating tailored people and organisational solutions that truly align with the heart of your business, unlocking its full potential.

I specialise in negotiating enterprise bargaining agreements and guiding leadership teams through the challenges of major organisational change. It’s not just about navigating tough times—it’s about turning them into opportunities for growth and transformation.

At the end of the day, I’m here to make shift happen!

With experience spanning industries like mining, oil & gas, renewable energy, aluminium smelting, industrial gases, and even milk and ice cream manufacturing, I bring a wealth of diverse perspectives to the table. Having worked with blue-chip companies such as BOC Gases, Shell, Wesfarmers, Sohar Aluminium, Yancoal, and Norco, I’ve had the chance to draw on ideas from many worlds to tackle complex challenges creatively and effectively.

My career has taken me across the Australian marketplace and on expatriate assignments in the Middle East and the UK, giving me a global perspective on organisational dynamics and workforce solutions. Whether in senior HR leadership roles or as a business consultant, I’ve learned to balance competing priorities, manage large budgets, and navigate the high-stakes pressures faced by Boards and CEOs.

I’m not afraid to challenge the status quo to uncover the best-balanced solutions for your organisation—solutions that fit your unique context and deliver real results.

What I Do Best

Negotiating Enterprise Bargaining Agreements

Enterprise bargaining involves a complex process of negotiation between an employer and their employees (and their representatives) to determine the terms and conditions of their employment resulting in an approved enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) operating in the business.

Managers often inquire about the ‘ideal’ enterprise bargaining agreement process.  There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach.  The enterprise bargaining process entails many intricate steps and is heavily regulated by extensive legal requirements from the commencement of bargaining to the approved EBA in place.

To receive expert guidance throughout your entire enterprise agreement bargaining process, reach out to me.

Navigating Change

Having helped organisations go from nothing to something, and from something to something else, I understand the importance of effective change management support. I offer tailored assistance to ensure that your organisational changes are successfully implemented and sustained.

Whether it’s through facilitated workshops for you and your leadership team, leadership mentoring, skill enhancement of your leaders or HR team, or active participation in your implementation team, I am here to make sure your changes stick and drive lasting results for your business.

Developing Strategy

For many years, I led the HR function at the Executive and Board level with ASX listed and global teams – hence I have a strong focus on achieving best-balanced outcomes for all stakeholders.

“Without a plan you are nowhere, with a plan you can always adjust”

To be able to see the “Big Picture”, some of the common questions that need to be addressed include:

How can I create a real sense of energy around here?

Am I hiring the right types of people for what my business is trying to achieve?

Are my pay and recognition practices driving the right behaviours?

Am I structured in the best way to grow my market share?

Did we do a good enough job when we integrated our last acquisition?

Have I brought people along on the change journey?

The output of this review is a set of recommendations about what is working well (and to leave well enough alone!), as well as any changes required to your people and organisation practices that might be stopping your people being at their best.

Building People & Culture Structure

Having established a clear picture of where the business is currently at and what the business is seeking to achieve, I am able to assist you in the build of the critical people, structural and cultural policies, systems and practices, which will give you the best chance of success.

This could include addressing any of the areas identified in the health check of your People & Organisation practices.