Member spotlight - meet Ali
This month, we’re introducing Ali Al-Naseri, a Government Communication Advisor based in Newcastle, NSW and Dubai, UAE.
We asked Ali about his communications journey, key communications challenges, top tips and why he enjoys the communications profession.
Tell us about your journey in communications – how did this path come about?
I was nineteen when I had to leave my war-torn home in Iraq in 2003, to move to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where I earned a B.A. in Media and Communication with a specialisation in journalism, driven by a desire to counter the flood of misinformation at the time.
After working as a bilingual business and financial reporter for three years, the Arab Spring took place and made it clear how communication can mobilise entire societies and drive vast changes. These events led me to decide to pursue a master’s degree in communication and media studies at Monash University, where I investigated how political satire can create counter-hegemonic discourses.
Then I joined APCO, a global advisory and advocacy firm, where I spent over eleven years spearheading strategic government communication projects such as the World Government Summit. This experience strengthened my belief that communication is a serious discipline requiring both theoretical knowledge and practical skills.
Today, my mission is to help organisations, leaders, and communication professionals leverage the right resources for meaningful impact, while guiding communication professionals in refining their skills, knowledge, and experience to achieve remarkable results. I am currently located in Newcastle, working with clients based in Dubai, UAE and Australia.
What do you think is the biggest challenge for professional communicators?
I’m not going to discuss AI and its implications on our industry, since that topic is already being widely covered. In my view, the biggest challenge is navigating the massive flow of information and extracting what truly benefits professionals and their clients. This isn’t a simple task, it requires focus, determination, and the ability to recognise what is genuinely valuable and not to fall prey to information fatigue.
What aspect of communication do you most enjoy, and why?
I enjoy creating strategies from scratch for my clients and then presenting them. The educational aspect of guiding clients through new concepts and approaches is particularly rewarding. Delving into a client’s sector; reading extensively, conducting research, mapping stakeholders, coming up with engagement ideas, and identifying both opportunities and challenges, is one of my favorite parts of the job. I also find so much fulfillment leading training sessions or workshops, whether for clients or junior colleagues, as it allows me to share knowledge and enrich my knowledge, finding answers to the creative questions I receive in the process.
What are your top three tips for communication professionals?
Stay Informed - Read at least one local newspaper and one international newspaper daily. Never stop this good habit.
Protect your reputation - Be confident about every single thing that goes out of your email. Remember that the quality of your work reflects on your personal and on your organisation’s reputation.
Take care of your mental health - Find a hobby and never compromise on the time you’ve set aside for it. This will help you manage your personal life more effectively, and it will also give you the mental break you need to return to work stronger and more focused.
If I may, I would like to add a fourth tip here; continue your education and get certified - Our industry should embrace certification to ensure that anyone who enters the field has the skills and knowledge needed to contribute effectively. Find out more about the GCCC and the IABC NSW study support group (kicking off in May 2025).
If you could add a superpower to your team, what would it be, and why?
Reading minds would be very helpful for communication professionals. Most of the time, our biggest challenge is getting clear, detailed briefs from clients. Achieving this kind of clarity isn’t easy, it takes a lot of work to make sure everyone is on the same page. Since true clarity is rare, the ability to read minds would cut down on back-and-forth and help us do our jobs more efficiently.
What advice would you give a comms professional just starting out?
Last year, I wrote a LinkedIn post aimed at young professionals, and it gained a lot of attention. Here’s the essence:
Take care of your physical and mental health: stay organised and make time for the gym. This benefits you, your clients, and everyone around you.
Wake up early, get to the office, and read the headlines, no need to dive into 5,000-word news articles daily.
Take 15 minutes to reflect on yesterday’s work and think in small, manageable pieces, avoiding overwhelming yourself with tasks like “finish the entire strategy document” or “write five op-eds.”
Always stay on top of client emails and colleagues’ replies.
Be the one to remind your colleagues of deadlines and follow up on unanswered client emails, even if this is not in your job description.
Find a hobby and stick to it. Your team should know when you practice this hobby. It’s important enough that everyone should defend their ‘me time.’
Focus on becoming a well-rounded generalist. Hone your writing, learn how to pitch a story, and create strong presentations.
