GO Executive Advisory
Twenty years as a senior government executive — advising Ministers and Directors-General across tourism and events, economic development, small business, trade and investment. That experience applies across the full range of government engagement: funding, policy, approvals, program design and strategy.
The track record
About
Gayle O'Brien GAICD, MBA is the founder and principal of GO Executive Advisory. She spent 20+ years in senior Queensland Government executive roles — Deputy Director-General and Executive Director across tourism and events, economic development, small business, trade and investment — advising Ministers and Directors-General across decisions that shaped industry funding, policy and programs, and that organisations on the outside needed to understand and engage with.
Across her government career, Gayle managed grant programs exceeding $1 billion annually and led complex policy reform spanning over 500 organisations — work that required the same government process knowledge, stakeholder management and governance rigour that underpins the advisory practice today.
When you engage GO Executive Advisory, you're not getting a generalist consultant. You're getting someone who has sat in the room, made the decisions and delivered the outcomes — including leading Queensland's $160M COVID-19 tourism recovery, supporting more than 5,000 businesses. The practice is deliberately built around direct senior engagement: the person you hire is the person who does the work.
Background
What I Do
Working across government, industry and the non-profit sector to develop strategy, design programs and deliver results — including in politically sensitive and complex environments.
Working across all levels of government — helping organisations understand how decisions are made and prepare proposals that meet how government actually assesses them. The work is advisory: strategic counsel grounded in how policy is written, funding is allocated and programs are designed, drawing on two decades inside the agencies where those decisions happen.
Developing strategies that turn policy into economic outcomes for tourism, small business, trade and emerging industries. I have designed and led major industry plans, investment strategies and regional economic programs across local, state and national government.
Connecting organisations with international opportunities — identifying markets, building partnerships and accessing government programs. I established Queensland's first government trade and investment office in India and led 30+ international trade and investment missions.
Designing and deploying economic recovery programs when crisis hits, working across government jurisdictions, preparing emergency funding submissions and building resilience frameworks. From natural disasters to pandemic, the focus is on speed, coordination and meeting industry needs.
Designing, reviewing and strengthening programs across the full cycle — from program logic and service delivery design through to governance, monitoring and evaluation frameworks. Experience covers industry and community programs across multiple portfolios, built to Queensland Treasury and audit requirements.
For most of my career I assessed applications, reviewed business cases and prepared Budget submissions from inside government. I know what assessors are looking for, where submissions fall short and how to frame a case that lands — whether it's a first attempt or a post-knockback rebuild.
GO Executive Advisory also works as a specialist subcontractor with consulting, planning and legal firms — bringing government depth to engagements where the brief requires it.
How I work with you
Government advisory looks different depending on who you are and what you're dealing with. Select your organisation type to see the relevant services and the situations where GO Executive Advisory can add the most value.
Twenty years as a senior Queensland Government executive means I've been on the receiving end of business cases, grant applications, investment pitches and policy submissions. I know how they're assessed, who assesses them and what separates the ones that land from the ones that don't.
Helping organisations understand how government decisions are made, what evidence they require and how proposals are structured to meet government priorities. Built on 20+ years of experience assessing proposals, business cases and submissions from inside government.
Developing industry strategies, investment cases and economic programs that connect your organisation's objectives to what government is funding and prioritising. Grounded in direct experience designing and leading major industry plans, regional economic programs and investment strategies across tourism and events, small business and trade portfolios.
Advising on international market entry, export partnerships and engagement with government trade and investment programs. Built on direct experience leading 30+ international trade and investment missions and establishing Queensland's first government trade and investment office in India.
Identifying grant, funding and investment opportunities relevant to your business, and developing proposals structured to align with how government assesses applications. This includes the framing, evidence base and timing, and extends to the governance and reporting obligations that come with government-funded projects.
Bring me in when you:
Consulting, planning and legal firms typically come to me when they are bidding for or have won work they can't fully staff — briefs that require someone who has actually been inside government, not someone who has studied it. What they need isn't just capacity. It's the ability to say "we have the right person on this" to the client and to government.
Strategy development, policy reform and organisational transformation grounded in how government operates. Advice on machinery-of-government changes, how funding proposals are assessed, policy development at portfolio and Cabinet level, and stakeholder engagement. Twenty years inside the agencies their clients deal with most — operational experience at the level where decisions are made.
Strategy work in tourism and events, small business, economic development and trade — where the brief requires an understanding of why government develops economic and industry strategies, how those strategies are shaped, and what they fund and support. Experience spans local, state and national government.
Developing business cases, Cabinet submissions and funding proposals that meet government assessment requirements. I've evaluated funding proposals, reviewed business cases and prepared Budget submissions across multiple portfolios — and know what makes them competitive.
Designing and reviewing government programs — whether funding programs, service delivery programs or industry initiatives — and the governance, monitoring and accountability structures that support them. I've built program frameworks at scale, including for programs exceeding $1 billion annually, and understand what government and audit scrutiny actually requires.
Economic recovery and disaster resilience programs requiring rapid design, multi-agency coordination and government approval. I've led this work from design to delivery, across natural disasters and COVID-19.
Trade and investment projects with an international markets or export facilitation dimension. I established Queensland's first government trade and investment office in India and led 30+ international missions.
