Andrew Gillies
Director
Andrew Gillies is an Executive Leadership and Conflict Specialist with more than 37 years’ experience across policing and public sector leadership in the United Kingdom and Australia.
Throughout his career, Andrew worked in complex operational, investigative and leadership environments where pressure, conflict, people dynamics and difficult decision-making were part of everyday life. His experience includes Criminal Investigations, Integrity Investigations with the Crime and Corruption Commission, Disaster and Events Management, regional leadership across western Queensland, and Officer in Charge roles at two large metropolitan police stations.
Across those roles, Andrew saw firsthand that many capable people step into leadership positions without ever being properly shown how to manage people effectively.
Technical capability might earn the promotion, but leadership often requires something very different. Self-awareness, communication, emotional intelligence, adaptability, and the ability to navigate conflict and difficult conversations under pressure.
Over time, Andrew became increasingly interested in the human side of leadership and the patterns that sit beneath workplace conflict, disengagement and team dysfunction. He saw how often these issues were linked to unclear expectations, unmanaged pressure, communication breakdowns, personality dynamics, or leaders not fully understanding how their behaviour was being experienced by others.
Today, Andrew works with emerging and experienced leaders who want to better understand themselves, lead people more effectively, navigate conflict constructively, and build stronger, more cohesive teams.
His coaching style is practical, reflective and grounded in lived experience. He combines support with challenge, helping leaders recognise patterns, improve communication, manage behaviour under pressure and lead with greater clarity and confidence.
Andrew’s work focuses on:
• Self-awareness and leadership effectiveness
• Difficult conversations and conflict resolution
• Team dynamics and workplace culture
• Communication, trust and accountability
• Leadership adaptability and growth
• Building psychologically safe and cohesive teams
Andrew’s work is particularly relevant to leaders working in policing, emergency services, health, government and other complex, people-focused environments, as well as technical specialists transitioning into leadership roles, where managing people effectively is often the most challenging part of the job.
Discover | Evolve | Succeed
Developing self-aware leaders who manage people effectively, resolve conflict and build cohesive teams.
Ready to discover what’s possible?
Reach out, and let’s begin your journey within.
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Andrew’s qualifications and memberships
- Associate Certified Coach, International Coaching Federation.
- Member of the Global Coaching Institute, Alumni Coaching Network.
- Certified CINERGY® Conflict Management Coach, CLE Consulting Australia
- Certified Level 1 Life Coach, Luke Hawkins Life Coach Training.
- Master of Leadership and Management (Policing), Charles Sturt University. MLship&Mgt (Policing).
- Graduate Certificate in Applied Management, Australian Institute of Police Management. GradCertAppMgt.
- Cambridge Online Evidence-Based Policing Leaders short course, Cambridge Centre for Evidence-Based Policing.
- Change Management Program for People Managers, Prosci.
- Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training, Queensland Police Service.
The Light Bulb:
More Than Just a Logo
At its best, it reflects identity, purpose, values, and the deeper meaning behind the work.
For me, the lightbulb represents far more than an idea or symbol. It reflects the core philosophy that sits behind Andrew Gillies Coaching and the work I do with leaders and teams every day.
Throughout my career, I saw how many leadership and workplace challenges were not simply operational problems. More often, they were connected to people dynamics, pressure, communication, blind spots, uncertainty, conflict, and leaders not fully understanding themselves or how they were experienced by others.
The lightbulb represents the moments where clarity begins to emerge from complexity. Not through perfection or sudden transformation, but through greater understanding, awareness, and perspective.
Over time, I came to realise that meaningful leadership growth often begins when people start to better understand themselves, their behaviour, and the impact they have on others. When difficult conversations become clearer. When pressure no longer drives purely reactive decisions. When leaders begin to recognise the patterns shaping communication, trust, conflict, and team culture.
To me, the lightbulb represents those moments of insight and clarity that create the possibility for better leadership, stronger relationships, and healthier, more cohesive teams.
That is why the lightbulb became the symbol of my business.
What the Lightbulb Represents
Clarity and Self-Awareness
The lightbulb symbolises insight, reflection, and understanding.
It represents the moments where leaders begin to recognise the patterns, behaviours, blind spots, and pressures shaping how they think, communicate, respond under pressure, and lead the people around them.
At its core, it reflects the moments leaders begin to realise that leading people more effectively starts with developing a clearer understanding of themselves.
Understanding People More Effectively
Leadership is rarely just about strategy or technical capability.
The lightbulb reflects the ability to better understand people, relationships, communication, conflict, and team dynamics, particularly in complex and high-pressure environments.
Growth and Adaptability
The lightbulb represents learning, growth, and evolution.
Not through hype or motivational slogans, but through reflection, honest conversations, practical insight, and the willingness to adapt.
Calm Thinking Under Pressure
In many workplaces, particularly operational and people-focused environments, pressure can narrow thinking and drive reactive behaviour.
The lightbulb represents the ability to slow down, think clearly, remain intentional, and respond constructively even in difficult situations.
Possibility and Progress
The lightbulb also symbolises hope, momentum, and possibility.
It reflects the belief that leaders and teams can improve communication, strengthen relationships, resolve conflict, and create healthier, more cohesive cultures when they better understand themselves and the people around them.
Discover | Evolve | Succeed
Does a Business Motto Matter?
The lightbulb also connects directly to the philosophy that underpins my work.
Discover
Develop awareness of where you are now, what is driving behaviour, and what needs attention.
Evolve
Strengthen how you lead, communicate, manage people, and navigate conflict.
Succeed
Build stronger relationships, healthier cultures, and more cohesive, high-functioning teams.
At the heart of Andrew Gillies Coaching is a simple belief:
When people better understand themselves, they lead others more effectively. The lightbulb represents that understanding.
