Home - Ruth McGowan

Expert local government coach and candidate trainer

Consultant

Ruths supports new and emerging leaders in the Local Goverment sector to manage the pressures and master the politics of exceptional leadership.

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Speaker

Looking for an inspiring speaker who keeps it real and your audience engaged? As an experienced professional, authentic story-teller and meticulous researcher, Ruth connects as a memorable presenter on stage or online.

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Trainer

Take your training to another level. Transform your virtual meetings, deliver a winning campaign, and build the skills for Political Intelligence. Ruth’s training will give you the performance edge.

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Coach

Ruth supports council leaders to be influential and bring their A-game to the chamber. For when you need to trust someone wise, who understands and has got your back.

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Ruth McGowan

Consultant. Speaker. Trainer. Coach.

Ruth McGowan OAM provides expert consulting advice on leadership, gender equality, political intelligence, and political campaigning. She is a sought-after Councillor-coach and Mayoral-mentor. Ruth’s 30+ years of leadership and volunteering has been recognised with a National Emergency Medal and an Order of Australia Medal.

Ruth McGowan

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Get Elected

Tired of waiting for politicians to act? Become one!

Inspired by the call to activists everywhere, to Don’t Get Mad – Get Elected, Ruth wrote Australia’s first national campaign guide in 2019. With over 3000 copies sold, Get Elected is a step-by-step campaign guide to winning public office that encourages women and diverse candidates to stand for politics at a local, state, and federal level. Aimed at independent candidates but useful for anyone keen on politics, Get Elected equips aspiring candidates, and their supporters, to plan a successful political campaign.

This practical guide draws on the successful ‘Independent for Indi’ campaigns that Ruth helped coordinate, that saw her sister Cathy McGowan elected to the Australian House of Representatives Federal Parliament in 2013 and again in 2016.

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“Rec People was delighted to work with Ruth to deliver a ‘Boost Your Political Savvy’ webinar for people who work in the sport, recreation and leisure sector. Ruth challenged the participants to think about how they could flip their mindset to view ‘being political’ as a positive way to achieve outcomes. Her engaging and direct style encouraged people to think differently about their approach to organisational politics.”

Mandy Nolton, RecPeople

“Many thanks Ruth for a great workshop on ‘perfecting your political prowess’. We really appreciated the effort you made to understand our needs, your adaptability in converting to an online workshop, the depth of the content and the practicality, plus your engaging and calm delivery under pressure. All in all, very happy to have worked with you.”

Debra Rosenfeldt, State Library VictoriaMay 2020

“What a pleasure to work with Ruth McGowan! The NRWC ran a webinar series, facilitated by Ruth, to encourage women to nominate for local government. Her professionalism and willingness to share her knowledge was a cornerstone of the project. The wealth of experience and authentic delivery had her audience of rural women from all over Australia entirely engaged. Ruth was organised, professional and on topic.”

Keli McDonald, CEO, National Rural Women’s Coalition

“Ruth spoke at the launch of our program and had an instant impact on the group. She introduced a concept of ‘activated leaders’ that has resonated with the group and really inspired them to make the most of the program. The incredibly high level of commitment to projects this year is directly due to Ruth’s influence thanks to her willingness to introduce an accountability measure to the group that they have really taken on. Ruth is a warm, engaging and proactive speaker!”

Rod Robinson, Northern Mallee Leaders