Merit People

Geoff Gardiner

Senior Consultant

Qualifications:	
	Bachelor of Business (Management)	QUT
	Graduate Diploma in Enterprise Management	UQ
	Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training
				 

Career Details:

Geoff commenced with Merit Solutions in 2007 having previously had an extensive career in 
Human Resource 
Management which spanned over 20 years in the retail, IT and HR Consulting industries.  While 
his early career
involved working as a HR professional in the IT industry, Geoff’s most significant career 
involvement was to set 
up the HR function with the start-up retail company Pick’n Pay.  As part of this project he worked 
closely with the 
then Commonwealth Employment Service (CES) in developing one of the first computer based 
skill coding 
systems.  This facilitated the initial recruitment process which involved engaging in excess of 800 
people at all 
levels.  Geoff worked with Pick’n Pay as a HR professional for some eleven years and gained 
significant 
experience in many key areas in addition to recruitment and selection.  These included 
Industrial Relations, 
Occupational Health and Safety, workforce planning, staff development and performance 
management, salary 
and administration, and budgeting. 

In 1996 Geoff commenced with PA Consulting as an HR/Recruitment consultant and later moved 
to Management 
Recruiters Australia as team leader in executive recruitment.  Here he gained significant 
experience in public 
sector recruitment and selection, conducting assignments in local government as well as a 
number of state agencies. 

 
Selection Skills:

Building on his earlier generalist HR career, Geoff’s more recent work has provided significant 
recruitment and 
selection experience within the public sector in Queensland.  Clients during this period included 
Brisbane, Gold 
Coast, Caloundra and Logan City Councils, Emerald and Redlands Shire Councils and several 
state agencies 
including Department of State Development, Queensland Transport and Department of Public 
Works.  As a 
recruitment consultant Geoff fulfilled a range of roles in the selection process from advising in 
relation to 
advertising, search and selection strategies, to involvement as a panel member or providing 
selection support 
and preparing the final reports.


Other Achievements:

At Pick’n Pay Geoff was awarded “Executive of the Year”.   Among the achievements contributing 
to this award 
were his leadership of major organisational restructuring to improve the efficiency of the 
company and successful 
negotiation and conclusion of one of the first enterprise agreements in the industry.  Geoff is 
Treasurer of the 
Alcohol and Drug Foundation of Queensland, having been a Board Member for over 15 years.   
In addition he 
operates Fern Cottage B&B in Paddington, Brisbane with his partner and early in 2007was voted 
into the role of 
Secretary of Bed & Breakfast and Farmstay Queensland, the industry peak body.