Bring me in when you:
Government engages GO Executive Advisory when it needs experienced external capacity — someone who can step in at a senior level without a briefing curve, bring an independent perspective, or take a defined piece of work through to completion. After two decades inside the Queensland Government at senior executive levels, I understand the environment and the stakeholder dynamics. GO Executive Advisory is pre-qualified under Local Buy for both business consulting and disaster management and recovery work — a direct procurement pathway for local government. For state and federal government, I'm available through direct engagement under applicable procurement thresholds.
Developing, reviewing and strengthening policy across government portfolios. From initial framing through stakeholder consultation to final drafting, my experience is in how policy is actually made and endorsed by government.
Developing strategies and industry plans that deliver government priorities and meet industry needs. I've designed statewide strategies for tourism, small business, trade and investment — including the full process from evidence base to Cabinet approval.
Designing and reviewing government programs — whether service delivery programs, grant programs or industry initiatives — and the governance, monitoring and accountability structures that support them. Built to Queensland Treasury guidelines and audit requirements.
Designing and deploying economic recovery programs when crisis hits — coordinating across government jurisdictions, designing emergency funding submissions and building resilience initiatives. Pre-qualified under Local Buy LB505.
Stepping in when your team is at capacity — taking a policy, strategy or program workstream through to completion as an experienced practitioner. Available for independent reviews of existing programs or strategies before they progress for government approval. Pre-qualified under Local Buy LB309.
Bring me in when you:
For most of my career, I was on the government side of the decisions peak and industry bodies need to understand and engage with. I sat in the rooms where policy was written, submissions were assessed and funding was allocated. GO Executive Advisory brings that institutional knowledge directly to the problems peak and industry bodies deal with most: policy submissions, funding strategy, industry advocacy and program design.
Developing policy positions, coordinating submissions and advising on how to structure effective advocacy with all levels of government. I've assessed submissions and advised Ministers on industry issues from the government side of the table, which changes how you approach your government relationships.
Developing industry growth strategies that connect what government is prioritising to what members actually need. I've designed and led major industry plans across tourism and events, small business and trade and investment.
Supporting peak bodies to develop funding submissions and proposals structured around how government assesses competing priorities. I understand what makes a proposal credible, what evidence base it needs and where the timing matters.
Designing and deploying economic recovery programs, working across government jurisdictions and building resilience frameworks. I've led economic recovery work from the design phase to delivery, across natural disasters and COVID-19.
Designing and strengthening programs, governance structures and accountability frameworks, including monitoring and evaluation systems that satisfy audit requirements and demonstrate impact. I work with bodies administering government-funded programs and those designing new program propositions.
Supporting peak bodies whose members are engaged in international markets, export partnerships or government trade programs. I established Queensland's first government trade and investment office in India and led 30+ international trade and investment missions.
Bring me in when you:
Most universities have internal government relations staff. What GO Executive Advisory brings is specific depth at the Queensland Government level, across the agencies that fund and shape industry — and direct experience of how those decisions are actually made. The gap is usually in timing and positioning: engaging government earlier in the policy cycle, in the right way, with the right framing.
Advising on how to structure effective engagement with all levels of government and where in the policy cycle your position will carry the most weight. I've assessed submissions and advised Ministers on industry issues from the government side of the table, and that changes how the work is approached.
Helping universities prepare submissions structured around what government is trying to achieve. I've reviewed submissions, sat in the rooms where funding priorities were set, and advised on which proposals received serious consideration. The difference between a submission that lands and one that doesn't is the positioning — and whether that happens early enough to matter.
Helping universities interpret what government policy announcements, Budget decisions and machinery of government changes mean for their funding and industry partnership strategies. Built on direct experience designing statewide strategies for tourism, small business, trade and investment.
Designing and strengthening governance and accountability structures for government-funded programs and partnerships. My experience includes overseeing more than $1 billion annually in funded programs under Queensland Treasury guidelines.
Bring me in when you:
For most of my career, I was on the government side of the decisions non-profits are trying to work through. As a senior executive across several Queensland Government departments, I spent 20+ years engaging at Ministerial level, sitting in the rooms where policy was written, funding was allocated and programs were designed and assessed. GO Executive Advisory helps non-profits engage with government, understand how funding decisions are made, where policy is heading and how to position an organisation ahead of it.
Developing policy positions, coordinating submissions and advising on how to structure effective advocacy with all levels of government. I've assessed submissions and advised Ministers on industry issues from the government side of the table, and that changes how you approach your government relationships.
Helping non-profits identify government funding opportunities and develop propositions structured around how government assesses applications, whether you're renewing an existing funded program or making a first approach.
Developing organisational strategy and policy positions that connect your mission to current government priorities, shaped by direct experience of where policy comes from and how it shifts.
Designing and strengthening programs, governance structures and accountability frameworks. This includes programs delivered under government funding agreements, service contracts and grant arrangements, as well as the monitoring and evaluation systems that demonstrate impact and satisfy audit requirements.
Bring me in when you:
Every engagement is delivered directly, there's no junior team. The focus is always on outcomes and engagements are scoped to what is needed — not padded with unnecessary deliverables.
Get in Touch
If you're working on something that involves government — funding, policy, approvals, strategy or recovery — a conversation is the right starting point.
I'll be in touch within one business day.