About Alicia McKay

Hi, I'm Alicia McKay. I write and speak about power, strategy, and change.

What is power? How does it work? Why should you care?

I’ve been fascinated with power since I was a foster kid and teen mum. I had questions: Who makes the big decisions? How do they do it? Why do some ideas take hold - and others don't? How can we change or influence things that seem big and complicated?

For over 15 years, I’ve worked inside government, councils, and companies to answer these questions in practice. I’ve advised senior leaders in more than 120 organisations, led strategy development and implementation for core public agencies, trained thousands of people in strategy, decision-making, and leadership, and spoken at major conferences across Australia, New Zealand and the US.

As a writer, public speaker, and leadership educator, I explore how systems and stories shape decisions and outcomes. I draw on my experience as a political and corporate insider to help people navigate complexity and constraints through strategy, systems thinking and decision-making.

I specialise in the public sector, with a particular focus on local government. I've worked with over 50 Councils across Australia and NZ, and spoken at local government conferences of up to 6,000 people in Australia and the US, including headlining the 2022 ALGA National General Assembly in Canberra. In 2025, I was named one of Top 25 Global Thinkers in Local Government by the UK Local Government Information Unit.

I am the author of three books on strategy, change, and leadership. I also write public essays, and publish a long-running weekly newsletter. My strategy frameworks are used by leaders and policymakers globally, including corporate executives and the NZ Solicitor General.

I’m currently working on a book on Power Literacy - alongside my first novel.