Kay Ballard Hamilton is the Director of Kay Hamilton & Associates International. Her remarkably varied career spans Australia, the United States and Europe, involving liaison at the most senior levels with the media, governments, the diplomatic corps, large corporations and tertiary education institutions.
Kay's goal is simple: to achieve client objectives in the most effective ways possible, while sharing her considerable knowledge of the intricacies of dealing with key decision-makers and their relationships with the media.
Kay's career began in Washington D. C. where she worked as part of the United States Administration in a number of positions in both the US Senate and House of Representatives. The experience and skills she developed during this time were formally acknowledged when she was invited to join the personal staff of the then Vice-President, Nelson A Rockefeller, a role that involved co-ordination of various operations of the White House Press Office and organization of international and domestic media relations under the administration of President Gerald Ford. Kay's work also required considerable involvement in inter-governmental relations.
After her time in Washington, D. C., Kay took advantage of an opportunity to move into the corporate sector in London working with the President of Texas Eastern Oil Company for 3 years..
Following her marriage to an Australian, Kay immigrated to Australia . She quickly identifyied a significant gap in the Australian public relations marketplace for an experienced executive to act as a conduit between Australian clients and, in particular, the international media.
The America's Cup, held in Fremantle, provided the ideal opportunity for Kay to exploit her skills. In that year she formed her own company, Kay Hamilton & Associates International, aiming to bring the highest levels of professionalism to a client list that grew very quickly. Early clients included Deloitte Haskin & Sells, Murdoch University, Western Underwriters Insurance, Leeuwin Estate Winery, The Bond Corporation, and Canadian Moosehead Beer, the sponsor of the Canadian sailing syndicate.
After five successful years in Perth, other horizons beckoned and Kay moved to Melbourne in order to expand her business. Since basing her business in Melbourne, Kay's strengths have been recognized by an extraordinarily wide range of organizations and individuals. Clients on both a retained and project level have included Australia Post, The Museum of Victoria, Monash University Science Centre, Brambles Australasia, Blundstone Footwear, Australian auction house Leonard Joel, Lease Plan Australia, Redspot.Sydney, Noble Numismatics, Coinworks, Pty. Ltd., IntelligenceBank, the Australian Business Arts Foundation, Melbourne Business Jets and Melbourne Chamber Orchestra.
The respect Kay commands in the business community was evidenced by her appointment in 1998 to the Executive Committee mandated to plan and implement Prime Minister John Howard's program of Olympic Dinners, a series of crucial fundraising events held in advance of the Sydney 2000 Games, and attended by over 2,000 of the most senior figures in the Australian business, arts, and sporting communities. Kay remained on the Executive Committee that organized a similar Prime Ministerial Olympic Dinner in advance of the 2004 Athens Olympics and the PMOD for Beijing 2008.
Other honorary positions include committee membership of Save the Children Fund, special events committee member for Opera Australia, membership of the Monash University Science Centre Advisory Board, and honorary corporate sponsorship consultancy to the Bell Shakespeare Company.
Kay's business philosophy is straightforward: results can be achieved only by unflinching professionalism and dedication to the task at hand. Regardless the complexity of client's requirements , Kay's attitude remains the same. She personally directs all projects she accepts , and believes passionately in the need for, and development of, effective and solid working partnerships between the key decision-makers and opinion leaders among both her clients and the media.