Russell Boon
Author, Consultant and the Managing Director of CAPACITY Building Emergency Management
He earned his Graduate Certificate in Disaster Management from the International Disaster Management Centre based at Swinburne University of Technology (Hawthorn Campus). He also holds a Certificate III Security Operations and a Certificate IV Workplace Trainer and Assessor.
Russell served with the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service for twenty years during which he attended more than four thousand emergency incidents.
After leaving the fire service, Russell accepted the role of National Emergency Management Coordinator for the Australian Red Cross Blood Service and throughout his professional consulting career, has worked with many other companies, including Australia Post, Westfield, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Brookfield Commercial Operations, Media House (The Age), CBRE, Collins Square, Aboriginal Hostels, Centrelink, Deakin University, AMP, Colonial First State, GPT, ANZ, Dexus, Jones Lang LaSalle, Austin Health, DHS, Knight Frank, Brimbank City Council, DIAC, Pacific, CASA, Downer EDI, Elizabeth St. Pier (TAS), Etihad Stadium, Fitzroys, ISPT, Lend Lease, Manningham City Council, Medicare, Savills, Wyndham Civic Centre, YMCA, HMAS Castlemaine and Port of Melbourne Corp.
Russell’s professional associations include the Risk Management Institution of Australasia, International Association of Emergency Managers and the International Golden Key Honours Society.
In his spare time, Russell enjoys many exciting activities. In addition to being a 3rd Dan black belt in Aikido, he is also an instructor at the RMIT dojo. In addition to this, Russell is a scuba diving instructor, a CAT 3 cave diver, a bushwalking leader and an award winning kayaker. One of his proudest moments was when he was a member of the first team to cross Lake Eyre in a canoe when the lake filled up in 1999 for the first time in over a century. Their adventure was filmed for a documentary called, Once in a Blue Moon.
He has travelled and worked throughout Singapore, Vanuatu, Bali, New Zealand, Hong Kong, USA, Malaysia, China, Thailand, Canada, Maldives, Fiji and Singapore.
Russell Boon is the author of, ‘Think, Decide, Act’ and lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife Amanda.