Allan Briggs
Chief Executive Officer
Allan Briggs is founder and owner of Crisis Shield. He grew up in country Victoria and started his professional career with Victoria Police. Allan served 16 years with Victoria Police where he rose to the rank of Sergeant and managed the Public Relations Unit. He went on to work as Manager of Media and Public Relations at Victoria State Emergency Services (VICSES) for four years, during which time he increased VICSES’ monthly media items tenfold and truly established the brand.
Allan’s experience is steeped in high-profile crisis and emergency situations, including the gangland shootings, armed robberies and fatal accidents. His work at Victoria Police and VICSES taught him that strategically developing and testing plans, systems and processes is the best way to mitigate risks, and manage issues and crises. Managing communication in situations such as Black Saturday, Allan quickly learnt how to get results in an environment where there is no margin for error. When the unexpected occurs, a well-rehearsed plan enables an effective response under pressure, even in extremely challenging circumstances.
With a passion for communications and an interest in developing staff, Allan has built a solid reputation as a straight shooter who gets results. As he developed the VICSES media unit, Allan initiated a mentor program to train employees in working with the media and good public relations practice. The Public Relations Institute of Australia also called upon him to mentor communications practitioners.
Allan now shares his expertise through his client work, presenting at events and conferences around Australia and lecturing at universities in Melbourne, including RMIT University, Deakin University and Victoria University. Allan holds a Bachelor of Sociology and Police Studies, a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Relations and a Master of Communication.
Allan is supported by a team of dedicated professionals with work experience in Public Relations and Corporate Communications.