Frequently Asked Questions

  • The Strategic Step Advisory is a strategic advisory firm specialising in the intersection of human resources and workplace safety. Founded by former corporate executives Rachael Kelly, Greg Lazarro, and Rod Maule, we partner with Boards and senior leaders to solve complex challenges in people strategy, safety culture, and organisational capability.

    We're not traditional consultants—we're former executives who've been in your shoes. We provide objective insight that builds capability and creates momentum for lasting change.

  • Our co-founders bring complementary expertise:

    Rachael Kelly specialises in HR strategy and organisational capability, with extensive experience in people strategy, transformation, and capability building across multiple sectors.

    Greg Lazarro and Rod Maule are HSE leadership experts who co-created the AIHS-accredited Amplify programme. They specialise in safety culture, strategic risk, and building leadership capability in health, safety, and environmental roles.

    Aaron Neilson, CEO of The Next Step and The Safe Step, serves as Principal of Strategic Alliances, connecting our advisory work with implementation capability.

  • We offer several key differentiators:

    • Cross-functional expertise from day one: We integrate HR and HSE perspectives, solving problems that sit between traditional functional silos

    • Former executives, not career consultants: We've done the work, not just studied it. We bring lived experience and credibility

    • Model-agnostic approach: We're not selling proprietary frameworks or creating dependency. We build your capability

    • Focus on implementation: Our solutions are designed to be actionable. We solve for the 'buy' and support the 'build'

    • Strategic alliances: Through The Next Step and The Safe Step networks, we provide seamless access to implementation resources when needed

About The Strategic Step Advisory

  • We provide two core services:

    Strategic Review & Implementation Support: We diagnose what's working, identify gaps, and build actionable roadmaps. Our reviews lead to implementable strategies with clear execution pathways.

    Board Support: We provide independent strategic insight for non-executive directors navigating complex people, safety, and risk matters. This includes strategic reviews, risk assurance, and helping Boards ask the right questions of their executive teams.

  • Yes. We work with organisations across all sectors where people, safety, and risk matter—which is virtually every industry. Our expertise in HR and HSE translates across sectors because the fundamentals of leadership, culture, and capability are universal.

    We have particular depth in construction, manufacturing, resources and mining, transport and logistics, healthcare, government, professional services, and energy and utilities.

  • We work primarily with medium-to-large organisations that have senior-level strategic needs. Our clients typically have:

    • Complex workforce challenges requiring Board-level strategic guidance

    • Technology transformation initiatives with significant people impact

    • Psychosocial safety obligations requiring integrated HR and HSE thinking

    • Leadership capability gaps at executive level

    • Strategic reviews requiring cross-functional expertise

  • Engagement length varies based on scope and complexity:

    • Strategic reviews: Typically 4-8 weeks

    • Change management programmes: Often 6-12 months with ongoing advisory support

    • Board support: Can be project-based or ongoing retainer arrangements

    • Capability building: Varies based on organisational need and programme design

    We design for outcomes, not time. Our focus is delivering value and building your capability.

Services & Approach

  • Yes. With new psychosocial hazard regulations including Victoria's Psychological Health Regulations, ISO 45003, and the Code of Practice for Managing Psychosocial Hazards, organisations need more than compliance programmes.

    We help organisations:

    • Approach psychosocial safety holistically, addressing root causes through work design

    • Integrate psychosocial risk into existing safety and people strategies

    • Provide Boards with strategic clarity on obligations and organisational response

    • Design solutions that address culture, not just tick compliance boxes

    Our cross-functional HR and HSE expertise is particularly valuable here, as psychosocial safety sits at the intersection of both disciplines.

  • Technology transformation fails when it's treated as a tech project rather than a change process. We help organisations:

    • Design transformation as human capability enhancement, not replacement

    • Address workforce anxiety, skills gaps, and change readiness

    • Consider psychosocial impacts of surveillance technology, automation, and AI

    • Leverage AI for data collection and analysis whilst preserving human capability for empathy, judgment, and critical thinking

    • Make Board-level decisions that account for both technology strategy and workforce impact

    We bring both the HR lens (change management, capability development, workforce engagement) and the HSE lens (systematic risk assessment, human factors, safe work design).

  • We maintain strategic alliances with The Next Step (people and culture specialists) and The Safe Step (HSE professionals). When engagements require additional expertise or implementation capacity, we draw on these proven networks to ensure you get the right people with the right experience.

    We also refer work that's outside our scope. If you need mid-level hiring, contractor resources, or operational delivery rather than strategic advisory, we'll connect you with the appropriate resources within The Next Group.

Specific Challenges We Solve

  • Strategic advisory is appropriate when:

    • Your Board or executive team is asking strategic questions about people, safety, or risk

    • You need independent validation of strategic direction

    • You're facing challenges that sit between traditional HR and HSE functions

    • You need to build internal capability, not just outsource execution

    • Technology or transformation decisions require integrated people and safety insight

    • You want a trusted sounding board from people who've been in executive seats

    If you need operational delivery, interim resourcing, or tactical execution, traditional consulting or recruitment may be more appropriate. We can help you determine the right approach.

  • We operate on value-based pricing, not hourly rates. Pricing depends on:

    • Scope and complexity of the challenge

    • Outcomes required

    • Duration and intensity of engagement

    • Whether ongoing support or one-off strategic input is needed

    We're transparent about investment required and expected value delivered. Contact us for a confidential discussion about your specific needs.

  • Yes. We often work alongside existing consultants, bringing cross-functional expertise that complements their work. Our role might be:

    • Providing strategic oversight while specialists deliver implementation

    • Integrating HR and HSE perspectives for transformation programmes

    • Offering Board-level strategic clarity alongside operational consulting

    • Validating or challenging strategic direction independently

    We're collaborative, model-agnostic, and focused on your outcomes—not protecting consulting territory.

  • Building capability is central to our model. We:

    • Transfer knowledge throughout engagements, not just at the end

    • Design solutions your team can own and sustain

    • Provide frameworks and tools that remain useful after we're gone

    • Coach and develop your leaders alongside strategic delivery

    • Reduce your need for external support over time

    We succeed when you can continue the work without us.

Working With Us

Getting Started

  • We're a good fit if:

    • You value pragmatic, implementable advice from people who've done the work

    • Your challenges sit at the intersection of people strategy and safety

    • You want to build capability, not create dependency on consultants

    • You need Board-level strategic insight, not just operational delivery

    • You're open to cross-functional thinking that challenges traditional silos

    We're probably not the right fit if you're looking for task execution without strategic input or someone to do purely tactical or operational work.

  • Start with a conversation. Contact us to discuss your challenge, and we'll determine together whether we're the right partners for your needs.

    We can typically arrange an initial discussion within a few days. These conversations are confidential and designed to understand your situation before determining how we might help.

    Contact us:

  • Yes. We offer confidential initial conversations to understand your needs and determine if we're the right fit for your organisation. These aren't sales pitches—they're genuine discussions about your challenges and how we might help.

    There's no obligation, and we'll be direct about whether we believe we can add value to your situation.

  • Yes. We can provide relevant examples of our work and connect you with clients who've agreed to serve as references. Due to confidentiality commitments, we discuss specific client engagements only with permission.

    Contact us to discuss your specific situation, and we'll provide relevant examples of similar work we've undertaken.