Migration, integrity and ethics across cultures

BA Asian Studies, Grad Cert Migration Law, Diploma in Fraud Control, Diploma in Government Investigations 

Until 2017, Geoff served twenty-six years with the Australian government’s immigration and border protection portfolio (now Department of Home Affairs). He has represented Australia on diplomatic postings in Manila, Beijing, Guangzhou, Dubai and Singapore, with extensive operational leadership and stakeholder engagement successes. He has also undertaken complex and often sensitive integrity-related projects in Australia and in Indonesia, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea and Fiji. 

Geoff has been noted for his ability to develop ethical and productive multicultural workplaces and to cultivate productive stakeholder relationships in challenging international environments characterised by competing values and ethics. He has researched and contributed to strategic action plans and fraud risk mitigation strategies in cross-cultural settings. Geoff's particular passion is de-mystifying cultural attitudes to acceptable behaviour, developing a model to aid in understanding this complex topic that can result in cross-cultural misunderstanding and conflict if not understood. 

Geoff is engaged by the Cairns Chamber of Commerce to manage their very successful Designated Area Migration Agreement (FNQ DAMA), embedding robust integrity measures to guard against worker exploitation and scams. He has provided advice and guidance to regions in Australia on setting up and managing their DAMAs, and is fast becoming the 'go to' person to demystify the complexities of managing a DAMA. Geoff was recently engaged to co-develop a code of ethics for a group of developing nations' immigration portfolios, including design of an associated training program.

As well as his own consultancy, Geoff is also a senior consultant to Beasley Intercultural designing and facilitating cultural capability programs for clients mainly in the defence, capacity development, stakeholder engagement, law enforcement and compliance fields.

Geoff is an engaging trainer and mentor in the migration (DAMA) space, and in the cross-cultural integrity, fraud, compliance, stakeholder engagement and team cohesiveness contexts. He speaks conversational Mandarin Chinese and Bahasa Indonesia. 

BA Mass Media, Masters in Comparative Literature

Adjani is a China expert, having grown up and studied in different provinces. Aside from creative writing for the tourism industry, since migrating to Australia, she has collaborated with Geoff in delving into the cultural drivers of Chinese behaviour and attitudes in circumstances where they vary from Australian culture and expectations. They have shattered and re-thought many stereotypes in the process, serving to help bridge the gap between the two cultures, especially in the tourism sector.

Adjani assists with research and administration for Heath & Zhang.

Adjani's creative writing expertise is accessible via www.adjanizhang.com.au  She is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and English.