General Peter
Cosgrove
(Ret) AC MC
Speaker Profile
General Peter Cosgrove retired from the Army in 2005. Four years earlier, he had been Australian of the Year: 'In every respect Peter Cosgrove demonstrated that he is a role model. The man at the top displayed those characteristics we value most as Australians – strength, determination, intelligence, compassion and humour.'
The son of a soldier, he graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon, in 1968. He was sent to Malaysia as a lieutenant in the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment. During his next posting in Vietnam he commanded an infantry platoon and was awarded the Military Cross for his performance and leadership during an assault on enemy positions.
In 1999 Peter Cosgrove became a national figure following his appointment as Commander of the International Forces East Timor (Interfet). He was responsible for overseeing East Timor's transition to independence during, what was to become, a tense and uncertain period. He shone as both a soldier and diplomat. Always in his slouch hat, Peter Cosgrove was a strong and reassuring figure, appearing regularly in all forms of the media.
Following his achievements and the international respect that he had achieved, he was promoted and made Chief of the Army. He went on to be promoted again to General and was appointed Chief of the Defence Force.
After retirement from the Australian Defence Force in 2005, General Cosgrove has accepted positions on several boards including the boards of Qantas and Cardno. He has written his memoirs titled My Story. General Cosgrove was appointed Chairman of Operation Recovery Task Force after Cyclone Larry devastated Far North Queensland and he led the successful recovery until completion in early 2007.
General Cosgrove is a highly sought after speaker on a wide range of subjects. He is an avid sports follower with particular emphasis on rugby and cricket. He is the husband to Lynne and they have three sons.
Travels from New South Wales
Client Comments
Client Comments
- General Cosgrove is an iconic Australian in every sense of the word. Having the opportunity to mix socially with our members and their partners the night before his speech, he introduced himself to each person as Peter and mixed freely and comfortably. His speech itself was the ideal blend of personal experience and relevance to the very particular challenges facing our organization globally. Our overseas members were just as impressed by this great Australian leader and his message as I was.
Barrick Gold Corporation - Just to let you know that Karni was absolutely awesome this morning. How inspirational is she? Wow! She was there way before time, looked fantastic and mingled with the guests. I received comments after the function stating that Karni was "the best speaker we have ever had at these breakfasts", that "she is so witty and inspirational", "truly inspired me to go out today and find something to do that people that know me would think that I could not do", and that she "is so effective at making light of her situation but still getting a very powerful message across, that we cannot control everything so don't try to." She truly is a professional and inspiring person. Thanks for allowing us to have time with her. I know where to look next time I need a motivational speaker, you will be hearing from me in the future.
Australian Management Institute - The feedback we received from our audience was very positive. Some of the comments included the following: "words of wisdom from General Cosgrove were invaluable", "change is about people and what people can do outside the normal comfort zone is sometimes amazing. Stretch them and they will perform." "The key take away for me was how much we owe those guys in the armed services. What a fantastic job they do. In the workplace, I learned the value you can get from proper staff selection, training and position description accuracy."
Hewlett Packard
Related Speakers
"You have given us great service each time we have used you and you have managed to agree a good price on our budget. Everyone is most efficient and helpful, keeping in touch all the time."
Boorowa Tourism & Development (Boorowa Council)
"It is not the employer who pays the wages. Employers only handle the money. It is the customer who pays the wages."
Henry Ford