About me

Hi, the fact that you’ve visited this site means that you are interested in thought leadership – my passion.

On this site you’ll find interviews with some thought leaders who share some practical tips on what it took to get there.  Interviewees include: David Meerman Scott, Ken Blanchard, Bernard Salt, Howard Gardner, Gary Bertwistle and Dana van den Heuvel to mention a few.

You will also find heaps of useful information about the steps you can take to become a thought leader, the definition of thought leadership, how to evolve a thought leadership strategy if you are a business, the benefits of thought leadership, the importance of content and content curation, great thought leadership insights from various gurus from around the globe, how to take your thought leadership to market as well as some case studies.

Hi, my name is Craig Badings and I have spent the past 22 years consulting to small and large brands about their public relations challenges. It has only been over the last 5 years that I have developed a deep interest and fascination with the topic, thought leadership.  Feel free to download my e book at the top right of the home page and  I’d welcome your follow on twitter @thoughtstrategy or you can join me on LinkedIn.

Mu interest in thought leadership started when I witnessed its power when used as a strategic business tool.  My view is that anyone can be a thought leader as long as they put in the time, they have new insights, points of view to share and they are able to package and communicate it effectively to their target audience.

While thought leadership is my passion, by day I am a director at Sydney-based corporate and financial PR consultancy, Cannings Corporate Communications, a member of the ASX-listed, STW Group Ltd, Australia’s largest communications services group.

But thisis a long way from where I started – as an English teacher at a Johannesburg school, Sandown High in the 1980s.

As much as I loved being in the classroom and on the sportsfield engaging with young, exciting minds, after two year of teaching, I decided to enter the world of public relations. It was, in my blood. My Mom had been in the PR business ever since I could remember mainly in her own business.

I started out in PR with South Africa’s largest PR company, Simeka TWS Communications. My very first account was Durex and without realising it , I was involved in some pretty early thought leadership work. We engaged with the leading Professor on the topic of HIV Aids at the time, Prof Ruben Sher, and we were reaching out to and engaging with the various Sangoma (witchdoctor) organisations in order to gain a deeper understanding of the issues impacting their patients lives, their views on HIV Aids and how we could advocate more regular use of condoms and share information with them.

After a  four year stint in the Johannesbur office, I was transfered to my home town, Cape Town to head up the office. After almost a decade with the company it was time for a new challenge and I launched my own PR agency, Rainmaker Public Relations.

Two exciting years later Rainmaker was bought out by London-based PR multinational, Citigate. I headed up the PR division of Citigate South Africa and one year before emigrating to Australia, was appointed managing director of Citigate’s Cape Town PR, advertising and design agencies.

In 2003, I moved to Australia with my family and after a brief stint with Kreab Gavin Anderson joined one of the Ogilvy Public Relations brands, Savage & Partners in Sydney before it merged with Cannings.

Once again please download my e book at the top right of the home page.   I’d also welcome your follow on twitter @thoughtstrategy or you can join me on LinkedIn.