Max Hardy

Results through relationships

MIAP2, AssDip Soc Wel, BSoc Sc; NLP Prac, Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training

Max is Director of Twyfords specialising in designing, delivering and evaluating community engagement processes. As well as providing consulting services Max is a Master Trainer for IAP2, having delivered certificate training for five years, and along with his colleagues, developed and delivered development courses in facilitation and evaluation related to this field.  Max co-delivered the first IAP2 Training Academy in Alberta, Canada (January 2005) and the first Academy in the UK (Edinburgh 2008).

Since joining Twyfords in 1997, Max has helped to establish the Australian Chapter of the International Association for Public Participation.  With a particular interest in deliberative democracy and appreciative inquiry, Max has developed innovative models for community engagement covering a range of projects, including those with a social planning emphasis as well as infrastructure/natural resource management projects.  He has presented papers on these models at International Conferences, including in Banff, Canada in 1999, Salt Lake City in 2002, Madison in 2004, Portland, Oregon in 2005, Montreal in 2006 and Glasgow 2008 and at numerous National Conferences.  Max is also a guest lecturer at the University of Sydney and a regular guest on ABC Radio Illawarra.

In 2005 Max played a major role in the preparation of the "Brisbane Declaration on Engaging Communities" which was presented to the United Nations.

In 2007 Max, along with his colleagues, published his first book titled "Beyond Public Meetings: Connecting Community Engagement with Decision-Making".

In November 2007 at a ceremony in Arizona, USA Max, along with the ACT Disability Advisory Council, was awarded the IAP2 Award (International) for "Project of the Year" for the design and implementation of the Challenge 2014 Project.

In February 2009 Max co-facilitated Australia's first Citizens' Parliament, in Old Parliament House Canberra.  He also co-designed and co-facilitated the Premier's Growth Management Summit in Brisbane in March 2010.  Over the past two years Max has been working a great deal in northern Queensland, supporting the development of partnerships in the complex area of primary health.

Most recently Max was invited to become a consulting partner to the Corporation for Positive Change (CPC), based in the USA, and will be delivering CPC branded courses throughout Australasia from 2011.

Professional Memberships: International Association for Public Participation (IAP2), Australian Facilitators Network